The black crappie (a.k.a. speckled perch, speck, or papermouth) remains a favorite fish throughout Florida and the nation. It is a great pan fish and a generous bag limit of 25 fish provides a healthy “mess” of fish for many anglers especially during the winter and early spring months.

Found throughout the Sunshine State’s in lakes, rivers, ponds, and stream, tightly-bunched specks will move close in to shorelines in 3 to 6-foot depths during the year’s cooler months to build nests and spawn. As water warm up, they’ll travel to deeper areas where water temperatures are cooler and more to their liking.

When specks are bedding or holding in lily pads, hyacinths, peppergrass, weed beds, stumps, submerged trees, brush piles or branches showing above or below the water’s surface, most anglers simply lower an anchor near such spots and offer live Missouri minnows, grass shrimp, worms, crickets and/or grasshoppers. Some will employ small spinnerbaits or tiny yellow or white jigs. Even fly rodders frequently get in on the act using sinker-type flies.

During warmer months, many speck aficionados locate their quarry on or around deeper structure that will show on electronic fish finders. Others have success by slow trolling or drifting in open water with live bait or small jigs, either singly or in tandem.

Perhaps the most widely used speck rig is a long cane pole with a relatively short section of 8- to 20-pound test monofilament line, a bobber and a small wire hook. Placement of the bobber determines how deeply a bait will go. (see also fishing tips)

Generally, a majority of fish in an individual school will be at the same depth, and it sometimes takes a bit of patience and experimentation to locate this zone. Many speck buffs use one or two split shot near the hook in order to keep a live bait down in an area where expected activity will occur.

Locating a proper depth at which crappie are feeding is vital. Sometimes they’ll be just a foot or two from the surface while at other times they may be a foot or two from the bottom.

Most crappie caught in Florida weigh between one-half and one-pound. A two pounder is considered a good catch and one weighing three will give the catcher some sho ‘nuff bragging rights. The Florida record for crappie is 3.83 pounds, while the world record stands at 4.8 pounds. To qualify for Florida’s “Big Catch” angler recognition, you need to land a crappie 14 inched long or longer, or weighing at least 2.0 pounds. The “Big Catch” program is sponsored be eAngler.com and provides anglers with a certificate for catching a big fish, catching five of the same species will qualify you as a “Specialist”.

Keep in mind that specks have extremely tender mouths and a hook that’s set too hard will likely tear out. It’s best to gently raise a rod or cane pole after a bobber has gone under and smoothly swing the fish aboard without giving it any slack line. On a dinner table, few freshwater fish rival a speck for taste. They’re simply delicious.

No telling when or where we’ll meet up with this finny critter in the Sunshine State as they’re apt to be just about anywhere and everywhere. For an overview, noted fisheries biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have come up with what, collectively, they feel is a Top-10 list in no particular order. Also see our Fishing Sites/Forecast page for other popular fishing sites and quarterly angling forecasts.


LAKE MARIAN. For those “in the know”, this 5,739-acre Lake Marian, located east of Haines City, appears on most lists of Top-10 speck sites. While not know for producing large crappie, Marian is widely regarded as one of the better “numbers” lakes. Catch rates of crappie 9 inches and longer in FWC samples this fall were the highest on record and anglers are already reporting good catches, especially at night.

LAKE TRAFFORD. Located about 30 miles southwest of Fort Myers, in Immokalee, this 1,500-acre lake is also regarded as a good “numbers” lake for black crappie. Fall 2001 produced record numbers of black crappie with average angler catch rates of 2.47 fish/hr and more than 66,000 crappie harvested during a six-month survey period. Current survey results indicate the 2002 crappie season is producing similar catches with many limits taken since September. Good crappie action should continue through April. Biologist Ralph LaPrairie (561-625-5122) recommends drifting minnows early or late in the day and if you can’t locate schooling crappie in the middle, try jigs and minnows along the vegetated shoreline.

LAKE MONROE. Thanks to an ongoing FWC habitat restoration project begun in the late-1980’s, this 9,400-acre water body near Sanford is regaining its reputation as a quality crappie lake, according to Fisheries Biologist Joe Jenkins (904-985-7880). With a 12-inch minimum size limit in effect, anglers here will have an opportunity to collect some real “slabs” by using small jigs, Bream Killers, Hal-Flies or Beetlespins, along with live earthworms, crickets, Missouri minnows and grass shrimp.

LAKE TALQUIN. Located west of Tallahassee, this 8,800-acre reservoir, which produced the current Florida record for crappie (a fish weighing 3 pounds, 13-1/4 ounces) is always high on any speck angler’s agenda. Due to submerged stumps and standing timber, boaters are urged to use caution when venturing out in search of another record crappie. Remember to immediately release all crappie less then 10 inches long caught in Talquin. Numerous fish camps located off State Road 267 south of Quincy have launching sites and many are reporting good catches of quality size fish. For up-to-date information, contact Rich Cailteux at (850-627-9674).

LAKE OKEECHOBEE. Biologist Dan McCall (863-462-5190) reports that crappie have been large and plentiful this season in Lake Okeechobee. Low water levels in previous years reduced fishing pressure and created a stockpile of crappie that anglers have been taking advantage of this year. Most of the fishing effort has been in the Kissimmee River/Fish Eating Bay/Taylor Creek areas on the north end of the lake. Dan recommends jigging along the grass lines and dropping minnows in holes in the vegetation.

TENOROC FISH MANAGEMENT AREA. Think quality when venturing here for crappie, especially in the facility’s unreclaimed lakes, advises Danon Moxley (863-499-2421). With its 13 (more to come) intensely managed lakes, Tenoroc, near Lakeland, has gained a deserved reputation as being one of the world’s leading all-around fishing sites for bass, bream, and specks. Open to the public four days per week, it’s advisable to call ahead for a reservation before planning a mini safari to this popular place. Moxley suggests using Missouri minnows, Beetlespins, 1/8-ounce Cotee Jigs or Hal-Flies for best results. Tenoroc has a 10-fish bag limit and 10-inch minimum length limit for crappie.

LAKE WOODRUFF/DEXTER. Located near DeLeon Springs, Woodruff is a 2,200-acre lake that first feeds into Lake Dexter (1,900 acres), then in the St. John’s River south of Astor.  FWC biologists have historically sampled quality-size crappie in Lake Woodruff spring electrofishing samples and anglers historically report catching fish in the 2-2 ˝ pound range in both lakes.  Dan Boone of Riverbens Bait and Tackle recommends using a sunfly jig in mid-lake and minnows near the pads.  Fisheries Biologist Joe Jenkins (904-985-7880) can provide more information.

LAKE ISTOKPOGA. Situated in Highlands County between U.S. 27 and U.S. 98 south of Sebring, Istokpoga is the fifth largest natural lake in Florida at 28,000 acres.  Winter is the best time for black crappie fishing according to FWC biologist Beacham Furse (863-462-5190).  Anglers troll open water using small jigs (“Hal” flies, doll flies, spinner jigs, “Napier” jigs, etc.) to locate schools of crappie from November through April.  Anglers also drift open water areas ranging from 4 to 10 feet deep with minnows or minnow-tipped jigs.  Areas to target include the northeast corner of the lake between the Cowhouse Road boat ramp and Grassy Island, Henderson’s Cover in the northwest, and the deepwater pass west of Bumblebee Island in the southwest.  As water temperatures stabilize around 65EF, crappie will move into bulrush and spatterdock along the shoreline to spawn.  The trick to catching these fish is to move slowly through the vegetation in 3 to 6 feet of water and fish a crappie jig (with or without a minnow) around the vegetation.

LAKE KISSIMMEE. While Lake Kissimmee (35,000 acres) has always been regarded as one of the state’s top bass destinations, it is also gaining a reputation as one of our better speck lakes. Biologists Marty Mann rated last year’s crappie season as “excellent”, with some anglers throwing back 10-inch crappie and believes this year should be as good. He recommends minnows and jigs along the grassline and offshore.

LAKE JESSUP. This 10,000-acre lake, located in Seminole County between lakes Monroe and Harney, historically produces the highest crappie catch rates in the area. While the fish are plentiful, they do run a little smaller than crappie from Lake Monroe. Biologist Jay Holder (904-985-7880) recommends minnows or Hal flies tipped with minnows drifting in mid-lake and near Bird Island. Other popular fishing spots include the Soldier Creek area and the north end of the lake that connects to the St. John’s River.

During this annual Top-10 crappie survey, it should be stressed that many other Sunshine State lakes and rivers received enough enthusiastic voted that this sampling could (and maybe should) have been expanded to 20 or more sites. Here’s a listing of some others getting high marks: Lake Harris, Lake Weir, and Lake Marion (Polk County). Lake George, the Oklawaha Chain, Lake Griffin, Lake Beauclair (where crappie average 2 pounds or more) are also very good speck fisheries.