Calico Bass(Black Crappie) Details

• Water Type: freshwater
• Latin Name: Pomoxis nigromaculatus
• Common Names: Calico Bass, Calico Sunfish, Black Crappie, Strawberry Bass, Papermouth
• Water Temp: 70 - 75 degrees
• World Record: 4lb-8oz Kerr Lake, VA Mar. 1, 1981 L. Carl Herring Jr.
• Last Modified By: baystateangler on 08/03/15 11:34 AM
• Ask about Calico Bass(Black Crappie) in our forum

While called a crappie or calico bass it is in fact a member of the sunfish family. With green or dark grey on the top shading to white or yellow on the sides. The sides are marked with many spots and wavy broken lines. The tail and dorsal fins are large and fan like. The dorsal fin has 7 or 8 spines unlike the white crappy.

Best places to fish are lakes, reservoirs and slow moving rivers. They prefer clean water and most hold deep around brush except during the spawn where they bed around shallow vegetation.

You can't beat a live minnow to catch them on but dead minnows, strips of fish work well also. Worms, shrimp as well as tiny jigs and small spinners. Small crankbaits may lure out a large specimen. -Blackstone Carp

Also known as Calico Bass, the Crappie has been introduced into several NH waters. It is becoming quite abundant in the lakes and ponds in the southeastern part of the state. It's also present in the Merrimack River below Nashua. It's habits are very similar to those of the Largemouth Bass. It lives in the quiet, weedy waters of lakes, ponds and streams and feeds largely on small crustaceans, insects, worms and small fish(they love minnows). Crappie may be taken on nearly any fly pattern, small minnows, small Bass bugs or small lures and spoons. The flesh is firm and sweet, and the fish is classed as "delicious." The usual size in NH is 5-12 inches, weighing less than a pound. A 15 inch and 2 pound Crappie would be considered large in NH. The NH record Crappie is a 17.25 inch and 2 pound 12.8 ounce specimen caught in 2000 from Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury.

-Massachusetts State Record is 4 lbs 10 oz caught by James Crowley in 1980 at Jake's Pond
Plymouth, MA

- Connecticut State Record 4 lbs 0 oz caught by James M. Boos in 1974 at Pataganset Lake, East Lyme