crappie fisherman have given the crappie some very unique names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappies, strawberry bass, and paper mouth. To determine the age of a speckled bass You catch while you are bait fishing is not an exact science but there is a way to calculate your pole crappies caught with a variety of different crappie baits. Age and growth rates for crappie caught while bait fishing can be attributed too two factors which are the environment and genetics.
In our article today we are going to discuss the method of determining the age of speckled bass. The next time you catch a crappie while bait fishing take a look at it’s scales. You can determine the age of any crappie you catch if you learn to read it’s scales. The theory behind reading scales to determine age is based upon assuming that the scales grow proportionately to a fishes length, and this relationship nearly always holds true.
During the slow or no growth periods such as in the cold water winter months the rings or what is called the circuli will be narrowly spaced. Fast growth periods will generate a widely spaced circuli. Year marks called annuli show clearly if you use a magnifying glass for inspection. To take a measurement, you want to measure from the center of the scale called the focus which is horizontally located at the bottom of the scale. The focus point looks like a circle and is your starting point for your measurement. You measure from the outer circumference of the focus and start counting the annuli until you come to the furthest most outer. Annuli. Count each annuli as 1 year.
There are some paper mouth that scale counting is not accurate. For example in warm climates such as Florida counting scales will not work because of the accelerated growth rate. In warm climates it is better to read the otoliths bone. This is a extremely accurate way to determine the age of a speckled bass but is much more difficult because the bone must be dissected to determine the age. You may need to use the otoliths bone also when there is a extremely slow growth rate.
We hope the information in this article about Papermouth. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip
Bait fishing: article 84 the crappie is one of the most sought after game fish in America and they have been named odd names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappie, strawberry bass, and papermouths. The name paper mouth is very fitting for the crappie. This nick name is very fitting of a crappie that is caught while bait fishing because there mouths are paper thin and the hook can pull out very easy so you need to be very careful to not over do it when you set the hook. This fact alone makes it very difficult to land a large speckled bass.
Both White and black crappie calico bass look very similar but there are a few different identification marks. Both white crappie and black crappie have dark – olive or golden or brownish backs. The white speckled perch look much lighter then the black pole crappie when caught while bait fishing. During the spawn it is hard to tell male white and black speckled perch apart because the male whit crappie will darken like the black crappie during the spawning period.
One easy way to tell the white strawberry bass from the black crappie is by counting the number of spines located at the dorsal fin. White papermouth will have 5 to 7 spines, while the black strawberry bass will have 7 to 8 spines. The white papermouth will have a have a shorter distance between the dorsal fin first spine to a point between the eyes, then the black papermouth. The white calico bass takes a more “s” or hump shape then the black speckled bass where the back rises from the head. The black speckled perch has a more round shape.
Both white strawberry bass and black strawberry bass, are built for speed and maneuverability. They move in cover very easily because of their thin bodies. In cover you catch crappies while bait fishing fairly easy if you use the right crappie baits. The white calico bass and the black speckled perch are not the only speices of crappie. For years white and black crappie have been cross breeding to make a very stable hybrid pole crappie population. Also many hybrids have been raised in captivity for stocking. They have been stocked in new habitat locations throughout the Untied States to create new papermouth habitat areas.
Well that concludes my article about White Perch. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!
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