Blog

Fish Details

July 19, 2024

242

Characteristics

A silvery-speckled, deep-bodied, slab-sided sunfish with a large mouth. The upper jaw reaches past the middle of the eye when the mouth is closed. It usually has a dark back with many green or blackish spots unevenly spaced over the sides. There are no distinct vertical bars as in White Crappie. Its body is somewhat deeper in proportion to its length, and the dorsal, tail, and anal fins are strongly netted with black making it look like a dark-colored fin with many whitish spots. The spiny dorsal and soft dorsal fins are broadly connected without being notched. The anal fin is nearly as long and as large as the dorsal fin and has 6 spines. The dorsal fin has 7 or 8 dorsal spines, and the length of the dorsal fin base is equal to the distance from the eye to the front of the dorsal fin.

Distribution

Throughout Iowa, though rare in the Missouri River basin in the western Iowa. It is common in clear rivers, natural lakes, reservoirs and backwater sloughs of the Mississippi River.

Foods

Initial food is zooplankton, which is supplemented with insects toward the end of their first year. Insects remain an important food item throughout life, but Black Crappie eat small fish and minnows from their second year through adulthood.

State Record

3 lbs, 14 oz, 18 in. – Three Mile Lake, Union County, 6/5/2013 – Dale Klein, Omaha, Nebraska.

Expert Tip

Fish in brushy areas, if you are not getting snagged often, you are not fishing where the fish are.

See also Best Carbon Fiber Barrels: Cooler, Stronger, Lighter

Details

Black Crappie are intolerant of turbid waters and are almost always found in clearer lakes and streams in Iowa. It is common to abundant in the natural lakes and the backwater sloughs of the upper Mississippi River. It is common in certain eastern Iowa rivers, but rare in western streams. Most man-made recreational lakes have Black Crappie, but their abundance depends upon water clarity. Few lakes have only one crappie species.

Black Crappies need clear water, abundant cover such as submerged timber or aquatic vegetation and sandy or mucky bottoms. It has adapted well to impoundments and reservoirs, particularly clear stream-fed arms of reservoirs, with large growths of aquatic vegetation and little turbidity or siltation.

Spawning requirements for Black Crappie are nearly the same as those of White Crappie, but the nest size is slightly more shallow. The nest is usually built in 3 to 8 feet of water. Black Crappie spawn at water temperatures of 58 to 64 degrees. Female Black Crappie may have up to 150,000 eggs, but 20,000 to 60,000 eggs are more common. Nests of both crappie species usually have similar-sized egg masses.

Black Crappie growth is less than that of White Crappie, but they are heavier at the same length. The young reach 2- to 3-inches long in the first year of life and mature during the second or third year. Most Black Crappie caught are 8- to 12-inches long, but occasionally very large, up to 4 pounds, fish are caught.

Recent stream sampling information is available from Iowa DNR’s biological monitoring and assessment program.

See also .257 Roberts for Elk Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Elk Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .257 Roberts a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for elk hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .257 Roberts is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest elk. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the elk, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the elk in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .257 Roberts Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a elk in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .257 Roberts within the ideal range of suitable calibers for elk hunting?” our answer is: No, the .257 Roberts is UNDERKILL for elk hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .257 Roberts Animal Species Elk Muzzle Energy 2040 foot-pounds Animal Weight 720 lbs Shot Distance 200 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .257 Roberts? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .257 Roberts round is approximately 2040 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male elk? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male elk is approximately 720 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .257 Roberts Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in elk hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for elk to be approximately 200 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .257 Roberts. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the elk being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .257 Roberts is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest elk - and to this question, the response again is no, the .257 Roberts is UNDERKILL for elk hunting. [Click Here to Shop .257 Roberts Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting elk to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Sources:

Harlan, J.R., E.B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew. 1987. Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323pp.

Loan-Wilsey, A. K., C. L. Pierce, K. L. Kane, P. D. Brown and R. L. McNeely. 2005. The Iowa Aquatic Gap Analysis Project Final Report. Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Iowa State University, Ames

Illustration by Maynard Reece, from Iowa Fish and Fishing.

Return