Black Crappie

freshwater fish · sunfish family · North America · spotted pattern

Spotted appearance. Black crappies are covered with dark spots and have darker coloring than their close cousins, the white crappies, making them look like they're wearing a fancy speckled outfit.

Grass and weeds. These fish love to hide among aquatic plants and weeds, which is why some people call them grass bass or strawberry bass.

Only in North America. Black crappies are native only to North America, which means you won't find them swimming in rivers or lakes anywhere else in the world.

Similar but different. Black crappies are almost identical in size and habits to white crappies, but you can tell them apart by the black crappie's darker color and spotted pattern.

Many nicknames. People have given black crappies so many names, including calico bass, speck, moonfish, and sac-a-lait, because they love catching and eating them!