Spiel Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 Did you hear about the 4 1/2 -pound crappie? To Waterloo fisherman, this is no ordinary fish story Sunday, Mar. 28, 2010 ROD KLOECKNER / www.bnd.com Mike Zimmer and the 4-pound, 5-ounce crappie. - Provided/BND Mike Zimmer was enjoying a phenomenal morning of crappie fishing. Then, it nearly turned historic. The 33-year-old angler from Waterloo was fishing a lake in Southern Illinois on March 15 when he hooked a 4 pound, 5 ounce white crappie. That's two ounces shy of the state record caught by Kevin Dennis in a private pond on April 8, 1973. Most crappie caught are in the half- to 1-pound range. "It was unbelievable," Zimmer said. "It's probably like catching an 8- or 9-pound bass or a 70-pound flathead (catfish). Crappie fisherman know just how big something like this is." The behemoth that measured 19 inches long and had a girth of 16 inches was part of a crappie bonanza for Zimmer. He started fishing that chilly morning -- the temperature was about 40 degrees -- at 7:20 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., he was already at the dock with his limit of 25 crappie. Among the keepers were a 3-pounder and one that weighed 3 pounds, 8 ounces. The previous day, Zimmer also caught his limit of 25 in under four hours. That's why he declined to reveal the name of the lake that harbors his crappie honeyhole. "Next thing you know, they'll be people all over the place fishing for crappie," Zimmer said with a laugh. Clad in his thermal duck hunting clothes, Zimmer was one of the few fishermen on the lake that morning. The nippy temperatures didn't faze Zimmer, who said he has been fishing since he was in diapers. "For me, I've always caught my bigger ones early when it was cold," he said. "For most people, they would not even go on a day like that. It wasn't ideal by any means, but it was for me." Zimmer was using a 12-foot crappie pole outfitted with 4-pound test and a slip cork. His bait of choice was a Grizzly jig tipped with a small minnow. Knowing the crappie were preparing to spawn, he was fishing in shallow water (between 2 and 10 feet) around some downed trees. It didn't take long for Zimmer to realize he had landed on a school of crappie. Big ones, too. "I had beaten my own personal record (3 pounds) on the 12th or 13th keeper of the day," Zimmer said. "The 4.5-pounder was the 23rd keeper. I knew I only had three more fish to go, and here I catch this one." When he hooked it, Zimmer didn't think it was a crappie. "I'm thinking that's a catfish because it stayed down low," he said. "It didn't want to come up. A muskie will do the same thing. They'll put a good fight up and not come up to the surface. "After a little bit of fighting I started to see it, and I realized it was a crappie. All I could think of was that 4-pound test breaking, because I knew it was a big one. I don't know how long I fought it because all I was thinking was getting it in the boat." Once he landed the papermouth, he collapsed into his seat due to a combination of exhaustion and excitement over his catch. After he caught his breath, Zimmer weighed the crappie on a hand-held scale. It came in just under 4.5 pounds. Zimmer then had the fish weighed on certified scales at the Millstadt post office and a butcher's shop in Sparta. The fish is currently at a taxidermist, where Zimmer plans to have it mounted. Coming oh-so-close to breaking a 37-year-old record didn't seem to bother Zimmer, who is a chemical operator at a plant in East St. Louis. "It might even be better than catching the state record because I might have gotten more publicity than I wanted," Zimmer said. "Then, I would have really had to give up my spot." News of Zimmer's near-record catch has been making the rounds. "My brother, who lives in Waltonville, had someone come up to him saying 'Man, did you hear about this dude that caught a 4.5-pound, 3.5-pound and 3.25-pound crappie?'" Zimmer said. "He's like 'Yeah, I did. I seen them because he's my brother.' I guess news like that gets around pretty quick." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorfan Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 hot damn.........wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishyfingers Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnimon Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 HOLY CRAPPIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cure-hb Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 that's real? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaris Posted April 15, 2010 Report Share Posted April 15, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin s Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 any pics of that crappie? thats a hog 13-17 inch is big to me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wankerjohn123 Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) any pics of that crappie? thats a hog 13-17 inch is big to me!!! Here is a link to the photo of the crappie. http://puddlebud.com/WP-BLOG/2010/03/25/monster-crappie-is-illinois-state-record/ Edited June 3, 2010 by Broken Bobber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cure-hb Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 that is the biggest crappie i have ever seen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.cortellessa Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 I didn't quite believe it until I saw the picture!! It almost looks like a largemouth bass for petes sake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SudburyAngler Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pikeslayer Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 speechless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllmojo Posted August 21, 2010 Report Share Posted August 21, 2010 now thats a big fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 but what did it taste like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiel Posted August 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 but what did it taste like? Crappie of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttreacy Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 (edited) I caught a 1 lb rocky on the weekend and thought that was big Edited August 27, 2010 by tallpipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisher12 Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 No not until I saw this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUNNER Posted November 19, 2010 Report Share Posted November 19, 2010 any work on crappie fishing around scugog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekman Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiaodong1983 Posted December 27, 2010 Report Share Posted December 27, 2010 Hahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waki5 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 i hope it made it back to go up on the wall. what a fish. hears hopping one day. i too one day catch one like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankrzyzanowski Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 An amazing slab for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnwire Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Is it possible that the part about it being a "white" crappie is a misprint? It looks like every black crappie I've ever caught (obviously a lot bigger) and not really like the pictures of white crappie I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2 Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2 Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Anyone else having trouble viewing the pic. Keep getting error message 404 whatever that means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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