Thread: Crappie growth.

Originally Posted by arkcrappie

That is a good read Matt! Hope I didn't put you on the spot to bad.

No problem at all. I like to talk about crappie!

Matt, this thread inspired me to check a few otoliths. I have successfully removed a couple but wondered if you have any tips to help see the rings. Does it help to have them in a drop of water, or against a dark background, or with light shining from below? Should they be dried first? Just wondering after turning them every which way and still having trouble seeing the annular rings. FYI it looks like a 10 inch, an 11 inch, and a 12 inch crappie are nearing their fourth year. These were caught in the Toadsuck area of the river. Sorry guys, this isn't a fishing report- it took 5 guys to catch these three fish!

edit- these were all black crappie

Determining a crappies age with a whole view otolith is really only accurate if it is a 0-3 year old fish. After that it is unreliable. The more advance method you need a microscope. I would be happy to demonstrate this for you at my office in Mayflower. Give me a call some time next week. I should be in the office.

D10 do you need a dissecting microscope to age the otoliths? Or rather what kind of microscope do you need?

Yes, a dissecting microscope.