Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
December 1 through the last day of February: no minimum; all crappie caught must be retained. March 1–November 30: 10-inch minimum. Daily bag is 25 black and white crappie combined all year.
Identify your catch
Irregular dark speckling and usually seven or eight dorsal spines distinguish black crappie from white crappie.
Habitat on Lake O’ the Pines
Wooded shoreline, timber and aquatic vegetation.
Fishing approach
Plan around the timber and vegetation documented by TPWD. The guide does not supply a validated bait ranking. Winter crappie harvest rules differ from the rest of the year.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
No lake-specific advisory found in the checked DSHS active list. This does not establish that fish are safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Uses lakes, ponds and slow water, often near submerged cover.
General Black Crappie profile →Sources & lake evidence
Occurrence documented in the TPWD lake guide, fisheries survey or historical records. Historical evidence does not establish present abundance. Current harvest rules were checked separately from older survey regulations.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Fisheries survey · species evidence ↗Species identification ↗