what is white crappie?

Many anglers do not know there are two kinds of Crappie, the White Crappie and the Black Crappie. These fish share many more similarities than they do differences. Still they do have some differences that must be noted an accounted for. Physically both species have an intermittent collect of black and white blotches on their body. As you can deduce the Black Crappie is predominantly black in color while the White Crappie is primarily white in color. Their body shape is pretty much the same as is their fighting ability. The White Crappie is generally a slightly bigger fish however, though not by a great amount. You will find these fish in different habitats in some cases, especially in rivers. The Black Crappie is much like a Largemouth Bass or Northern Pike. They generally avoid the areas of the river that are extremely turbid and prefer backwaters and portions of the river with less water movement. White Crappie, on the other hand, shares the same habitat as Walleye and Smallmouth bass when in rivers. They prefer faster moving water and often congregate near dams where they can pick off small bait fish that have lost control near the rapidly moving water. In lakes the key factor both species share is their proclivity to congregate near wood. Whether it is standing trees or fallen timber both species of Crappie go together with wood like peanut butter does with jelly. When you look for this species start in wooded areas of the lake.