Missouri angler catches a rare golden crappie: ‘Surprised to pull this one'

A woman fishing with family in a pond on her new property in Missouri hooked into a bizarre-looking crappie that appears to be made of 24-carat gold.

Holly Haddan, who recently moved to Springfield, made the unusual catch Monday using a bobber and worm.

“I really didn’t know much about this pond. We were just fishing it to kind of see what was in it,” Haddan told The Kansas City Star.

“I was very surprised to pull this one in. It’s very vibrant. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It shines like gold when the sun hits it just right.”

This one’s unique color was explained by the Missouri Department of Conservation on its Facebook page. It said, “This occurrence is known as xanthochromism – a genetic condition that causes unusually yellow or orange pigmentation in animals, similar to how albinism causes a lack of pigment. These phenomena are not restricted to fish, but can occur in a variety of animals.”

Haddan put the golden crappie in a koi pond with plans to return it to the fishing pond.

“I like to eat fish,” she told the Star, “but I also don’t see the need to kill something when there’s no need for it.”