Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations black crappie

I share a 20 acre pond with 4 other property owners in Ellis County, TX. About 9 years ago, Bob came down and did a lake survey which yielded a pretty good base of bass,crappie and bream but not much forage. The lake was built in 1958 and had never been managed. If it was caught it was eaten. Bob suggested that we put in threadfin shad and now, fast forward to today we are catching bass over 9 lbs. and 2 and 3 pound crappie. A real success story as far as pond managemant it concerned. What I also wanted to share, that I thought about last night while catching one of those big crappie, was how black they get this time of year (during the spawn). Some them look like they were dipped in 30 weight. It only last for 2 to 3 weeks and then they transform back to their natural coloration. I have never seen this in any lake I have caught crappie before. Is anyone else seeing this color change this time of year in your crappie?

Yes, I also have a private lake in Ellis county. It is a 50 acre lake with several black crappie in it that look like 30 weight when they spawn. Which lake do you guys own? Which city is it in?

Thanks for your reply. We live in Sardis and the lake is known as Ralston Lake. Built in 1958 as a flood control and maintained by Ellis Cty. Soil and Conservation. From what I understand there are about 50 to 60 of those lakes in Ellis Cty. Where is yours? Good to hear from another Pondmeister in our area.