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Fish Species - Details
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WHITE CRAPPIE
(Pomoxis annularis)
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Other Common Names
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Papermouth, calico bass, strawberry bass
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Identifying Characteristics
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The white crappie is a silvery, deep-bodied, slab-sided fish.
The silvery body color shades to green or brown on the back, and the belly is silver or white.
The mouth that is proportional to body size, and the upper jaw reaches well past the middle of
the eye when the mouth is closed.
There are usually 7 to 9 vertical dark bars on the sides.
The spiny dorsal and soft dorsal fins are broadly connected without a notch between.
The anal fin is usually as long and as large as the dorsal fin and contains 6 spines.
Breeding males become much darker and vividly marked during spawning; females retain their
usual coloration and markings.
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Habits and Habitat
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White crappies tolerate turbid waters far better than black crappies.
They are more abundant in waters that carry heavy silt loads.
The best action occurs in the late winter and early spring, when large schools spawn in
shallow water.
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Tackle and Techniques
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Use light or ultra-light spinning or fly-fishing tackle and 4- to 6-pound-test line.
Small, live minnows work best. Put a bobber a few feet up from the bait and cast out.
Small spinners also work well, as do small jigs dressed with Mr. Twister tails.
In the spring, when the fish are in the shallows, fan-cast with small spinners or drift with
minnows until a school is found; then anchor and still-fish.
Crappie have delicate mouths; a firm tug is plenty to set the hook.
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Current State Record
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3 pounds, 13ounces; caught by James R. Weinberg on Sleepy Hollow Lake (Greene County) on
June 9, 2001.
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© Sander's Fishing Guides, Inc.
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