Members,
Can you believe we are already between dove season and opening day of deer season? This year has certainly flown by as we are wrapping up the regular season tournament schedule and preparing for our State Championship at Lake Keystone. I am very excited about the direction our club is headed. We have had great turnouts to all of our tournaments this year even with the high waters. Our monthly OCAC Meetings at Bass Pro continue to get bigger and member participation continues to grow. I thought for this edition of our newsletter, I would throw out some crappie fun facts for you to enjoy. The state record Black Crappie is 4 lbs, 10 ounces, caught by Rollie Williams way back in 1974. This may not count in your eyes since it was caught in a pond, but nevertheless, Good Ole Rollie is still in the books! The state record White Crappie is 4 lbs, 15 ounces, again caught in a pond by Frank Robinson in 1991. Let’s talk about Lakes, specifically the 2019 OCAC tournament trail lakes. Now before you say, “well heck, I’ve caught one bigger than that at that lake,” this is straight from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Oklahoma Lake Record program.
So, what to do if you think you caught the State Record Crappie? The following is from the website http://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/oklahoma-record-fish/ in Oklahoma Fishing:
How to Certify a State Record
- Fish must be caught on rod and line and must be hooked and played by only one person. (Except for unrestricted division, which recognizes fish species taken by legal means other than rod and reel such as bow and arrow, gig, spear, trotline, jugline, limbline, etc. These records must tie or exceed the weight of the existing rod and reel record.)
- Fish must be caught in accordance with Oklahoma fishing regulations.
- No fish caught from any hatchery or commercial put-and-take lake is eligible.
- Accredited or certified weight scales must be used to weigh the fish. Accredited steel measuring tapes must be used to measure the fish. The fish should be measured from tip of the snout to the end of the tail, with fish laid flat on a ruler, mouth closed and tail lobes pressed together, giving length of fish in inches. Measure the girth of the fish in inches around its widest point. Three witnesses, one of which must be an employee of the Wildlife Department, must witness the weighing and measuring of the fish and sign the affidavit.
- The fish may be frozen, but must be in a thawed, natural, live-weight condition when approved by a Wildlife Department biologist or technician. Preserve the fish until you receive an official letter of verification from the director of the Wildlife Department.
- A clear photograph showing a close-up side view of the fish must accompany the completed fish affidavit form. All photographs become the property of the Wildlife Department.
- The Wildlife Department reserves the right to collect fish scale, tissue or spine samples to check fish identification and to refuse any questionable fish affidavit submitted. The affidavit must be submitted within 30 days of the date the fish is caught.
- With the exception of grass carp, no restricted exotic species will be eligible for state record fish recognition.
Maybe one day one of our club members will be in the situation where this helps!
Thank you and good fishing,
David Riggs
Board Member
Oklahoma Crappie Anglers Club