It’s all black and white

Dan Kibler

According to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission surveys, black crappie far outnumber white crappie at Jordan Lake.

Most reservoirs support good populations of black crappie and white crappie, and despite pro angler Kenny Allen’s assertions that there are plenty of white crappie in Jordan Lake, surveys by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission don’t agree.

According to Commission biologist Corey Oakley, white crappie are certainly not numerous on Jordan.

"We probably sample between 1,000 and 1,500 crappie a year at Jordan, and out of all those fish, we probably see about 10 to 15 white crappie," he said. "They fishery is predominately black crappie. White crappie like reservoirs with higher turbidity, like some of those on the Yadkin River system. I’ve got some smaller municipal lakes on a tributary to one of those lakes, and they’re full of white crappie."

Generally speaking, black crappie may not reach the overall size that white crappie attain — and most comparisons are incidental, not supported by any data — but they do have generally faster growth races, according to Oakley.

"They probably grow a little faster, put on weight better, and they seem to hold their weight better as they grow," he said.