Iowa Fisherman Sets New Record for Biggest Crappie [PHOTO]

Nothing beats a good fishing story. Battling to get a huge fish to shore, or better yet, tales of the one that got away. Many a tall tale has been told about a fish that was caught, but no photo was taken. One Iowa fisherman who just set a new state record has all the proof he needs!

I grew up fishing in Iowa. My parents would take my brother and me when we were young, and I went on many a fishing trip with friends once I got older. There are certain fish that you think of when someone lands a state record. Perhaps a trophy bass or even a northern pike? But John Foster set a different kind of record. He caught the biggest crappie ever in the state of Iowa. I've caught plenty of crappie in my lifetime, but none that even came close to the one that Foster landed.

According to the post on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Facebook page, Foster landed the record crappie on September 23rd while fishing at Sundown Lake in Appanoose County. The official measurements? The record fish weighed in at 4.08 pounds and was an amazing 18 inches in length! Foster caught the fish using a small, soft plastic lure. The best part of the story? Foster released the fish and let it live another day. He had his photo and all the proof he needed!

Perhaps my favorite part of this story is some of the comments from the Facebook post. Other anglers claim they too have caught fish larger than the record crappie. Did they have pictures? Of course not. They didn't know that Iowa kept records for fish like crappies. Sure, pal. Tell me another one.