New Ohio State Record Hybrid Crappie Certified

A new Ohio state record category for hybrid crappie (White Crappie X Black Crappie) has been approved by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio (OWO) with consultation from the Ohio Division of Wildlife.  Biologists with the wildlife agency noted that hybrid crappies are not unusual in waters having populations of both species.  Fisheries biologists Kipp Brown and Mike Porto from Wildlife District 5 confirmed the identification of a hybrid crappie submitted to OWO as a potential state record.

The new state record hybrid crappie, weighing 4.27 pounds, and measuring 18.3 inches long with a girth of 16 inches, was caught by Jesse Miller of Middletown, Ohio.  Mr. Miller caught his hybrid crappie April 1, 2026 while fishing near the Middletown Dam on the Great Miami River, using a spinning rod spooled with six pound test monofilament line and offering a minnow below a bobber.  This fish marks the first entry into Ohio’s new state record fish category. 

Ohio’s record fish are determined on the basis of weight only and are certified by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio State Record Fish Committee with assistance from fisheries biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

  For more information on Ohio’s state record fish program contact Fred Snyder, Chairman, OWO State Record Fish Committee, 754 Co. Rd. 126, Fremont, OH 43420, phone (419) 332-0777, email fnsnyder@gmail.com or visit www.outdoorwritersofohio.org