Dear Crappie Fisherman Ever wonder about the origins of the crappie? Was it from saltwater of fresh? Does the crappie have its begginings in fresh cold water of Canada? Do you know of any books that would help me in my search for the origins of crappie? Know of any fossils remains I could look at and age ? I would really like to know so much more about this super little fish!! Thanks Bill Henry

Crappies are, as I know it a freshwater fish. I do know that the crappie has had some alias such as white perch, strawberry bass, calico bass and paper mouths. I believe that I read that white crappies were first discovered in the waters of Canada in 1818 as well as the United States. The black crappie is a little harder to remember. The library will have many books about the origins of the crappies. This is the best place to start. There are many magazines and information on the Internet, but not as much as in the libraries. The Florida Museum of natural History has some information on the black crappies. There are no remains anywhere that I would know about. I would suggest checking with a library or maybe even a fishery for fossil information. The local fisheries and the DNR are always good sources of information. If you are looking for books, I could recommend visiting the state library, which has information about all the fish. Right off hand, I could not give you a name. Since the crappie is a highly sough after fish, I do know that there has been many plants in lakes and rivers throughout the United Sates. The crappie population has even killed off some species in lakes and rivers because of their feeding habits. I think any information you find will show that the crappie was always a freshwater fish and you will find more alias that are common in different areas for the crappie.