Crappie Pomoxis spp.

How they feed

• Water50–80°F, best near 65°
• TideEither, as long as it moves
• MoonEither
• DepthUsually 3–20 ft

Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works

Season by state

• MarylandMar–Jun, Oct–Nov
• PennsylvaniaApr–Jun, Sep–Nov
• TexasNov–Apr
• South CarolinaOct–May
• AlabamaFeb–May, Oct–Dec
• MinnesotaMay–Oct
• VirginiaMar–Jun, Oct–Nov
• ArizonaNov–Apr
• CaliforniaOct–Jun
• North CarolinaFeb–May, Oct–Dec
• TennesseeMar–May, Oct–Dec
• ArkansasMar–May, Oct–Dec
• ColoradoApr–Jun, Sep–Nov
• FloridaNov–Mar
• GeorgiaOct–May
• IllinoisMar–May, Oct–Nov
• KentuckyMar–May, Oct–Nov
• MissouriMar–May, Oct–Nov
• OklahomaMar–May, Oct–Dec
• KansasApr–May, Oct–Nov
• NebraskaApr–Jun, Oct–Nov
• West VirginiaApr–Jun, Sep–Nov
• DelawareMar–Jun, Oct–Nov
• IowaApr–May, Sep–Nov
• IndianaApr–Jun, Oct–Nov
• LouisianaNov–Apr
• New MexicoFeb–May, Oct–Dec
• NevadaNov–Apr
• UtahMar–May, Oct–Nov
• WisconsinMay–Oct
• WyomingMay–Jun, Sep–Oct

The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia months are the Chesapeake-region season. Everywhere else it is carried over by water temperature: a month counts at a spot when its usual water is in the range that marks the mid-Atlantic season (48–75°F), from the spot’s own gauge where it has one and an estimate from air temperature where it doesn’t. Each state lists the months that hold at half or more of its spots. Where the water temperatures come from.

Keep or release

• Alabama9" minimum · 30 a dayAlabama: 9" minimum, 30 crappie a day. Weiss is 10"; impoundments under 500 acres and the Chattahoochee reciprocal waters have no minimum.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Arizonano daily limitArizona sets no statewide crappie limit. Lake Pleasant, Roosevelt, Saguaro, Apache, Canyon and Bartlett are 15 a day; the lower Colorado River including Lake Havasu is 25 crappie and sunfish combined.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Arkansas30 a dayArkansas statewide: 30 crappie a day, no minimum. Beaver, Bull Shoals and Norfork are 10" and 15 a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• California25 a day25 sunfish and crappie a day combined, no size limit. Hodges and El Capitan have a 10" crappie minimum; Barrett and Upper Otay are catch and release.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Colorado non-tidal20 a dayColorado statewide: 20 black and white crappie a day combined, no minimum.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Delaware tidal25 a dayDelaware non-tidal waters: crappie count as panfish with white perch, yellow perch, bluegill and pumpkinseed: 50 a day combined, no more than 25 of one species. No size limit.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Florida25 a dayNo statewide minimum, 25 a day. Some waters have their own length limits.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Georgia30 a dayGeorgia statewide: no minimum length, 30 crappie a day (black and white combined).Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Illinoisno daily limitIllinois: no statewide daily or size limit on crappie; many lakes set their own.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Indiana25 a dayIndiana: 25 crappie a day, no statewide size limit.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Iowa non-tidal25 a dayIowa: 25 crappie a day on public waters, no size limit (50 in possession on the Mississippi River).Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Kansas non-tidal50 a dayKansas (K.A.R. 115-25-14): 50 crappie a day, white and black combined, no statewide minimum. Some reservoirs post a 10" minimum or a lower limit.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Kentucky20 a dayKentucky statewide: 20 crappie a day, no minimum. Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and Lake Cumberland are 10".Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Louisiana non-tidal50 a dayLouisiana statewide: 50 crappie a day, no minimum. Toledo Bend is 25 a day (100 in possession).Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maryland non-tidal15 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: no minimum size, 15 a day (30 in possession), open all year.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Minnesota10 a dayMinnesota: 10 crappie a day, open all year. Many lakes cut it to 5.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Missouri30 a dayMissouri: 30 crappie a day, no statewide minimum. Lake of the Ozarks and Truman are 9" and 15 a day; Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork and Stockton are 10" and 15 a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Nebraska non-tidal15 a dayNebraska: panfish (crappie, yellow perch, rock bass and sunfish) are 15 a day in aggregate, 30 in possession, with no minimum length statewide. A few lakes add length rules.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 18, 2026 · source · 8 days since checked
• Nevada non-tidal15 a dayNevada general limits: crappie count in the 15 warmwater game fish a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New Mexico non-tidal20 a dayNew Mexico: 20 crappie a day, 40 in possession.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New York10" minimum · 25 a dayNew York statewide: 10" minimum, 25 crappie a day, open all year. Lake Champlain is 8".Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• North Carolinano daily limitNorth Carolina: no statewide creel or length limit. Jordan Lake, Lake Norman, waters east of I-95 and west of I-77 and several rivers have an 8" minimum and 20 a day; Kerr Reservoir is 9" and 25 a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• North Dakota non-tidal10 a dayNorth Dakota (2026–28 proclamation): 10 crappie a day, 20 in possession.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Oklahoma37 a dayOklahoma: 37 crappie a day, no statewide minimum. Grand Lake is 10" and 15 a day; Eufaula is 20 a day (new for 2026).Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Pennsylvania50 a dayLake Erie and Presque Isle Bay: no minimum, 50 a day combined with sunfish, catfish, rock bass, suckers, eels, carp and white bass. Open all year.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Pennsylvania50 a dayNo minimum, 50/day combined with sunfish, perch, catfish and other panfish. Panfish Enhancement lakes are 9" and 20/day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source
• South Carolina8" minimum · 20 a daySouth Carolina statewide: 8" minimum, 20 crappie a day, within the 40-fish daily game fish total.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• South Dakota non-tidal15 a daySouth Dakota: 15 crappie a day, 30 in possession.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Tennessee10" minimum · 15 a dayTennessee statewide: 10" minimum, 15 crappie a day; Region 1 waters without their own rule are 30 a day with no minimum. Kentucky Lake is 10" and 20 a day; Percy Priest is 10" and 30 a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Texas10" minimum · 25 a day10" minimum, 25/day (white and black crappie in any combination). Lake Fork drops the minimum Dec 1–end of Feb, when every crappie caught must be kept; Lake Texoma is 10" and 37 a day.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Utah non-tidal50 a dayUtah statewide: 50 black and white crappie a day combined.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Virginia non-tidal (VDWR)25 a dayVirginia statewide: 25 crappie a day combined, no length limit. Exceptions include a 9" minimum on Kerr Reservoir and no daily limit on Lake Gaston.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• West Virginia30 a dayWest Virginia: 30 crappie a day, black and white combined, no minimum.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Wisconsin non-tidal25 a dayWisconsin inland: 25 panfish a day in total (bluegill, pumpkinseed, sunfish, crappie and yellow perch), no minimum, open all year.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Wyoming non-tidal50 a dayWyoming statewide: 50 a day of yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, other sunfish, bullhead, rock bass, stonecat and freshwater drum combined.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source

Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Crappie are fished at spots in 31 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.