subject: Where And How To Catch California Crappie [print this page] There are many great crappie fishing areas in the Golden State. California has some strange regulations regarding crappie (but they do on most other things as well, so at least they are consistent).
According to the 2010 Fishing
Regulations:
5.30. Crappie.
(a) Open season: All year, except for closures listed under special regulations.
(b) Bag Limit: Twenty-five, except in:
(1) Barrett and Upper Otay Lakes (San Diego Co.) where the bag limit is zero for all species (See Section 2.08), and
(2) Eastman Lake (Madera Co.) where only 25 crappie and sunfish, all species combined, may be taken per day. (See Section 5.82.)
(c) Size Limit: No size limit, except at Hodges and El Capitan Lakes (San Diego County), where the minimum size limit is 10 inches, total length.
4.20. Bait Fish Use in the Valley and South Central Districts.
Except as provided below, live or dead fin fish shall not be used or possessed for use as bait in the Valley or South Central District:
(a) Live or dead golden shiner, fathead minnow, mosquitofish, longjaw mudsucker, and staghorn sculpin, and dead threadfin shad, Mississippi silverside and lamprey may be used in all Valley and South Central District waters except those listed in subsection (f) below.
(b) Red shiner may be used only in the Valley District north of Interstate 580 and Highway 132.
(c) Yellowfin gobies may be used in the Valley District only in those areas described in subsections (d)(1)-(3) below.
(d) In addition, except for trout and salmon, fin fish lawfully taken in the following waters by angling or with bait fish methods approved in Section 4.05 may be used only in the waters where taken:
(1) Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay and their tributaries and saltwater tributaries.
(2) Sacramento River and tidewater of tributaries downstream from the Highway 32 bridge near Hamilton City, Feather River downstream from the Oroville Hatchery Fish Barrier Dam, Yuba River downstream from Daguerre Point Dam, and American River downstream from Nimbus Dam.
(3) San Joaquin River and tidewater of tributaries downstream from Interstate 5 bridge.
(e) Live threadfin shad, Mississippi silverside and lamprey may be used only at the location where taken.
(f) Fin fish may not be used in Keller Lake (Glenn Co.), Letts Lake (Colusa Co.), Merced Lake (San Francisco Co.), Upper and Lower Plaskett Meadow Ponds (Glenn Co.), Whale Rock Reservoir (San Luis Obispo Co.).
4.10. Bait Fish Use in the Southern District.
Except as provided below, live or dead fin fish shall not be used or possessed for use as bait in the Southern District:
(a) Dead threadfin shad and live or dead longjaw mudsucker may be used in all Southern District waters.
(b) Live threadfin shad may be used only at the location where taken.
(c) Golden shiner and red shiner may be used in San Diego County.
