Anthony Mondo is a hardcore bass fisherman. He was actually fishing
a bass tournament when he caught this huge black crappie on
Chickamauga Lake. The fish was only one 1/100th of an ounce shy
of four pounds on certified scales. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Mondo)
4-pound Tennessee River Crappie Stuns Veteran Anglers
by Capt. Richard Simms
Anthony Mondo is a hardcore bass angler from Chattanooga, Tennessee. But a recent catch by Mondo wasn’t a bass. It was an incredible crappie-catch on the Tennessee River’s Chickamauga Lake that stunned area crappie fishermen.
I am 71 years old and have fished Chickamauga Lake since Mom and Dad took me to the lakeshore in the early 1960s. I’ve also covered the outdoors and fishing scene as a professional journalist since the early 1980s. Never, in all of those years, have I heard of a 4-pound crappie caught.
I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I’ve never heard of it, until now.
Mondo said he was fishing the Heartland Anglers bass tournament in late February. He and his partner were fishing in the Harrison Bay section of Chickamauga. He was using a Garmin LiveScope searching for big bass.
“We just saw a mark on the screen that looked like a bass,” said Mondo. “I threw out there and my God, I thought at first I had a 4-pound bass because it just started ripping line. I got it to the side of the boat and my buddy freaks out. He’s like, ‘Dude, that’s a giant crappie!’”
On Mondo’s scales the huge black crappie weighed 3.94 pounds. It was 19 inches long and 15.5 inches in girth. Mondo said he was fishing with a small Rapala Mooch Minnow swimbait.
Biologist Says, “Great Catch”
Mike Jolley, the regional Reservoir Biologist for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said in his lengthy career he has only seen one other crappie catch that came close to that size, although they didn’t get an exact weight. Otherwise, during their surveys, sampling and research, he said he can’t remember ever seeing a crappie that weighed this much.
Asked how old this fish might have been, Jolley said, “Most crappie we see at their oldest in studies are around eight years old, with exceptions of course. It is probable that fish could be around seven to 10 years old, but there is really no way to know for sure.”
Mondo put the huge crappie in the livewell and continued the search for bass. He and his partner, Conner Plass, came in second in the bass tournament. But Mondo said the massive crappie was all the talk at the weigh-in. He said the word about the huge fish got out to members of the local crappie club who drove many miles to come see it.
“There were guys who drove 30 minutes to come check this thing out,” he said. “They couldn’t believe it. I think a 3.5-pound crappie was their all-time record for the club in the last 40 years or so.”
Weighed on Certified Scales
Mondo worked hard to keep the big crappie alive in his livewell until he could visit Don’s Meat Shop the following day. There the black crappie was weighed on a certified scale, which showed its weight at 3.99 pounds. It was a mere 1/100th-ounce shy of 4 pounds, but in my book, that’s a 4-pound crappie anyway—pretty much unheard of anywhere on the Tennessee River, or even most other crappie waters.
Swimming Free
And for all you crappie fishermen out there, Mondo says that fish is back in Chickamauga Lake swimming free.
“I was at Don’s Meat Shop (close to Chickamauga Lake) when I weighed it, so I carried it over to Chester Frost Park where I released her, and she swam away. I sat there for about 30 minutes to make sure she never came back up,” said Mondo.
No one keeps official lake records on fish caught on Chickamauga or any of the Tennessee River chain of lakes. However, in this writer’s opinion, this crappie would likely be it.
(From Chattanooga, Tenn., Capt. Richard Simms is owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters, Inc. He began his outdoor career as a Tennessee game warden, later choosing journalism (and guiding) as his chosen profession. Check out his book, “An Outdoor State of Mind.” You can contact him at Richard@ScenicCityFishing.com.)
