Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), part of the sunfish family, has the same general shape as other sunfish. It is an introduced, non-native species to Lake George, but is an important prey species for largemouth bass and yellow perch. Crappie taste excellent and their aggressiveness allows for a fast and furious fight for anglers.  They are an indicator species meaning they are intolerant of water quality degradation including silt and turbidity, and can only be found in clean waters.  Besides Lake George, they can be found in The Great Lakes, the Hudson River and are generally distributed throughout New York State; but are not very common in the Adirondacks.

Crappies are pale silvery white on the belly and sides, and dark green on top.  A dark vertical bar can be seen through the eye region.  They have a high compressed, diamond shape body, like other species in the sunfish family.  Crappies have more than three anal spines, a short dorsal fin with 6-8 spines and a long base of the dorsal fin.  They have been known to hybridize with white crappie in bodies of water where their populations overlap.  » Continue Reading.