• Scientific Name: Pomoxis annularis
• Found in Illinois: Statewide
• State Average: 9"
• State Record: 4lbs/7oz (1973)
• Best Lures: minnows, jigs, spinners
• Best Lakes (based on average size): Evergreen, Shelbyville, Carlyle

Habitat: In Illinois, white crappie can be found statewide, most commonly in ponds, lakes, and bayous. Unlike the black crappie, the white crappie is more tolerant to turbid waters, where they tend to outnumber black crappie. As such, white crappie can also be found in sand- and mud-bottomed pools or backwaters of creeks.

Feeding and Habits: White crappie diets consist mostly of smaller fish (e.g., minnows), but will also feed on aquatic insects larvae, worms, and crustaceans.

Reproduction: White Crappie spawning takes place in late April and May when water temperature reaches about 56°F. The male fans out a depression with his caudal fin in 3 - 10 feet of water. Female white crappie enter the spawning area and deposit their eggs in one or more of the nests, which are immediately fertilized by the male fish. The number of eggs in a crappie nest is variable, but a nest can hold up to 20,000. It is practically impossible to distinguish the males from the females, even just before spawning.