Luke Estel – Special to Anglerschannel.com

It’s Official! I just got off the phone with the IDNR and the 41 year old Illinois state record crappie has been broken!
Strike King Regional Crappie Pro Staff josh Jackson and his good friend Ryan Povolish headed out to Kinkaid Lake in Murphysboro, IL. to crappie and bass fish. They pulled up on the first brush pile and immediately caught two nice crappie. Another boat stopped by and asked them how they were catching them so Josh graciously gave the other boat his spot and moved down the bank. Ryan picked up a bass rod rigged with a Bluegill color Strike King Pure Poison tipped with a Rage Craw and casted it toward the grass edge. At first he thought he hung into a nice bass but when the fish surfaced Josh knew he had a monster Crappie. After boating the fish Josh suspected Ryan had caught the state record. Josh got on the phone and called me and asked for a scale. I met them at the boat ramp where I weighed it at 4 pounds 9 ounces. We called the fishery biologist, Shawn Hirst and he met us at the ramp with a certified scale. Also present were the Southern Illinois University fishery students. Shawn weighed the fish and the scales settled on 4.55 pounds which equals to 4 pounds, 8.8 ounces. The 41 year old record had been broken by .8 ounces. Ryan stood in disbelief as Shawn handed him the paperwork to fill out for registering the fish as a state record. Shawn also took quick measurements and placed it back in the livewell. Josh and Ryan took it back to Josh’s house to place the fish in a holding tank that Josh had built out of an old deep freeze. Currently the fish is still alive and in good shape. We received a permit from IDNR to transport the fish to Bass Pro Shops if they choose to take the fish. This Black Crappie is 7 ounces form the world record. Truly the fish of a lifetime.