Crappie

Crappie Fishing in Florida

Black crappie spend much of their time offshore feeding on small fish in lakes or in large, slow-moving clear-water rivers, and they nest in colonies from February to April.

Florida rules from FWC, checked Sep 2026

Check before you keep a fish. Seasons and limits change, sometimes in the middle of a season, and a court or an agency can change them overnight. Everything here was copied from FWC in Sep 2026 and is listed with its source at the bottom of this page. We are not a regulatory authority. Confirm the current rule with your captain or with FWC before you keep a fish.

Florida state record

  • 3.83 lb Lake Talquin, Gadsden County · January 21, 1992 · Ben Curry, Sr.

From FWC Florida Freshwater State Records, checked Sep 2026. Records are certified by FWC and can be broken at any time.

About the fish

SizeFlorida record 3.83 pounds
Where it livesLakes or large, slow-moving clear-water rivers, much of the time offshore
What it eatsCrustaceans, insects and small fish

FWC says they nest in colonies from February to April, in 3 to 8 feet of water.

From FWC's species profile, checked Sep 2026.

Statewide: when you can keep one

Florida fresh waters, apart from the waters listed below and the Fish Management Area lakes.

  • All anglersNo closed seasonFWC describes Florida's freshwater fisheries as having no closed seasons.
No statewide length limitSize limit
25 per dayDaily limit. No one may hold more than two days' bag limit of freshwater game fish.

Lake Okeechobee and Lake Talquin: when you can keep one

Lake Okeechobee, including the canals, creeks and river sections FWC lists, and Lake Talquin in Leon and Gadsden counties, including specified portions of the rivers and creeks that flow into it.

  • All anglersNo closed seasonFWC describes Florida's freshwater fisheries as having no closed seasons.
Crappie less than 10 inches total length must be released immediatelySize limit
25 per dayDaily limit. FWC sets a length rule on these waters but does not change the bag limit.

Lake Seminole, St. Marys River, Perdido River, Lake Jackson: when you can keep one

Jim Woodruff Reservoir (Lake Seminole) within FWC's stated boundaries, the St. Marys River and its tributaries, the Perdido River, and Lake Jackson in Walton County.

  • All anglersNo closed seasonFWC describes Florida's freshwater fisheries as having no closed seasons.
On the Perdido River all crappie must be 9 inches or longer. No length limit on the others.Size limit
30 per dayDaily limit. Possession is limited to 50 fish total, regardless of species, on Lake Seminole, the Perdido River and Lake Jackson.

Gear rules

Crappie are game fish, which may only be taken with pole and line or rod and reel. Where minimum-length or slot-size limits for crappie apply, they may not be filleted, nor their head or tail fin removed, until you are done fishing for the day.

Questions about crappie

How many specks can I keep?

25 a day statewide. Lake Seminole, the St. Marys River, the Perdido River and Lake Jackson in Walton County each allow 30.

Is there a size limit?

Not statewide. On Lake Okeechobee and Lake Talquin, crappie under 10 inches must go back immediately, and on the Perdido River they must be 9 inches or longer.

Can I keep two days' worth on an overnight trip?

FWC caps possession at two days' bag limit of freshwater game fish, and each angler is responsible for their own limit.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits on this page were copied from FWC, statewide bag and length limits and FWC, special bag and length limits and FWC, black crappie profile and FWC, methods of taking freshwater fish and FWC, freshwater fishing in Sep 2026. Rules change, sometimes mid-season. Check the current rule with your captain or FWC before you keep a fish.