How to Identify a White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

• Body shape: The white crappie is deep-bodied and strongly compressed laterally (slab-sided).
• Dorsal fin: The dorsal fin usually has 6 spines (the black crappie has 7-8), one of the most reliable ways to tell the two apart.
• Body markings: Silver coloration, with 5 to 10 often-faint, dark, regularly arranged vertical bars.
• Jaw length: The upper jaw is long, reaching well past the middle of the eye.

The white crappie has 6 dorsal spines and fairly regular vertical bars on the sides; the black crappie has 7-8 dorsal spines and irregularly arranged speckles and blotches instead of bars. See the Black Crappie page for its full mark list.

A freshwater fish found in open water in or near submerged timber or other suitable cover in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and slow-flowing backwaters of large rivers. Native to the Mississippi and Great Lakes drainages, and to Gulf Slope streams from the Nueces River in Texas east to Mobile Bay, Alabama; now widespread across most of North America through stocking.

Lay the fish flat on its side in even light and photograph the whole body first, then the details below. Get a close, sharp frame of the head: mouth, jaw length and any barbels. Raise the dorsal and anal fins fully; ray counts and fin edges only read when the fin is spread. Shoot the side of the body before the fish dries; spots and stripes fade fast out of water. The app reads the photo and names the likely species; use the marks on this page to confirm it.

Size and daily limits for this species differ by state and by water, and some waters are catch-and-release only. Check the current regulations for where you are fishing before keeping any fish; if you are unsure of the species, release it.