Difference between black and white crappie?

[Splitshot82]

This may be common knowledge, but I've noticed that black crappie filets are "darker" than white crappie filets. The fish below were caught within 100 yds of each other on KY lake this morning. Both were females

[Splitshot82]

[CrappiePappy]

Splitshot .... I've never noticed any difference in color/tone of meat from the two, and the lakes I fish have both species.

I'm wondering if, maybe the "female" Black Crappie had been feeding on something different (like craws or bugs), or perhaps in the process of absorbing her eggs (from the interrupted spawn) ? Or could it be that the Black Crappie died well before the cleaning process ?? I have seen a slight discoloration in the meat of fish that died before cleaning could take place, vs the meat of those still alive at cleaning.

Other than their body markings & coloration patterns, dorsal fin count, water temp preferences, and diet preferences ... they're pretty much the same fish. The only thing in these "differences", that could affect the meat color (IMHO) would be diet. Other than that, and going by the fact that you describe them as being "female" (& I assume you know that by the presence of egg sacs) ... I assume it could, also, be caused by the reabsorption of the eggs. But, without seeing the state of the egg sac, or stomach contents (if there was any) of the Black Crappie ... I'm only guessing. And, I'm actually not even sure if the meat color would change, or be different, in either case.

... cp

[Splitshot82]

Diet makes sense. Maybe the slight overall difference in diet rather than recent? I've noticed this some on fish from Reelfoot too, but to be honest I've not caught a lot of blacks at RF. I was wondering if it might be a pigment difference or something.

The picture I posted was just one example of similar size fish, I noticed this seemed to be a trend on all the fish I caught. I kept 11 this morning. About half and half black/white. Almost all still had some eggs. All were caught before 9 AM, went straight on ice because of the heat. All were caught slow trolling minnows in about a 100 yd stretch. Black crappie seemed to be suspended a little higher though?

There's not a huge difference but it's something new I've noticed this year. Maybe I'm crazy...I've been accused before...