Best Crappie Fishing in Texas: 9 Lakes Known for Crappie Fishing

Author:

John

Updated:

May 9, 2022

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Best Crappie Fishing in Texas: 9 Lakes Known for Crappie Fishing

The Black Crappie is a fun fish to catch, and it’s an even better fighter. In fact, the only constant in this species for centuries has been its elusiveness!

This photo above (of what many experts believe to be a Black Crappie) displays some of that beauty with their black spots all over the body assembled randomly on top of one another– not just one or two like most common varieties.

The dorsal fins are also considerably more numerous than other types at upwards 10+.

Black Crappies and White crappie are closely related species, but they have some key differences. Black Crappies’ pattern of spots is more disorganized than the spot patterns on a white craps. And while both fish usually only has six dorsal fins, black crabs may grow up to twelve!

Although their feeding habits differ slightly (black crays feed at dusk), these two freshwater favorites really come alive during mating season – when males will battle for mates by flipping each other in given areas or jockeying for position near females who lay eggs well-hidden from predators that can’t be seen without an electronic sonar device like echolocation gear used by researchers today!

I’m a fisherman and I fish for crappie. But, what are some of the things that we fishermen can do to improve our odds?

I have found success in fishing at these 9 lakes for crappie fishing in Texas (below). Check out my tips below!

Best Crappie Fishing in Texas: 9 Lakes Known for Crappie Fishing

Crappie fishing is second only to Bass Fishing here in Texas. As promised, I’m going to reveal some of the best lakes for you to try catching Crappie on (regardless of species), right here in Texas.

I know that a lot of people think it’s just one fish like any other but trust me when I tell you this – there are so many amazing places out there where crappies have been caught and released with huge smiles plastered across their faces! The first two are where the record-sized crappie were caught:

Lake Name:	General Area:
Lake Fork	Just East of the Dallas Area
Navarro Lake	South of Dallas and west of Richland-Chambers Reservoir
Sam Rayburn Reservoir	Near Jasper; Northeast of Lake Livingston
Richland-Chambers Reservoir	Southeast of Dallas
Somerville Lake	Somerville
Toledo Bend Reservoir	On the Texas-Louisiana border
Lake Tawakoni	Quinlan; East of Dallas area
White Rock Lake	In the center of the Dallas area
Lake of the Pines	Near Marshall

Let’s take a look at some of the Best Crappie Fishing in Texas!

Lake Fork

Lake Fork Reservoir is the most famous fishing spot in Texas for largemouth bass. It’s located just east of downtown Dallas and stretches into parts of Hopkins, Wood, and Rains counties. The best time to fish here according to the expert fishermen is during summer when the water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis.

Also Read: What Are The Best Catfish To Eat (All You Need To Know)

Crappie Masters visited Quitman’s Lake Fork in 2019 and helped showcase crappie fishing in this renowned water body. The first-place team weighed in a bag of 30.72 lbs., the 10th place team checked it at 28.69 pounds, as well as 50th ranked was still an impressive 23.61 pounds!

Beyond tournament results, this lake has consistently been considered one of America’s top five best crappies for years now – people come from all over to fish here because they know that there is always something good biting on these waters!

Crappie fishing is a popular activity in the winter months but crappies are also common throughout other times of the year. Anglers typically fish deep water near dams during those cold months and piers, bridges, or channels when it’s warmer outside. Crappie jigs and minnows make good bait options for catching these tasty freshwater fishes.

Click here for the current fishing report.

Video by Pautzke Bait on YouTube.

Navarro Lake

Navarro Mills Lake is a perfect place to fish, with its 5,000 acres of flooded timber and standing trees. There are multiple boat ramps for easy launching of fishing boats or water sport craft.

The shoreline features rocky banks in some places and vegetation cover at others-perfect for the anglers who need only bait their hooks!

Click here for the current fishing report

Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is a large body of water located deep in the East Texas Piney Woods Forests just north of Jasper, Texas. The lake has long been known for its largemouth bass fishery and holds over 300 fishing tournaments each year where visitors enjoy boating, fishing, camping, picnicking, swimming, hiking, or birding around wildlife viewing- outdoor activities are plentiful here!

Also Read: What is the Crappie Limit in Texas

Crappie fishing is excellent year-round which makes it some of the best Crappie fishing in Texas. Anglers have success with jigs and minnows. During the spring spawn, anglers target shallow areas around vegetation. They typically prefer deep water during other times of the year near brush piles or creeks channels.

Click here for the current fishing report.

Richland Chambers Lake

Richland Chambers is an excellent choice for anglers seeking catfish, crappie, white bass, or hybrid stripers. Angling for largemouth bass can be very good where you find vegetation and clear water; however, these areas are somewhat limited in size compared to the lake surface.

It also produces abundant amounts of black and white crappie and is one of the most consistent lakes for Crappie. Anglers will have success with jigs or minnows near bridge crossings and in the abundant timber in the upper Richland and Chambers creek arms.

Click here for the current fishing report.

Somerville Lake

Somerville Lake is located in Washington County just 10 miles Northwest of Brenham. The lake is known for both largemouth bass and catfish but it also boasts a good population of both white and black Crappie.

This lake is well known as a high-quality fishing location for white Bass, especially during the spring spawn. The area just off Welch Park is a particularly good location leading up to the spring spawn. However, lake Somerville offers very good fishing for hybrid striped bass, channel catfish, and crappie too!

Also Read: What is the World Record For Largemouth Bass

Click here for the current fishing report.

Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir is located on the Sabine River in Shelby, Sabine, and Newton counties, on the Texas-Louisiana state line. It is just 24 miles northeast of Jasper.

The Toledo Bend Reservoir offers up some of the most popular game fish in Texas. You can expect to find largemouth bass, crappie and catfish all year long at this reservoir!

Crappie fishing is good year-round with jigs and minnows. However, during the spring spawn when anglers target shallow areas around vegetation, fish are typically concentrated in deeper water around brush piles and creek channels.

Click here for the current fishing report.

Lake Tawakoni

In Van Zandt, Rains, and Hunt counties, located in the Greenville, Quinlan & Wills Point area. The striped bass, hybrid striped bass, and white bass are three of the most important species to this region. They help maintain both a great sport fishery as well as an excellent economic sector for fishermen in Lake Travis!

The TPWD stocks these annually which helps keep their numbers up while also providing boaters with ample fishing opportunities all year long – whether they want flathead catfish or largemouths!

Crappie fishing is particularly good around standing timber bridge pilings or artificial pier structures where some fishermen have been known to catch upwards of 100 pounds on occasion. Anybody who enjoys crappie should check it out sometime soon because there’s plenty more coming your way next spring too!

Crappie fishing is good year-round with jigs and minnows. Click here to learn more about How to Fish for Crappie with a Jig. Crappie fishing is often better near bridge footings and cover such as submerged trees in the spring and fall.

Click here to get the current fishing report.

White Rock Lake

In the City of Dallas on White Rock Creek, a feeds into the Trinity River. There is a lot of positives that go along with White Rock Lake but there are a few things to keep in mind when planning a fishing trip to this hot spot.

All species fall under and are managed by statewide regulations. White Rock Lake has a 9.9-horsepower limit on boat motors so anglers may be limited when thinking about bringing a boat. Fishermen can use electric trolling motors.

The largemouth bass is densely found around cover like the reed beds, the openings of other creeks that connect, and to Dickson Branch. Crapping fishing in Texas on White Rock Lake is an absolutely sure bet.

Lake o’ the Pines

The Big Cypress Creek is located in the Cypress River Basin, 25 miles northeast of Longview. In Marion County, it’s only a few meters wide and 2-3 feet deep but as you move upstream to Morris county, just east of Upshur County where there are steep cliffs on both banks.

Cypress trees cling precariously from their crevices or downstream past Camp county into Panola Mountain State Park or upriver through Woodville for 20 miles before finally merging again with the Red Cedar River at Bayou George then out into Galveston Bay.

Crappie is quite abundant with a large number of legal-size fish available. There is both white and black crappie in Lake o’ the Pines with black crappie being the more dominant species.