David Selle of Lino Lakes displays the 4-pound, 1-ounce black crappie he caught
from Cedar Lake in Rice County, Minnesota. The fish established a new Minnesota
state-record black crappie by certified weight, edging the previous mark by just
over an ounce. (Photo courtesy of Minnesota DNR)
One Ounce Makes History
By Keith Sutton
Sometimes a state record falls by a mile. Sometimes it falls by a whisker.
In Minnesota, it took just a little more than an ounce.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently announced that angler David Selle of Lino Lakes has landed a new state-record black crappie. The fish weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce and was caught from Cedar Lake in Rice County.
That may not sound like much more than the previous record, but in the record books, an ounce can make all the difference. Selle’s giant slab surpassed the existing certified weight record by just over an ounce, proving once again that every fraction of a pound matters when you’re holding a fish of a lifetime.
For crappie anglers, a 4-pound fish is the stuff of dreams. Most of us spend years chasing 2-pounders and consider a 3-pound crappie a genuine trophy. A fish pushing past the 4-pound mark enters rare company, regardless of where it’s caught.
The catch was announced by the Minnesota DNR on May 28, drawing congratulations from anglers across the Upper Midwest and beyond. As news of the fish spread, so did the inevitable question: “How many crappies that size are swimming around out there that nobody knows about?”
That’s the kind of question that fuels fishing dreams.
Every spring, anglers launch boats and step onto docks hoping for a personal best. Most catches don’t rewrite the record books, but every now and then someone hooks a fish that changes history. That’s exactly what happened for Selle on Cedar Lake.
The catch also serves as a reminder that state records don’t happen only in faraway destinations. Sometimes they come from waters that local anglers have fished for years. The next cast could produce a memorable fish, or in rare cases, a fish that earns a permanent place in state-record history.
If you think you’ve landed a state-record crappie—or any other species—don’t leave things to chance. Most state agencies have specific procedures for certifying record catches, including official weigh-ins, measurements, witness verification, and application forms. In Minnesota, anglers can find the necessary information on the Department of Natural Resources website.
Meanwhile, David Selle has earned bragging rights that may last a very long time. After all, records are made to be broken, but anyone hoping to top his mark will need to find a black crappie heavier than 4 pounds, 1 ounce.
As Minnesota anglers now know, that extra ounce can mean everything.
(Keith Sutton served as state fishing records coordinator during his 20-year career with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.)
