Certifying state record not easy
DFW confirms fish caught by local angler was black crappie
The California record for black crappie caught at Clear Lake last week has taken the fishing world by storm. The 4.33-pound fish, if certified, will top the current California record set in 1971.
Dave Burress of Kelseyville caught the monster crappie near Shag Rock on a small swimbait attached to the underspin. He was fishing for bass, not crappie, when the monster struck.
The old record was 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Burress took the fish to the town of Williams where he met up with Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) fishery biologist Ben Ewing, who then confirmed it was a black crappie. Ewing took samples of the crappie back to the DWF lab where it will be aged and examined so that other information about the fish can be obtained. Clear Lake now holds the state record for both black and white crappie.
Getting a record fish certified is an involved process.
To qualify for a record, the angler is required to have a current California freshwater sport fishing license or be younger than 16 years of age. The fish must be taken by hook and line angling and caught from state waters open to the public for fishing. Anglers must abide by all California freshwater sport fishing regulations.
The facts regarding the catch must be recorded on the California Inland Water Angling Record Verification Form (FG 737A). Forms are available on the DFW website at https://www.wildlife.ca.qov/Fishinq/Records. Record forms must be submitted within 30 days of the catch.
To break a current record, the fish must exceed the current record weight by a minimum of one ounce. Photographs are required to be submitted with all record applications. The fish must be clearly identifiable based on the photos submitted. At least one clear photograph showing the full length of the fish (side view) must be submitted. Another photo must show the angler with the fish, and one other photograph most show the fish on a scale with the weight clearly visible.
DFW biologists use photos to identify the fish. If biologists are unable to make a definite identification from the submitted photographs, the angler will be required to provide the fish for examination. If no positive identi
fication of the species can be made from the photographs provided and the fish cannot be presented for identification, then the application is denied. All photos submitted become the property of the state and may be used in DFW publications.
And that’s just the start of the verification process.
The must be weighed on scale certified for legal trade, and that scale must have been certified by the state within 12 months of the record catch. Proof of scale certification from the County Office of Weights and Measure or a scale receipt from a commercial vendor must be submitted with the application.
Also, one or more witnesses must observe the weighing and their signatures must appear on the application form. Fish weight must be rounded down to the nearest ounce.
If a non-certified scale is used at the time of weighing, the applicant must show proof of scale certification within 30 days from the date the fish was weighed. Fish total length and girth are used to validate fish weight.
All record applications are reviewed and final approval is granted by the by Fisheries Branch.
Burress has complied with all the DFW requirements and should have no trouble getting the fish certified as a new state record.
He plans on having the fish mounted by a taxidermist and displayed in his tackle store (he owns Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport). Burruss also plans on having several replicas made so that they can be displayed at various locations around the county.
According to DFW sources, several potential record-size fish are caught around the state each year, but most of the fishermen either take the fish home to eat or don’t follow the protocol in certifying the catch.