A schooling slab that stacks on a brush pile. Find one, stay there, and the next dozen fish can come on consecutive casts.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Brush, docks, and deeper structure in the bigger lakes — Castaic, Puddingstone, and some park lakes.
Same 25-fish combined sunfish/crappie bag, no size limit at LA waters. Spring is shallow; summer they slide deeper. A 1–1.5 inch tube jig or a minnow under a slip bobber at Castaic and Puddingstone is the local play.
Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) are silvery, compressed fish with irregular black speckles and large dorsal and anal fins.
Crappie are found in some LA County lakes and reservoirs, often schooling around submerged brush, docks and drop-offs.
Open all year. Spring spawning brings crappie shallow; summer pushes them deeper.
OEHHA's statewide lake advisory lists crappie at 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children and 2 for others.
Crappie count in the 25 sunfish and crappie combined bag, with no size limit in LA County.
Two crappie species exist in California: black crappie and white crappie. Black crappie usually have seven or eight dorsal spines and irregular dark speckling, while white crappie usually have six spines and faint vertical bars. Both count in the same 25-fish sunfish and crappie bag, so the distinction matters more for curiosity than for the law in LA County. Bluegill and redear are rounder, with shorter fins and smaller mouths.
Crappie school tightly, so the first fish often tells you where the rest are. In the cooler months they suspend off points and around submerged brush in deeper water; in spring they move toward shallow cover to spawn. Slow, steady presentations work better than fast retrieves, and a small float that holds a jig just above the fish is a classic approach. Their mouths are thin, so a firm but gentle hookset and a net help keep fish on.
Crappie are widely regarded as one of the best-tasting freshwater fish, with mild white fillets that pan-fry well. Filleting and removing the skin follows OEHHA's general advice to eat skinless fillets and trim away fat, where some contaminants concentrate.
San Diego 10-inch crappie exceptions do not apply here.
T14 CCR §5.82 sunfish and crappie →
Independent-site disclaimer: this summary is for orientation only and can change in-season. Confirm with CDFW before you keep a fish. Fish in LA is not affiliated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
25 sunfish and crappie combined, no size limit.
Small jigs and minnow imitations.
OEHHA's statewide lake advice is 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children, 2 for others.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.
