I have seen a similar looking crappie on the net before. If memory serves me corretly, the angler was hypothesizing that it was a crappie crossed with another species. I doubt this to be true. Fish, like other animals, can sometimes have genetic defects, some of which can effect color. My best guess is that there is some kind of recessive genetic marker that occasionally gets "turned on" resulting in the abnormal and distinct color. This is most definitely not a distinct species. Another interesting thing to think about is how this bright gold color would make this fish, or any fish, more susceptible to being eaten by a bigger fish. I bet that this genetic anamoly is very rare and that most of the crappie with this condition get eaten when they are fingerlings. So Russ, if you catch a 3 pounder, you my friend have an extremely rare fish!