04/01/2026
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BREAKING - Texas State Record Crappie Caught
ZWOLLE, LA — What started as a routine bass tournament turned into a potentially record-breaking moment on the water this past weekend, as Louisiana angler Ricky “Tee” Thibodeaux from DeRidder, Louisiana landed a crappie that may soon be recognized as the new Texas state record.
Thibodeaux was competing in a local bass tournament when the unexpected catch occurred.
Fishing in Housen Bay on the Texas side of Toledo Bend, Tee was targeting bass in approximately 3 feet of water using a white chartreuse Z-Man Chatterbait, paired with a matching Strike King Blade Minnow as a trailer.
Instead, he hooked into something far different.
“She nailed it! At first I thought I'd caught a big bass, until she surface and her sides looked like a barn door.,” Thibodeaux said.
After being weighed on certified scales, the fish registered 4.67 pounds, surpassing the current Texas state record of 4.56 pounds.
Because the fish was caught on the Texas side of Toledo Bend, it qualifies directly for Texas state record consideration.
The record, however, is still pending official certification by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
“I’ve caught a lot of sacalait out here,” Tee said, “but nothing even close to that one.
If certified, Thibodeaux’s catch will officially set a new benchmark for crappie in Texas waters and add another legendary story to the long history of Toledo Bend producing giant fish.
