CHRIS SMITH

Its that time of year again.

Not Thanksgiving, not Christmas but Crappie season is back in East Texas.

Starting Sunday, crappie anglers in East Texas enjoy the special regulations on two East Texas lakes. These two lakes are well known for producing phenomenal crappie numbers as well as some heavy duty giants.

Lake Fork near Quitman and Lake O’ the Pines are legendary on a national level. It’s not just hype, we are blessed as outdoor enthusiasts to live where we do.

From March through November the crappie regulations for Fork and Pines are like the rest of the state, a minimum length limit of 10 inches and a 25 fish daily bag limit.

From December 1st 2024 until the last day of February 2025: “For black and white crappie caught from December 1 through the last day of February, there is no minimum length limit and all crappie caught must be retained.”

The reason for the annual rule change is simple; some crappie winter in extremely deep water. When caught from these deeper areas, smaller fish (under 10 inches) may not survive a rapid trip to the surface. A 9 inch fish would have to be released only to flounder on the surface where turtles, and any number of birds feasted on the otherwise nice fish. Large numbers of fish were essentially going to feed scavengers and wasted.

By changing the minimum length limit, these fish can be retained and eventually released in °350F peanut oil. Without a doubt, the change is one of the most successful and popular changes the Texas Parks & Wildlife has ever implemented.

A check of boat ramp license plates during the winter campaign will include rigs from Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. I once met 3 guys in a pickup, with a 14 foot aluminum boat strapped in the bed at a Lake Fork boat ramp. They had taken turns driving, non-stop from Nebraska to catch some Texas crappie.

They had read an article about the abundance of crappie at Fork during the winter and since all of their lakes were frozen, they headed out. The fact is both lakes are outstanding fisheries for crappie and each year they seem to get a little better.

Crappie are already starting to build up in numbers at Lake Fork in the early stages of the migration. Main lake points in 20 plus feet of water is a good place to start your search. Bridge columns are always good in the Fall and the Highway 154 bridge at Lake Fork is a favorite.

Lake O’ the Pines has been reporting awesome catches with 3 person limits on a half day trip. Jigs and or minnows were both reported to be working. In the coming weeks we will try to get a trip in to share techniques and info.

Happy Thanksgiving and remember to count your blessings.