Black Crappie
(Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
Where do black crappies live?
Black crappies are common in streams and all but the deepest lakes. They can be seen throughout Canada, the midwest, and the east coast.
How big can a black crappie grow?
In Minnesota, black crappies can weigh more than a pound.
What does the black crappie eat?
Black crappies are quite resourceful; they tend to eat anything they can find. They eat fish, insects in all stages of life, snails, leeches, other arthropods, and plants. They have even been known to eat silt and other debris.
What do they do in the winter when it gets cold?
Black crappies are far more active than most other sunfish during the cold winter months, so ice fishers frequently catch them.
As a commonly fished species, do black crappies face endangerment?
Actually, quite the opposite is true. Crappies are by their nature quite dominant fish, thus they have more problems with overpopulation than they do with endangerment. They have frequently been introduced into lake habitats in an attempt to improve fishing, but instead of helping they upset the lake's natural balance and become the most common fish in the lake. There are many populations of "stunted crappies" that have grown to sub-adult sizes thanks to overgrown populations in inadequate habitat area. The Minnesota DNR has helped stunted black crappie populations by moving some fish out to other lakes, but this management strategy can in time create more stunted populations so it must be used with caution.
How can one distinguish between male and female black crappies?
Typically male black crappies have darker and more iridescent heads and breasts than the females have.
Does the black crappie go by any other names?
The major reason that scientists avoid common names is that there are far too many of them in use. The black crappie is also known as crappie, crawpie, calico bass, strawberry bass, speckled bass, speckled crappie, specked perch, speck, grass bass, Oswego bass, shiner, moonfish, barfish, silver bass, lake crappie, butter bass, bitterhead, banklick bass, and lamplighter.
Do black crappies migrate?
Yes. Schools of crappies can migrate several kilometers given a large enough lake.
Other than humans, who eats black crappie?
Predators of the black crappie include perch, walleye, bass, northern pike, muskellunge, the great blue heron, American merganser, kingfisher, bitterns, otter, mink, snapping turtles, and watersnakes.
The information above is common scientific knowledge. For a list of specific resources, visit the Animal FAQ Resources page.
