Guide To Crappie Fishing In California
All about fishing for black and white crappie.
Crappie are actually a member of the sunfish family and can be found in many California lakes. Crappie are known by many different local names. They are fun to catch and make a great fish fry.
Crappie Waters In CA
Crappie Lakes In Northern California
You'll find good schools of crappie at major lakes in Northern CA like Bucks Lake, Clear Lake, Folsom Lake, Lake Berryessa, Lake Combie, Lake Mendocino, Lake Oroville, New Bullards Bar Reservoir, New Hogan Lake, Lake Shasta, Trinity Lake and Whiskeytown Lake. 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 state record for black crappie.
Crappie Lakes In Central California
Bass Lake, Eastman Lake, Hensley Lake, Lake Don Pedro, Lake Cachuma, Lake Camanche, Lake Del Valle, Lake Kaweah, Lake McClure, Lake Sonoma, Lake Tulloch, Lake Nacimiento, Millerton Lake, New Hogan Lake, New Melones Lake, Pine Flat Lake, San Luis Reservoir, San Pablo Reservoir, Shaver Lake, Success Lake and The California Delta all have nice populations of crappie as do some of the smaller bodies of water in Central CA.
Crappie Lakes In Southern California
The warmer waters of the lower elevation lakes in Southern CA like Barrett Lake, Big Bear Lake, Canyon Lake, Castaic Lake, Diamond Valley Lake, El Capitan Lake, Lake Cahuilla, Lake Elsinore, Lake Hemet, Lake Hodges, Lake Perris, Lake Piru, Lake Sutherland, Littlerock Reservoir, Lower Otay Lake, Pyramid Lake, San Vicente Reservoir, Silverwood Lake and Skinner Reservoir have healthy populations of crappie.
Black crappie
World record: 6 lbs 0 oz
State Record: 4 lbs 1 oz
White crappie
World record: 5 lbs 3 oz
State Record: 4 lbs 8 oz
Click the images and links above for species details.
Top 5 Crappie Fishing Lures For California
Crappie jigs work well in water from 2' to 40' deep, and are the most popular artificial lure for crappie ever. When crappie are shallow, spinners, small crankbaits and underspins are the often very productive. As they move deeper, spoons are among the top producers if the crappie are active. Understanding the seasonal movements of crappie can enhance your chances of using these lures in the ideal locations.
Crappie Fishing Basics Video
The state record black crappie came from New Hogan Lake.
Clear Lake produced the state record white crappie.
Check out crappie information, by state.
The life cycle of crappie.
The more you know about crappie, the easier it will be to locate and catch them in California lakes and rivers. Visit the crappie fishing page for details about their seasonal migrations.
CALIFORNIA
