Jeff Heaslip posted on July 15, 2005 23:41 :: 4273 Views
The truth about Crappies.
Crappies belong to the sunfish family. They have flat, silvery bodies with black to dark green markings. These markings vary in intensity, depending on the time of year and the type of water. During the spring spawning period, a male black crappie may appear jet black over much of it's body. Markings on the male white crappie darken around the head, breast and back. Crappies from really clear waters usually have bolder markings than fish from murky waters.
Although black and white crappies share many of the same waters, black crappies prefer quieter waters. Black crappies prefer colder waters to whereas white crappies thrive better in warmer waters. White crappies are most common in reservoirs, lakes, rivers and the bayous of the south. They can tolerate murkier water than black crappies and can thrive in water basins with either soft or hard bottoms and live near some kind of structure, or cover. Black crappies are abundant in cool, northern lakes with gravel or sand bottoms, and can be found almost always around some type of vegetation.
Although they are different slightly in appearance, black and white crappies have a lot of common characteristics. Both have a large number of gill rakers for straining plankton from the water. Crappies in the north eat small fish, insects and crustaceans while many of the crappies in the south eat gizzard and threadfin shad. More sensitive to light than sunfish, crappies feed more at dawn, dusk, or at night. They bite throughout the year, but feed less often once the water temps drop below 50 degrees.
Crappies start to make nests when the water temps reaches 62-65 degrees, which in our state averages around late may to early June. Spawning crappies prefer gravel bottoms, but will nest on sand or mud if gravel is not around. They also spawn on boulders, dense weed mats, or overhanging banks, especially in streams or rivers. Males are the first to arrive and the last. They establish and defend an area, then build a nest by fanning away debris. After the female drops her eggs, the male stays to protect the nest. The eggs hatch in 3-5 days, depending on what the weather dictates and water temps. Most crappies spawn in water 2 to 10 feet deep. The larger fish have been known to spawn in water to 20 feet. They spawn when the water temperatures reach between 50 and 72 degrees.
In most waters, a good sized crappie is 1/2 to 1 pound. Crappies rarely live longer than 5 years in the southern states. However here in the north crappies can reach ages of 10-15 years with some reaching 17.
I hope this gives you all a general knowledge of crappies and hopefully it answers some of your questions.
CrappieMagnet
Article Source:
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