# Crappie Colors.



## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

I was crappie fishing and catching them in different color variations. I was wondering if the really dark ones were the ones that were spawning.







some looked like this.







while others looked more like this


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

Top pic is black crappie. Bottom pic is white crappie.


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## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

The Fishing Addict said:


> Top pic is black crappie. Bottom pic is white crappie.


I thought that but when I looked in the ODNR sport fish of Ohio book it said white crappies had banded sides and more of an olive color than the black.


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## fishfray (Jul 19, 2012)

Both of those look like blacks to me. The males get that dark color like the top fish when they spawn.


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## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

fishfray said:


> Both of those look like blacks to me. The males get that dark color like the top fish when they spawn.


I thought that was probably what it was.


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

Yep that 1st pic is a male spawner... I heard someone say they put on their "tuxedos" for the spawn and that term just sticks with me.
Bottom pic is also a black crappie, I can't tell from the pic but I may be a male that doesn't have its tuxedo on yet or may be a female. Females are usually easy to tell this time of year because they have a large egg bulge or orange eggs will be spilling out of them.
White crappie have the vertical bars like you mentioned and they aren't as tall as blacks and the top of their heads usually have a sharper slope. You'll know when you get one what I mean.


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