Have you ever seen exceptionally dark-patterned crappie in the spring? It can be difficult this time of year to know whether the fish you just caught is a White Crappie or a Black Crappie. While Black Crappie typically have darker coloration, White Crappie will often display darker coloration than usual heading into spawning season. You can definitively distinguish the two species by looking for the vertical bar pattern present on White Crappie versus the random pattern on the sides of a Black Crappie. And if you still aren’t sure which is which, you can also start counting; White Crappie have 5 – 6 dorsal spines, whereas Black Crappie have 7 – 8 dorsal spines.
The pictures below were taken at Lake Greeson last week. Biologists are still seeing crappie sitting out deep, but we anticipate that as temperatures rise in the coming days and weeks, they should be moving up shallow soon.
If you haven’t already, remember to purchase your fishing license and get out to your local waterbody to fish the natural state. Fish attractor sites can be found at https://ow.ly/5VMV50QYbLP. If you see anything out of the ordinary, please feel free to call your local biologists.
