Dunn’s 18-incher was edged out of the Master Angler crappie list last year, and just as was the case with his record bullhead, the fish that beat his Master Angler crappie did so by 1 ounce. Tim Merchlewitz of Fremont is listed in the 2007 records as catching a 19-inch crappie from one of the Fremont State Recreation Area sandpit lakes on May 12.

“I fish a number of the lakes at the recreation area and have caught hundreds of crappie,” Merchlewitz said. “I was fishing Lake No. 1 when I hooked and landed the slab. I was using a minnow. I had tried a couple of the other sandpit lakes, but they were mossed over pretty bad. I finally went to Lake No. 1 and found quite a bit of open water, where I flipped my minnow-and-bobber up close to a stump.

“I think I was there less than 15 minutes when I saw the bobber plop down and begin to move. The fish fought hard and got me tangled up in some brush. I thought I had a bass. Finally, the fish came out of the tangle, and I was sure surprised to see the slab; it’s the biggest I have ever caught. But the lakes do serve up a good number of 10- and 11-inchers.

“I was pretty excited, and so was my son, Marcus, who came along to help me,” the 24-year-old Merchlewitz continued. “He was about 20 months old, and he got excited too. He was really excited when I had him hold up my fish for a picture. I think he’s going to be a crappie fisherman.”

Merchlewitz uses a spinning outfit and loads the reel with 8-pound-test line. “The reason I use the heavier line is that I quite frequently hook a bass or two on the minnow rig, and they can break you off if they get wrapped up in the brush or weeds on lighter line,” he noted. “I’ve been fishing crappie since I was about 12 years old and really enjoy catching them.

“I use a neon-yellow-chartreuse hook. I know they are hard to find, but I’m convinced the hooks catch more crappie than any other. I also use a 1/8-ounce jig once in a while, and I prefer the neon-green color.

“We eat a lot of crappie,” Merchlewitz added. “I fillet the fish, let them soak in salt water for a while, drain them and rinse them in cold water, and then roll them in Bisquick. We fry them in butter until golden brown, and they are gooood.”

According to the Fremont angler, his trophy crappie -- mounted by Bades’ Taxidermy -- looks really good on the wall.

Allen and Cathleen Woitalewicz of Ord teamed up on the crappie of Calamus Reservoir. He landed a 16-incher on June 18, and she bettered his catch by 1 inch. They both use minnows, tightlining them over the rail of the boat.

Allen, 54, works for an implement dealer in Ord. He’s been fishing for crappie for about 40 years. “We caught about a dozen crappie the day we both got big ones,” he said. “I like to think I’m a pretty good fisherman -- but Cathleen seems to always outfish me.

“We fish the Calamus for big ones and hit Sherman for numbers, and also fish a couple of sandpit lakes. We use spinning outfits and load the reels with 6-pound-test mono. I like to use a gold hook -- it seems to produce more crappie. We also catch a few walleyes on the minnows.”