On Feb. 17, 2021, angler Dave Burruss from Clear Lake, California, caught what is likely to become the state’s new record black crappie. The fish weighed 4 pounds, 5 ounces, on a state-certified scale. Burruss’ crappie has a length measurement of 17.75 inches, which is certainly impressive, but what really puts it in a class by itself is a girth measurement of 16 inches. The state’s previous record black crappie, which was caught in 1975, weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce.

Burress, an avid angler, is owner of a bait and tackle shop called Clear Lake Outdoors, which according to its website is “your one-stop shop for all things fishing on one of the best bass fishing lakes in the country: Clear Lake!”

Obviously, Clear Lake also one of the country’s best crappie lakes. It’s also a top-notch fishery for channel catfish. Note: According to geologists, Clear Lake may be the oldest lake in North America, approximately 2.5 million years old! 

The day after landing his record-breaking crappie, Burrus provided details of his amazing catch in a Wired2Fish interview:

"Yesterday, it was sunny to partly cloudy and around 58 degrees at 4 pm," Burruss said. "It had been a slow day bass fishing, but I saw a few bigger fish on the Garmin Livescope that I thought were maybe bass. But these fish were suspended at 6 to 10 feet deep in 25 feet of water. They ended up being huge crappie. There were two other crappies with this fish the same size that I couldn't get to bite. I used a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner on a Cool Baits Underspin. This fish is headed to the California Clearlake Biologist for more detail about its age and genetics. Then it will be mounted and put in my store for people to come see up close."

Article update, March 9, 2021: Burruss’ crappie has been confirmed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as the new state record black crappie.