black vs white crappie

[old newbie]

The last week or so all I'm catching seems to be the black ones. I have always heard they were a deeper colder water fish than the white ones so the white crappie get active later as the temps go up, any truth to this? Do you fish any different if you are targetting oneover the other? Most important do they taste any different?

[Locator79]

I don't think there is much difference in the taste. All the quality fish I have caught this year have been whites. I don't know that you would target them any different, just depends on the lake your fishing. White crappie like it a few degress warmer and will spawn a little deeper (2-4') than blacks. By the time the fish move in to spawn, I would think you would get a mixture of both pretty close together. White crappie don't like the weeds and vegitation as much as blacks, so I guess you could target them differently that way.

[daybreak]

Male "white" crappies get very dark in the spring around the time for spawning. Look for the vertical bars on the side of the crappie. If they are somewhat present, those would actually be male white crappies this time of year. If the dark specks are all random in nature and there are no signs of vertical stripes on the sides they are black crappie for sure. I normally catch mostly white crappie in Mississinewa Reservoir and the crappie I catch in Winona lake at Warsaw are usually the black species.

[Backus]

I assume you were fishing the Mississenewa....It is loaded with black crappie.....early last spring the majority of the crappie we caught were black's.....We gradually caught more white's......The male white crappie won't turn real dark for another month or so.......here anyway........

[Hillbilly910]

my home lake, blacks spawn first, most of the creeks, about a week after the blacks leave, the whites move in. I can take you to a creek right now where all you'll catch is blacks, go a half mile down lake, and catch whites.
Blacks also go much shallower here than the whites.

HB

[Hoosier Hog Daddy]

I second what Hillbilly says. Most of the larger reservoirs I fish are predominantly white crappie lakes, while a lot of the smaller bodies of water seem to hold more black crappie. I believe the whites are more likely to be found where the big shad populations are whereas blacks seem to thrive in smaller lakes where there are few shad. I believe their diets are different and that blacks tend to eat other aquatic life. Also, I have caught a limit of black crappie in 1 foot of water. They will get right on the bank and early....like right after ice out and like the sticks and brush. Whites on the other hand are found deeper and seem to come to shallower water later in spring. At least , that has been my experience.

HHD

[High Tide]

Black crappie meat is more firm than whites... they believe it's because white crappie prefer fry, and black crappie eat more insects. Makes sense, because bluegill meat is way more firm than crappies, and they prefer insects 90% of the time.

[gone_fishing]

my home lake, blacks spawn first, most of the creeks, about a week after the blacks leave, the whites move in. I can take you to a creek right now where all you'll catch is blacks, go a half mile down lake, and catch whites.
Blacks also go much shallower here than the whites.

HB

Yes Blacks spawn first. I have always found blacks to prefer clearer waters than whites and clear lakes have almost all if not all blacks.