BLACK CRAPPIE (Pomoxis nigomaculatis)

THE FISH

There are both white and black crappie. White crappie, which belongs to the same genus as black crappie, is not as abundant even though it covers the same geographical range as its cousin. Almost identical in appearance, the white has five or six spines on its dorsal fin and a plain anal fin as opposed to the strongly articulated anal fin and the seven or eight spines of the black. Most anglers, however, will encounter the black crappie when fishing crappie waters. There is a variety of hybrid combinations of fish within the sunfish family (rock bass, crappie, black bass, and so on). The hybrids lack the pure characteristics of either parent.

Size, Shape, and Color

Black crappies are members of the sunfish family and as such have a resemblance to other species in their family. They are deep bodied, elliptical in shape, somewhat elongated, very compressed laterally, and have a depressed forehead. The average length is seven to ten inches over most of their range. There are, however, larger fish. A good size crappie could exceed 12 inches, with some reaching a weight better than two pounds. One of the world's crappie records was a monster weighing five pounds, 20 inches in length, taken in South Carolina in 1957. However, the rate of growth and size is definitely related to the amount of food available, and most crappies average two pounds.

The black crappie, despite its name, is one of the most colorful fish found in our waters. The color is more or less silvery with numerous black or dark green splotches on a dark olive-green to green or golden-brown background. Belly colors can vary from yellow to white with tail and anal fin having worm-like markings. The juveniles have prominent vertical bars on their sides which disappear in adulthood.

The general coloration is somewhat darker than that of the white crappie. Although the dorsal fin doesn't appear to be separated, it is, having a separation between the spines of the first half and the soft rays of the second. But to casual observers, the fish seems to have only one dorsal fin.

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