subject: Bait Fishing: A84 Key Fishing Information On Identifing Crappies And Speckled Bass! [print this page] Bait fishing: article 84 The crappie has more aliases then you can shake a stick at. They are commonly called calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappie, strawberry bass, and papermouths. The name paper mouth is very fitting for the crappie. This nick name is very fitting of a crappie that is caught while bait fishing because there mouths are paper thin and the hook can pull out very easy so you need to be very careful to not over do it when you set the hook. This fact alone makes it very difficult to land a large papermouth.
Both White and black crappie white perch look very similar but there are a few different identification marks. Both white crappie and black crappie have dark - olive or golden or brownish backs. The white pole crappie look much lighter then the black speckled bass when caught while bait fishing. During the spawn it is hard to tell male white and black calico bass apart because the male whit crappie will darken like the black crappie during the spawning period.
One easy way to tell the white papermouth from the black crappie is by counting the number of spines located at the dorsal fin. White speckled bass will have 5 to 7 spines, while the black calico bass will have 7 to 8 spines. The white calico bass will have a have a shorter distance between the dorsal fin first spine to a point between the eyes, then the black speckled perch. The white speckled perch takes a more "s" or hump shape then the black pole crappie where the back rises from the head. The black white perch has a more round shape.
Both white crappie and black crappie, are built for speed and maneuverability. They move in cover very easily because of their thin bodies. In cover you catch crappies while bait fishing fairly easy if you use the right crappie baits. The white strawberry bass and the black speckled bass are not the only speices of crappie. For years white and black strawberry bass have been cross breeding to make a very stable hybrid papermouth population. Also many hybrids have been raised in captivity for stocking. They have been stocked in new habitat locations throughout the Untied States to create new speckled bass habitat areas.
I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about crappie fishing. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!
