Crappie Fishing in California

Crappie are actually a member of the sunfish family and can be found in all the continental states. They are known by many different names, typically based on geographic location. Paper mouth, goggleye, bridge perch and speckled perch, just to name a few.

Crappie Fishing Lakes In Northern California

You'll find good schools of crappie at major lakes in Northern CA like Lake Berryessa, Bullards Bar Reservoir, Clear Lake, Folsom Lake, Lake Oroville, New Hogan Lake and Lake Shasta. Be sure that crappie populate many other smaller waters. It's always worth a few casts to see if crappie inhabit the water you're on. Clear Lake holds the state record for white crappie while New Hogan Lake holds the record for black crappie.

Crappie Fishing Lakes In Central California

Lake Camanche, The Delta, Lake Don Pedro, Lake McClure, Millerton Lake, Lake Nacimiento, New Melones Lake and Pine Flat Lake all have nice populations of crappie as do some of the smaller bodies of water in Central CA.

Crappie Fishing Lakes In Southern California

The warmer waters of the lower elevation lakes in Southern CA like Big Bear Lake, Lake Cahuilla, El Capitan Lake, Lake Hodges, Lower Otay Lake, San Vicente Lake and Lake Sutherland have decent populations of crappie.

The California state record black crappie came from New Hogan Lake and Clear Lake produced the CA state record white crappie.

Biologists classify the many varieties of this specie into two main categories. Both have been introduced in many waters both north and south and they tend to adapt to most environments.

Black Crappie
Promoxis nigro-maculatus

The black crappie is darker, has seven or eight dorsal spines, has spotted sides and is typically found more in the northern states. The black prefers larger, deeper impoundments.

White Crappie
Promoxis annularis

The white crappie which is light in color, has six dorsal spines, has eight or nine vertical bands on its sides and is found primarily in the southern states and prefers quiet backwaters.

Both the black and white crappie grow to over five pounds while three quarters of a pound to a pound is more typical.

Ways To Fish for Crappies

Crappie are school fish and can be caught by still-fishing, casting, trolling or drifting. Spring is the best time to catch crappie as they are involved in their spawning runs. They love cover, so locate brush, stumps or artificial cover at appropriate depths and you are likely to find crappie. Use live bait, a crappie jig or a small crappie lure. At dawn you may find them close to the surface. As the sun hits the water they drop to 5 or 10 feet deep depending on water clarity. As the sun gets higher in the sky they may retreat to deeper water, 25 feet or more. When the sun begins to set they will move back up to the shallows and finish the day at the surface as dusk turns to darkness. Typically they return to deeper water for the night and may occasionally do some feeding during the dark hours.

Baits which imitate minnows, insects, worms or small crustaceans will attract crappie. The more aggressive the crappie are, the faster you can move the bait to cover more water.

SPRING
Top Baits: Live Bait, Crappie Jigs & Spinners.
Fish shallow to moderate depths as the crappie move into the shallows for warmer water to begin spawning. Their primary food source is minnows and small crayfish. Try slow drifting and slow moving baits until you catch a fish. Mark the spot and fish it thoroughly as you probably located a school of crappies.

SUMMER
Top Baits: Live Bait, Crappie Jigs and spoons.
Fish shallow in the mornings and evenings and move deeper as the sun rises. "Deep" depends on the overall depth of the lake you are fishing. In some lakes you may need to go as deep as 35 to 45 feet.

FALL
Top Baits Live Bait, Crappie Jigs & Spinners.
Fish shallow to moderate depths in the mornings and evenings. As the crappie migrate deeper during the day move to outside deep structure and use spoons or jigs.

WINTER
Top Baits: Live Bait, Crappie Jigs & Small Worms.
Crappie tend to school deep and have less interest in feeding during the colder months. Deep for white crappie may be a little shallower than for black crappie which may drop as deep as 45 to 55 feet. They are sluggish in cold water, so move your bait very slowly around deep cover and structure. If you locate a deep school, be patient and work slowly.

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California fishing information

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CA Crappie Fishing - All About Fishing for Black Crappie and White Crappie in California.

6 lbs - 0 oz

4 lbs - 1 oz

68 - 72 Degrees

Prefers deep impoundments with fairly clear to slightly stained water with brush or trees for cover.

5 lbs - 3 oz

4 lbs - 8 oz

68 - 72 Degrees

Prefers warmer, slightly stained to murky water with little or no current with brush or trees for cover.