By Jim Low - This Cajun transplant used bayou savvy to land a monster crappie.

Drexel, Mo. - infoZine - Missouri anglers who aren't acquainted with yo-yos might want to take a pointer from Skipper Antley. He used one to land a black crappie so hefty it brushed aside the former state record.

Antley landed the 3-pound, 3.4-ounce fish Feb. 25 at a private lake in southwestern Cass County, about 25 miles south of Kansas City. The previous record of 3 pounds, 1 ounce had been on the books for nearly 10 years.

The type of yo-yo Antley was using wasn't a child's toy, but a bona fide fishing device. It consists of a spring-loaded reel in a circular housing. After tying the device to a tree or other anchor, the angler pulls out enough line to reach the water, then baits the hook and leaves the yo-yo in place, returning periodically to check for fish and replace stolen bait.

The idea is similar to a bank line or limb line. However, a yo-yo has an advantage on these other methods. When a fish snaps up the bait, the yo-yo's spring-loaded reel snaps back like a window shade. The mechanical jerk sets the hook in the fish's mouth, and the spring mechanism provides enough play to prevent the hook from tearing loose.

"I moved here from Louisiana, and down there everybody uses yo-yos," said Antley. "Mostly you use them at night. It's a big-time teenage sport. You set out 50 or 60, then sit by the campfire and go out every hour or so to check them. I didn't know if they were legal in Missouri, so I never used them here before."

Earlier this year, Antley learned that yo-yos are legal in Missouri. The only difference from Louisiana is that you can't use more than 33 at a time. So Antley took his sons, Dayton, 11, and Jacob, 8, to the lake to show them how yo-yo fishing is done.

"It was a good lesson," Antley said. "They were really excited when they saw that fish."

The fish measured nearly 17 inches from nose to tail. Black crappie tend to be more thickset than white crappie, and this one had a girth of 14.5 inches.

Antley said yo-yos are useful in the winter, when crappie and other fish are not biting as aggressively as in warm weather. Leaving the bait in one place for an extended time lets fish take their time deciding to bite.

He baits his yo-yos with shiner minnows. During daylight hours, he sets the line a foot or more underwater, because fish are wary of daytime predators. At night, when fish are bolder, he suspends bait fish an inch or two below the surface. Predatory fish like crappie hear the splashing of the bait fish and come to investigate. When they suck in the bait, they are hooked.

"I'd say you hook them about nine times out of 10. You don't lose your bait without catching a fish very much. A lot of times at night you can hear the 'zing!' when a yo-yo trips."

To qualify as a state record, fish must be taken by legal methods and be species that are included on the state record fish list. If no record has been entered for a particular species and method, the first record must meet the minimum weight set for that species in the Conservation Department's Master Angler program.

Record fish must be weighed on certified scales with Conservation Department personnel present. The species must be verified by a Conservation Department fisheries biologist. Finally, a color photo of the fish is required.

A complete list of Missouri state fishing records is available online at www.missouriconservation.org. Rules and entry forms also are available online, along with details of the Master Angler program.