Iowa angler John Foster recently caught an absolute slab—but it may not set a new state record. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Foster reeled in an 18-inch, 4.08-pound crappie on September 23, 2024, on Sundown Lake, which is a private, man-made waterbody in Appanoose County. He was using a soft-plastic crappie lure when he made the epic catch.
In a September 25 Facebook post, the Iowa DNR announced the fish as the new state record black crappie before quickly backtracking. “This fish is such a catch of a lifetime that we're actually looking into if it may be a natural hybrid crappie,” the agency explained. Iowa DNR staffers took a fin clip from the fish and sent it in for DNA analysis to determine whether it's a true black crappie or a white and black crappie hybrid.
Crappie typically fall under two distinct species in North America. White crappie are lighter in coloration than black crappie, slightly longer in shape, and have fewer dorsal spines. They also have irregular spotting. The black crappie is considered the larger of the two species, though neither one regularly exceeds two pounds in weight.
According to the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, “hybridization between crappie species occurs naturally in the wild. Environmental factors that enable hybridization to occur are turbid water, increased amounts of vegetation, limited spawning habitat, overlapping spawning seasons, and water level fluctuations.”
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Hybrid crappie are known to sometimes grow faster, but not necessarily larger, than pure white or black crappie. Iowa’s record white crappie, caught in 1981, weighed 4.56 pounds. The state doesn't maintain records for crappie hybrids. While the DNA test will soon determine if Foster’s fish can claim the new state record, it's easily one of the most impressive crappies caught in the Hawkeye State in recent memory.
