Of the twenty ponds that I've managed over the last few years the clearer ponds always have predominant black crappie populations. Clearer ponds produce more phytoplankton, which fuels a healthy zooplankton community. Those ponds with high predator densities have the fastest growing black crappies with the best body condition. I've checked the stomach contents of every single harvested fish, which number nearly one thousand individuals and have found fewer than ten of these black crappies with any identifiable fish remains. Generally the blacks have a large quantitity of zooplankton in their stomachs. In one particular 3.5 acre pond the black crappie often have massive quantities of a prey item that we've keyed to phantom midges. Hardly a very big item, but found in large quantities and without very good escape mechanisms. It's not so much size that matters, it's the average amount of energy expended by the black crappie as it relates to calories found in the prey item. If the crappie expends .005 calories to catch a phantom midge, with an average calorie value of .008 the black crappie will continue to feed and feed and feed, and will subsequently thrive. If each fathead minnow has .9 calories but the black crappie misses half of the time and expends .45 calories with each effort it can't keep up with maintenance needs and will become stunted. Look at it this way...You'll get fat if you never have to leave the couch and your wife brings you McDonald's french fries and peanuts. You won't get fat if you have to run three miles to McDonalds for a double Big Mac with cheese and they're closed three times out of four.
