Crappie are considered among the best tasting fresh water fish.  They have flaky white flesh and are called Crappie or Perch by some Folks.

Crappie are fast growing fish and can reach catchable size within 3 years based on food supply.  The average Crappie is 4″ to 8″ long and 1/2 to 1 lb, with a record catch of a whopping 19″ and 5 lbs.  

They do not train to pelleted feed, but need an established pond with Minnows, insects, smaller fish, crustaceans, and zooplankton.  They feed at dawn or dusk and will come near the shore at those times.  At other times of the day they are less active, and they prefer weed beds, submerged logs and boulders.

In the Spring they like shallower water, while in the Summer they go deeper.  They spawn between May and June, and they tend to stay at a level of 1′ to 5′ during that time.  Their eggs take 3-5 days to hatch out. 

Crappie are active in winter, making them a popular fish for cold weather fishing. 

The difference between White and Black Crappie is that White Crappie will have pattern bars running the length of their bodies, while Black Crappie has no set pattern – just specks.  Males in both species turn very dark during spawning.  At other times of the year they can lose their markings all together.  Water also affects their appearance.  Clear water Crappie stay more colorful, while muddy water Crappie can have no visible markings.

Hybrid Crappie are produced by taking eggs from a female of one species and fertilizing them from a male of the other species.  This is usually done in a Laboratory, but research has shown that when both species are in a body of water they will cross and produce a natural Hybrid.  Only the first generation of hybrid offspring is more vigorous than the Parent stock.

If you have a small pond (under 10 acres) Hybrid Crappie are the best choice for you because Hybrid Crappie reproduce at a very low rate and are less likely to over-populate your pond.  You can stock Hybrid Crappie at 100-150 per surface acre.   They can compete with Bass for food supply if they start to take over a pond and start your Bass to starving and stunting, so take care how you stock them.

Black and White Crappie spawn in tremendous numbers in early Spring and are the first to hatch out in a pond.  This means that they are ready and waiting to consume small fry and fingerlings of other species, which is how they can take over a pond.  That is why we recommend Hybrid Crappie, unless you specifically want that heavy population.

If Black and White Crappie over spawn and take over a pond, the only way to get it back under control is to drain the pond.  That is one of the reasons we strongly recommend Hybrid Crappie, or understocking Crappie with at least a 10 Bass to 1 Crappie ratio.