Thread: Black crappie vs white crappie

Originally Posted by Curtis Fry

Do both white an black crappie relate to all the same stuff in the water such as structure , feeding habits, spawning rituals, an summertime habits? I'm in northern Indiana and most all lakes around me inhabit alot more black crappie than white.

Not necessarily ... Black Crappie "prefer" cooler water, clearer water, weeds, and their feeding habits include more bugs & crustaceans, plus they spawn in shallower water (and stay in shallower water longer after spawning).

BUT ... given the circumstances of not having their "preferences" ... they will adapt to the available forage, cover, and water conditions.

Most of our lakes have both species, and it's not uncommon to catch both from the same cover type, or even the same piece of cover, at times. The biggest difference that I've noticed, is that during the Summer ... when many are trolling cranks in open water ... White Crappie seem to be the main catch, with only a few Black Crappie taken on cranks. Whether that's indicative of the Black Crappie not being a Shad chaser, or just not feeding on larger prey, or just not being much of an "open water" feeder ... But, even on lakes like KY Lake, where the population percentage leans towards more Black Crappie ... Summer crankers still seem to catch mostly White Crappie.

Thanks crappiepappy!

I have targeted crappie for several years and only within the last year has it really started to sink in about the differences between white and black crappie. It can be difficult to find information specifically for black crappie because so many more people fish for whites. Look at the number of posts per state in the forum. The southern states where white crappie dominate have significantly more posts than the northern states.
And I think that's something you need to consider when you're reading about certain tactics and patterns. Some of these patterns definitely apply more to white crappie than black,
especially when it comes to summer time fishing.

I've been researching everything I can find on black crappie for the past year - called into a radio show, PM'd CrappiePappy, reading Crappie Wisdom, etc. My catch rate has improved but I'm definitely not bringing in limits of crappie and sometimes struggle to just catch one. In southern Indiana a lot of our smaller lakes only have black crappie. Many of those that only have whites or both are the ones that are over-populated and full of dinks. Those with only blacks have good size fish but not the numbers. So I can pass on some tips I've been given and things I've tried, but I'm still definitely learning myself and would appreciate any more feedback from others that target black crappie.

Black crappie love wax worms and smaller jigs - 1/32 and 1/48. In the spring I was having good luck with an ice fishing float and 1/48 jig with BG Itty Bit tipped with a wax worm.
Small popeye jigs tipped with wax worm worked good too. They were mostly in little coves on the north/northwestern shores in standing timber/fallen trees. As the water first warmed
you would catch females, during the spawn almost all males, and since post-spawn it's just been difficult to catch anything. This summer I have found them in fallen trees that go from the bank out to 15
feet deep of water. The problem has been consistency. Usually the first time I try one of these spots I'll pull out a couple of nice fish and that's it. I cannot find any consistent spots
like back in the spring. If you do a search here for black crappie you'll see that this is a familiar theme.

Maybe the trick is to be more mobile? Hit a spot, no crappie in 5 minutes then move on quick to the next spot. Another problem with summer is the gills and bass are way more aggressive and you end up catching more of them with the jig/wax worm than crappie. So you may be in a good spot but the crappie aren't getting a chance at it? I've recently started using minnows again to try and stay away from the gills. I have had luck with them under lights in the summer, but right now I'm trying to get consistent without the lights. If you learn any tips or tricks for black crappie in the summer please add them here because I'd love to try them out too.

they seem to be quite different to me in most spots . i have certain areas i know i will ketch one or the other . sometimes black crappie will eat a big bait but frequently like smaller baits where a white crappie will eat large baits even if they are small crappie . I also see a tendency in many spots for the black crappie to dominate a shallower depth than the white crappie .
black crappie seem to spawn earlier than white crappie to me as well here in Texas .Black crappie here love to be on concrete and rocks where its available .
downsize your bait for consistent results on the black crappie would be my suggestion and dont move to fast ....they seem to like slower presentations as well in most spots here.
and i have read black crappie up north have real good eye sight due to cooler water temps ....
dont know much about the forage up there but down here a black will eat alot of things other than just bait fish as well
best of luck to you and hope this helps