Thread: White Perch vs. Crappie

Fishing Lake Russell not long ago I started catching fish that looked similar to a white Bass so I Googled it and discovered it was a “White Perch”! I was always under the impression that a White Perch and a Crappie were one in the same but I was wrong! I guess your never too old to learn!

Definitely different. Especially taste.

Big difference, we catch them up here and cut up for catfish bait.

Originally Posted by Bluegill Bill

Fishing Lake Russell not long ago I started catching fish that looked similar to a white Bass so I Googled it and discovered it was a “White Perch”! I was always under the impression that a White Perch and a Crappie were one in the same but I was wrong! I guess your never too old to learn!

White perch and crappie are the same fish, white bass is s different species.


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Originally Posted by badbull

White perch and crappie are the same fish.

A white perch is a White Perch. A crappie is either Black or White but is not a White Perch despite being called a white perch by many people in the Deep South.

A White Bass is an entirely different species than a White Perch. They do look similar but a White Perch typically lacks the stripes that a White Bass has

Originally Posted by badbull

White perch and crappie are the same fish


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Actually, Bull .... no they are not. They're a totally different fish in all respects. Now, White Crappie may be "called" White Perch by some, as one of many nicknames, but they're not even in the same fish family. And White Perch are not even an actual "Perch" ... they're a Morone, a fish in the temperate bass family (along with White Bass, Yellow Bass, Striped Bass, & Hybrid Striped Bass).

True "Perch" are like the Yellow Perch, Walleye, & Sauger.

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Actually, Bull .... no they are not. They're a totally different fish in all respects. Now, White Crappie may be "called" White Perch by some, as one of many nicknames, but they're not even in the same fish family. And White Perch are not even an actual "Perch" ... they're a Morone, a fish in the temperate bass family (along with White Bass, Yellow Bass, Striped Bass, & Hybrid Striped Bass).

True "Perch" are like the Yellow Perch, Walleye, & Sauger.

Your talking scientific names versus local names, I get that . I can tell you another half dozen names for crappie. The white perch you are speaking of is a northern fish and does not normally exist in Ga waters.


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Originally Posted by badbull

Your talking scientific names versus local names, I get that . I can tell you another half dozen names for crappie. The white perch you are speaking of is a northern fish and does not normally exist in Ga waters.


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Correct !!

And you wanna know something funny .... I was probably around 30yrs old before I realized that what my friends & locals around here were calling "white perch" ... were actually Freshwater Drum Seriously, I grew up calling Freshwater Drum as "white perch" !!

And as a pre-teen kid living & growing up with my Grandparents, who were avid Crappie anglers, I was "tricked" into thinking we were going fishing for a new species of fish when my GramPa said we were going fishing for "Newlights" I had heard him mention "Newlight waves" when there was a light wind ripple on the water, and even though I knew we were fishing for Crappie ... I never made the connection until I was older.

I've read where Crappie nicknames include "Strawberry Bass", "Bachelor Perch", "Calico Bass", or "Speckled Bass/Perch" ... but I've never heard anyone use those nicknames. Now, I've only fished in KY, Tenn, SC, & Ala. so those nicknames may not have been used in those parts, but I've never heard them called "White Perch" in any of those areas, either.

I mean no disrespect when "correcting" .... it's just that after 45yrs of working in the Pharmaceutical/Medical field, I've just picked up the habit of being precise.

Originally Posted by badbull

Your talking scientific names versus local names, I get that . I can tell you another half dozen names for crappie. The white perch you are speaking of is a northern fish and does not normally exist in Ga waters.


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They are in the Savannah River chain of lakes bordering SC/GA. I have caught them in all of those lakes.

Originally Posted by badbull

Your talking scientific names versus local names, I get that . I can tell you another half dozen names for crappie. The white perch you are speaking of is a northern fish and does not normally exist in Ga waters.


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I can tell you for a fact they are in Clark Hill lake and I'd be surprised if they weren't in other Georgia reservoirs. They are not native to our lakes but they got put in either by accident or on purpose. Unfortunately they have flourished to the point that SC DNR delisted them as game fish and encourage the removal of as many as possible . We have them in all our major lakes. They are a threat to Crappie and other native species. They are fun to catch and good eating but still a threat to the native fish.
The biggest problem is how fast they multiply. If you have 100 in the lake you probably have 10,000. It's that bad.