Both black crappie and white crappie are eligible for Master Angler awards; both require the same minimums, and most of the entries are simply labeled “crappie.” However, recognizable differences between the two species do exist.

The white crappie, which is perhaps the more numerous of the two species in Nebraska, has black markings that run vertically rather than being spotted as they are on the black variety. Also, the white has six or fewer dorsal spines, while the black sports seven or eight.

The white is a bit more tolerant of warmer, turbid water and has a preference for flooded woodlands and brush, especially during the breeding season. The male black crappie is reasonably easy to identify during the breeding season, as its spots become larger and bolder, giving the fish a bold, black appearance. The male white is also fairly easy to identify during the breeding season; its vertical markings also become more predominant during this time.

Another trait that the two species share: Both get high ratings at the table. A plateful of succulent fried crappie filets is highly regarded by most anglers -- and the friends they’re willing to share with!

Anglers wanting to target the black crappie should try the scores of clear-water lakes in the state -- reservoirs such as Merritt and public watershed or sandpit lakes such as Czechland, Red Cedar, Zorinsky, Wehrspann, Hershey and Grand Island’s L.E. Ray.

Elba’s Bryan Wysocki, another dedicated fan of the crappie, was fishing a private lake on May 9 last year when he hooked and landed a 17-incher. “I was fishing a sandpit lake with a minnow on a bobber,” he said. “I had caught quite a few fairly nice crappie before I hooked the big one. I thought it was a bass at first because of the way it fought. I was really happy when I saw it was a slab crappie.

“I’ve been fishing crappie since I was a kid. I fish the North Loup River and nearby sandpit lakes, and I think spring is the best time to hook a trophy -- the females are heavy with eggs, and both the males and females feed heavily during the pre-spawn period.”

The 28-year-old Wysocki has had the big crappie mounted.

Fisheries technicians with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission survey the state’s fishery annually. Last spring’s trap-net crappie count, revealed that Zorinsky sported the best population, turning up over 80 fish per trap net, a majority of which measured from 5 to 10 inches.

Hull Lake, just southwest of Butte, produced about 45 fish per net, most in the 8- to 10-inch class. Jeffery Reservoir had the most 10- to 12-inchers of the 23 waters surveyed. That reservoir and Wehrspann, Wagon Train, Stagecoach, Hull, Sherman and Zorinsky appear to offer the best chance of those surveyed of being good for catching some decent-sized crappie.

Big Alkali Lake, south of Valentine, served up an average catch of just over 40 crappie in fisheries trap nets last spring. A lot of them were under 5 inches, and about half the catch measured 5 to 8 inches. That bodes well for this spring. Last year one of the largest was caught by Dwayne Henry of Columbus on May 15 -- it measured 16 inches and was caught on a live minnow.