Back to Index

SPECIES PROFILE:

Crappie
by Garry Lucas

Crappie are the third most popular freshwater fish in Mississippi, behind bass and catfish. But in the Delta, they are the preferred fish. In Mississippi crappie is referred to as white perch, but in Louisiana they are known as “sac-a-lait.”

Crappie are members of the sunfish family. This family includes such other popular game fish as bluegill, redear or shellcrackers, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and largemouth bass. Warmouth or goggleye and other fish commonly referred to as bream are also members of the sunfish family.

There are two species of crappie in Mississippi, white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) and black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). White crappie can be distinguished from black crappie by the number of spines in the dorsal fin, which is the fin on the crappie's back. White crappie have six spines and black crappie have seven or eight. The spots on the side of white crappie form several faint vertical bars, while spots on the black crappie are irregular. Also, the dorsal fin of white crappie is shorter and further back on the body. Spines are the best way to tell the difference between the two crappie; during spring the male crappie gets very dark and it is sometimes hard to discern the vertical bars on the white crappie. Some anglers, who do not know how to tell the two species apart, erroneously think the black crappie is the male and the white crappie is the female.

In the Delta, white crappie are the most frequently caught of the two species. In the flood control reservoirs the harvest consists mostly of white crappie. In those Delta lakes that are east of the levee, especially those that are muddy for long periods, white crappie are more abundant than black crappie. Black crappie don't seem to fair too well in lakes that have long periods of muddy water. White crappie survive better than black crappie in muddy water because adult white crappie are able to capture prey in muddy water, whereas adult black crappie cannot.

Crappie have been found spawning from early March to early June. Late March to mid-April, though, is generally the prime spawning period. Hatching of crappie eggs in the flood control reservoirs have been estimated to occur as early as mid-March. Once spawning begins, it will occur over a 30- to 40-day period. Spawning is initiated by water temperature and photoperiod, which is a term for the length of daylight. Water temperature initiates spawning, with spawning beginning when water temperature reaches 57°F, and the prime spawning occurring between 60 to 68°F.

Crappie, like most other sunfish, are nest builders. The male crappie fans out a depression in moderately firm substrate, usually in an area protected from the wind. Nests are usually built in the vicinity of some type of structure. Larger crappie are believed to spawn earlier. Larger crappie have more eggs than smaller crappie. Where a 2-year-old crappie may have 24,000 eggs, a 5-year-old crappie will have 195,000 eggs. Although some 2-year-old crappie will be mature, all 3-year-old crappie are mature. The longer the fish is at its second birthday the higher the probability is that it will be mature.

After the female lays the eggs, male crappie fan them and guard the nest. The eggs sink and are adhesive, so they stick to the bottom. Hatching normally takes about 3 to 4 days, but can take longer if the water is cold or shorter if the water is warm. Young crappie stay in the nest for another 4 to 5 days after hatching and the male continues to guard the fry during this period and for a short while after the fry leave the nest.

Crappie can grow relatively fast. Crappie in oxbow lakes reach harvestable size of 7 to 8 inches when they are 2 years old. Although some anglers will keep crappie as small as 5 inches, almost half of the anglers prefer not to keep crappie smaller than 8 inches, and an additional quarter of the anglers only keep fish that are 10 inches or larger. Black crappie in oxbow lakes reach 4 to 5 inches when they are 1 year old, 7 inches at age 2 and 10 to 11 inches at age 3. White crappie reach 5 to 6 inches at age 1, 8 inches at age 2 and 10 to 11 inches at age 3. An oxbow crappie 12 inches or longer is generally 4 years old or older. In some of the lakes and reservoirs around the state, there are legal limits on the size that can be kept. Be sure to check the regulations for the area that you are fishing.

Although crappie are a popular fish, they make up a small portion of fish in a lake. Where the total weight of fish in an acre of water along the shoreline in the lakes and reservoirs of Mississippi range from 300 to 1,200 pounds, the weight of crappie will range from 2 to 32 pounds. Most of the lakes have 20 pounds or less of crappie.