I stuck and landed my first ever Crappie last week. It ate a LC Rick Clunn 1.5 crankbait in American Shad at night.

Can anyone ID this fish? I thought it was a White but others are saying it's a Black.  :-?

That is a white Crappie.... Black Crappie are a lot dark..

Thank you Sir!

Here's the way to tell.

Discerning the differences between a white crappie and a black crappie can be tricky. Aspiring record-breakers should count the spines on the dorsal (top) fin: The black crappie has seven to eight dorsal spines, while the white crappie has only five to six.

Another good way to tell the difference between these two closely related species is to look at the fish's colorationif the fish is marked with random spots, it's most likely a black crappie. A white crappie is marked with five to 10 vertical bars along its sides.

Based on the photo it looks like a white crappie, but any crappie from dingy water would also appear lighter in color.

This is how to positively distinguish between a white or black crappie:

BLACK CRAPPIE

> Flanked with irregular black "blotches"

> 7 or more dorsal spines

> Length of dorsal fin about equal to distance between dorsal fin and eye

> Same average size as white crappie

  (Habitat> Black crappie generally prefer clear water)

WHITE CRAPPIE

> Flanked with indistinct vertical "bars"

> 6 or less dorsal spines

> Length of dorsal fin is less than distance between dorsal fin and eye

> Same average size as black crappie

  (Habitat> White crappie generally prefer murky water)

Roger

Congrats! I caught my first black crappie yesterday. He's sitting in my freezer right now. Not only is he my first crappie but he's the first fish I've caught using an artificial worm. I ran out of crawlers and decided to use this crap grub worm. Seven keepers yesterday. Two white perch, a yellow perch, a black crappie, and three bluegills. Nice.

Seven keepers yesterday. Two white perch, a yellow perch, a black crappie, and three bluegills. Nice.

All that, and you've got your woman hooking her own worm  

I'd say, you're well on your way 8-)

Roger

Looks like a Black to me.  It has 7 dorsal spines.  I don't see the  typical vertical markings either.

That is a black crappie without question.