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Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/654753
Daryl Bauer, a fisheries biologist for the Game and Parks Commission. "Behaviors will be very similar, but they may be applied in different ways depending on the habitat." In larger reservoirs, they will move into bays and coves where there might be woody cover. In Sandhills lakes they behave the same, but sans bays and woody cover they feed among bulrushes and cattails, perhaps deep into the cover. For sandpits and interstate lakes, the previous year's submerged vegetation in northwest corners may be best, Bauer said. The Commission's 2016 fishing forecast lists Wanahoo State Recreation Area as the site receiving the most crappie per survey net, with a great majority of those fish being between 8-10 inches. Others with good numbers of crappies topping eight inches included Wehrspann Lake in south Omaha, Branched Oak Reservoir near Raymond, and Island and Blue lakes north of Oshkosh. For those seeking big crappies, Bauer lists Branched Oak, Czechland, Wildwood, Olive Creek, Burchard, Sherman, Plum Creek, Midway and Hackberry as best bets. If an angler resides in Nebraska, there are likely to be crappies not far away. Whether people have been finding success by returning to the same spots year after year, or they are new to the fishing game, a trip to the shallows this spring is sure to yield positive results – yes, crappie ones, not crappy ones. ■ A Black and White Issue Both black crappies (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and white crappies (Pomoxis annularis) can be found in Nebraska's waters. Probably because of the names, many are quick to judge if it's one or the other by looking at how much black is present on their scales. Because lightness and darkness of appearance for both varies by location for each subspecies, one must look at other indicators. Black crappies have seven or eight spines on their dorsal fins while whites have just five or six. Whites have dark vertical bars on their sides and a single black spot near each gill, while blacks have a more speckled appearance. While both can be found in various degrees of water clarity, whites don't mind a murkier environment. Both prefer water temperatures in the 70s, but can survive temps into the 80s. be ding , The Differences Between Crappies' Subspecies APRIL 2016 • NEBRASKAland 33 er water ures in the can emps John McIntyre of Wahoo holds up a stringer of crappie near a pier at Wanahoo State Recreation Area.