Anyone here caught a 17"+ crappie?

[TapOut64]

I want to hear your story. I seem to recall Horseshoer has a few and I'm sure Fishdoc does as well. I've got 3 at 16" now and I'm ready to move up to the 17" club.

[Barnacle Bill]

Caught one a few years back at Buggs. She weighed 3 lb 5 oz.

[horseshoer]

I have caught 4 that were 17 + and they came in 2s on two seperate occasions. Caught 2 in TX one day about 20 min apart. Never weighed em.
Then in Mar 05 I caught 2 from shore, at my feet in 1.5 ft, again, about 20 min apart.
They went 2 lb 10 oz and 2-13 and it was an honest, accurate weight. I had to lay on my belly and reach down and lip em, it was a hoot. Told myself back when I caught the first 2 that if I ever get one 18" it goes on the wall. That was about 15 yrs ago and I have only visited the 17" grail twice since then.
The 2 in Tex were caught in July over a brushpile in 11 ft of water about halfway down.
It was an unlikely time of year to catch 2 that size.
I had a good friend in the owner and operator of the bait shop a mile from the lake-and fellow crappie fisherman, Bill Wolverton. I took those 2 to the bait shop after comin outta the water and said Bill I caught 2 nasty big crappie, they wouldnt be close to lake record would they? Lemme see he said. We went out looked in the cooler. He said "nope but they are dandies. If you crappie fish enuf or git lucky you stand a chance of catching a few that size, but then again you may be a fishin fool and go a lifetime without one. He said you may come back catch one next week, 6 yrs from now, or never again."
Well I knew I had sumthin dint happen every day in the two 17"ers but I never forgot, and of course what he said is true. It made the 2 I caught here all the more special.
Good luck!!!

[jim.b]

hey tap i think it is fate sometimes. have caught a lot of trophy crappies, over 2 lbs over the years but i can count on a one hand fish i've caught over 17'' in 30 plus years of crappie fishing. two and my gold is to catch one over 3 lbs. close but no cigar 2/15 at 17 1/2" out of cahoon and i let her go at the ramp. people have got to release those big girls to reach trophy size. crappie only live a short life. so people should take pictures and keep the smaller fish to take home to eat. tite lines jim. b

[The Mountain Man]

I caught one at Santee Cooper on Easter Sunday in 1988, very first fish of the day. Got it hanging over my TV and I smile every time I look at it. I was helping the game wardens and fish biologist on the shock boat once, we shocked up a huge 20 inch white crappie, thin and poor looking but it was a solid 4 pound fish. Wish I had a camera that day. One bush brought up six big ones, the 4, a 3, and 2 between 2 and 3. two others got away. I fished that lake hard and never caught one over 14 inches. Its still in there I guess.

[The Mountain Man]

hard to judge the size by this pic, I'll have to take some holding it.

[The Mountain Man]

We took our two oldest sons to Santee Cooper and hired a guide with a pontoon boat to take up crappie fishing. We had been out with him before for catfish. It was Easter Sunday 1988. He picked us up at the dock and says he marked some nice fish right out from the dock. Asked me if I wanted to start fishing that close to the dock. I told him he was the doctor, I was paying him so fish where ever he wanted. So we tied up and started right there. The boys were up front, he was busy baiting rods with minnows and trying to get one in each holder. The two boys was yanking them in left and right, they had caught about 20 before he even got a chance to get a rod to the back of the boat where my wife and I were watching. First bite on the rod next to me was the big one. The fish did not fight much, he saw it in the water and grabbed his net, a huge net for big cats and stripers. I never realized how big it was until it was out of the net. The guide says, man what a crappie, I says holy Sh#!, you’re right. We went straight back to the dock and weighed it, it was in the freezer 10 minutes after catching it. I had it mounted by Hugh Crittenden, I had seen a 4 plus from Lake Anna he did and liked the pose and paint. One of the best mount jobs I’ve ever seen on a crappie, before or since. Today I would take some pictures and release another 3 pounder. Or even a four. I’ve had three others on my line in the years since that would have been three or more, two in Holiday Lake, one in Briery Creek. They are out there but I believe they eat a bigger bait than most of us crappie fish with. One of these days……..maybe I’ll get lucky…..again…….

[TapOut64]

I had it mounted by Hugh Crittenden,

What state is he in? Thanks for sharing the story.

[The Mountain Man]

I heard he was no longer doing fish. I don't know for sure. He is very active with the annual deer sportsmans show at the Showplace. I saw him there last year.

[Ranger690]

Dude, when I catch a 17" crappie, it will be on the evening National news, 3 local, CNN, FOX, NPR and Nick Jr!

Trust me.....you'll know!

Dayton