Black Crappie is part of the sunfish family. It is an important prey species for largemouth bass and yellow perch. Black Crappie’s are only found in clean waters like The Great Lakes and the Hudson River. It is very prolific, tending to overpopulate in its environment. Like other species in the sunfish family Crappies have a high compressed, diamond shape body and are pale silvery white on the belly and sides, and dark green on top. A dark vertical bar can be seen through the eye region. Crappies normally live until about seven, although, the oldest known black crappie was 15 years old.
Black Crappie can be found in clean bodies of water where there is abundant vegetation. During the winter months Black crappie’s can be found in shallow waters. During hot summer days they move into deeper waters or into shading areas of shore that have adequate riparian vegetation. In winter they move out to deeper water. Black Crappie often favor underwater structures such as logs, stumps, and rocks and gravitate towards cool, clearer bodies of water with little to no current.
Websites:
- Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Calico bass) – Animal Diversity Web
- Species Spotlight: Black Crappie – New York Almanack
- Sunfish and Crappie Management – NYSDEC
- Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Black Crappie – Collections – USGS NAS
- Crappie | A Comprehensive Species Guide – Wired2Fish
- Black Crappie: Identification, Habitat & How to Catch | FishDatabase
- Black crappie – Wikipedia
Videos:
- The Crappie Species of North America: Black Crappie vs White …
- Hard Core Crappie Facts with fish biologist Josh Johnston – YouTube