In Arizona, their main diet is threadfin shad. Best angling is early in the morning, late in the evening or at night. Lures and baits include minnows, nightcrawlers, jigs, spinners and minnow plugs. The meat is considered one of the best tasting available. The black crappie has two closely joined dorsal fins.
Black crappie are silver-olive with numerous black or green splotches on the sides.
Vertical bands in the young disappear in adulthood. The body is compressed or flat. The sides are light, iridescent green to silvery. Belly is silvery to white. Pelvic fins are opaque with some black on the tips of the membranes, and pectoral fins are dusky and transparent.