Difference between black and white crappie

What about the gold crappie?

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

No ... but that is the most common misconception & misidentifying factor. Black Crappie are spotted on their sides, and White Crappie have vertical bars down their sides. When White Crappie males put on their spawning colors, they "can" become marked so heavily that the black pigmentation runs together and the bars are not as discernible as they normally are. Male Black Crappie can also have their black spot pigmentation cover so much of their body, that they can be confused with the over-pigmented male White Crappie.

Here's an article that has some good identification pics/info :

http://www.tnfish.org/SpeciesFishInf...latus_TWRA.htm (and, yes ... I do have permission from Jim Negus to post those pictures)

... cp :kewl

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I can't think of any instance where I've had to count spines on the dorsal fin. The 2 fish look completely different. If the coloration doesn't give it away, the shape of the fish is different, size of the mouth different. The guys picture is more than you need to distinguish if you're familiar with crappie.

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Originally Posted by jig rig

What about the gold crappie?

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They do exist, but they're a genetic freak & only rarely occur. They're not a specific separate species .... just have a lack of black/white pigmentation, allowing the yellow pigmentation to take over.

... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

They do exist, but they're a genetic freak & only rarely occur. They're not a specific separate species .... just have a lack of black/white pigmentation, allowing the yellow pigmentation to take over.

... cp :kewl

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IMO it's their environment, not genetics that gives them the gold/yellow.

They are not rare in brackish waters. Catch em all the time.

I like the blacks with ketchup, but prefer the whites with tarter sauce.

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Originally Posted by mermentau

I like the blacks with ketchup, but prefer the whites with tarter sauce.

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What no hot sauce? :) Been to Henderson lately?

It's kind of a no brainer to me but I've caught a lot. Been doin it for a while. I've never counted dorsal fins just been able to look and tell.

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Originally Posted by jig rig

IMO it's their environment, not genetics that gives them the gold/yellow.

They are not rare in brackish waters. Catch em all the time.

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But are they the solid gold color, with no black or white coloration on them, whatsoever ??

I know they do, sometimes, exhibit a golden hue over their lower body ... where they'd normally be mostly white. But, if you look at images of "Gold Crappie" (Google Images) you will only see two pictures of "solid gold" colored Crappie. One was caught in Kerr Reservoir, NC ... the other from the Chippewa Flowage in MN. By a dorsal fin count, both fish are likely Black Crappie. And I don't think either one of the waters that these fish came from would be considered "brackish".

... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by jig rig

What no hot sauce? :) Been to Henderson lately?

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Tomorrow I'll give it a go.

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Originally Posted by mermentau

Tomorrow I'll give it a go.

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Good luck.I'm hoping for a river trip Thursday PM