Black/silver crappies???

[BarTender]

I went fishing over the weekend and cought really dark crappies and some not as dark. All in the same area. when I cleaned them the black crappies were eggless and the silver ones had eggs in them.

OK here is the Question..are the black crappies the males or are these two different Species????

[Try Too Fish]

Males turn realy dark at spawn.There are 2 kinds. Black and white crappies and the males in both will be darker than the females

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Try Too Fish
Forced Too Work!!

[CrappieJohn]

Another characteristic of the white is that they seem to prefer more open water. The two can and will exist in the same body of water, just more likely to catch them in different areas although they have been caught side by side. White crappies, when darkened will have a bluish tinge to their color.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster

[Guest]

no matter how you look at it....crappies are a beautiful fish....black or white....

[united jigsticker]

As with all species, with the exception of Bluegill/Sunfish, the Female Crappies are the ones that grow the largest.

If you find a lake with 12" plus males you know darn well the potential for some 14" Crappies exist.

Good luck

[Scott Steil]

What you caught were both Black Crappies. The dark ones were males that were preparing to spawn. The normal looking ones were the females.

Male white crappies will get darker during spawning also, but not near as dark as the Black Crappie. White crappies are not near as common in MN and are easy to distinguish by the appearance of dark vertical lines versus the speckled pattern of the Black crappie.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[CrappieJohn]

United Jig... Got one such puddle 12 miles from home. The lake has no slot on it, but I do not take any fish home that exceed 12 inches or that fall under 10. The table quality goes right down the drain beyond that length and anything shorter needs to grow a bit yet. Every year the number of fish I release that are in excess of that length is just unreal. The ice on this lake is unpredictable and the winter take of crappies is not very detrimental. Any body of water that holds fish like these will not have a sustainable fishery if selective harvest was not employed. I know of quite a few lakes where people year round keep everything they catch regardless of size. I think that most all regular contributors on this HSOforum are serious conscientious fishermen who want to maintain what they have got, if not improve upon it. Those huge old females should go back to do the work that was intended for them. If you take a true trophy and want the mount, by all means take it. A trophy on the the wall is a thing of beauty. A freezer full of the same fish is a travisty and should be a felony. I always try to keep the black fish and put the pretty ones back, unless I have deeply hooked and harmed the fish. Good fishing

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster

[united jigsticker]

I was scolded and turned into T.I.P. by an elder gentleman one summers evening while fishing Crappies for RELEASING too many fish back into the lake.

He said I must keep whatever I catch, and then immediatly get off the water once I have acieved my limit.

I told him he better call TIP with a bruiser of a story like that, but when he returned from his phone, he was rather disapointed that the DNR would not respond to his "complaint".

Release the big ones indeed. I fish for the sport, and it is true those 10 inch Crappies fry up nice and crispy.

[Guest]

it takes"years" for a crappie to grow 13"-14"......not something to take for granted...same as big blugills......takes about 8 years for a 10" bluegill......i've seen guys pull these spawners off the nests and go back and say how they "slayed the big ones"....just can't keep doing that ....won't be nothing but stunted little ones ...but ....we all know what people will do.........."bring a camera".....take a pic of the "big one" (which is what i do.."digital camera") then let the fish go (keep a few for the shore lunch)...i have alot of fun looking at those photos come the cold long winter months on the computer...

[united jigsticker]

I have alot of fun come the cold long winter months sitting on the lake, freezing my fingertips, boring holes like a hungary man on a Christmas Ham in pursuit of the large ice action Crappies.

Year round for me. It doesn't get much better then this.

[CrappieJohn]

Jigsticker...Something similar happened to me. Just turned out that this dolt couldn't barter a crappie and thought I was doing too much damage by releasing fish- "they had sore mouths and wouldn't bite again for weeks!". As it turned out, I was just fun fishing and when the warden appeared and counted this old farts fish, he was at the legal limit and had to quit!LOL! There is always going to be someone....Good Fishing guys.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster

[Guest]

i do "the winter thing" too.......only a holdover till i can be on the calm lake watching for those surfacing crappies....sucking in that warmth...(which i will be doing in about 5 days)...10 day camping trip in the voyageur's park country(sandpoint namakan area)...tenting on a secluded bay surrounded by pine studded white granite outcroppings ...listening to the loons crying at 3:00 in the morning...sitting around that campfire after a "hard" day of fishing those "slabbers" enjoying a cool one....lol...life is good!