Black Crappie in Colorado
Limits, records and special rules for black crappie.
- 20 a daylimit
- 3 lb 7.8 ozrecord
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What CPW says about Black crappie
black crappie belongs to the panfish group on the CPW list, with 1 chart row in the 2026 chart. Under the waters statewide line: daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate.
CPW lists a 3 lb 7.8 oz fish from Frank State Wildlife Area (2017) as the weight record. 115 Colorado water pages on this site carry it on their species list.
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| Chart row | Zone | Limit | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie: White, Black | Statewide | Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate | Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise |
2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (Colorado Parks and Wildlife), p. 10, retrieved October 25, 2026; the chart applies on every water not listed in the special regulations.
Colorado black crappie records
Heaviest fish
| Entry | Weight | Length | Angler | Water | County | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 3 lb 7.8 oz | 17.5 in | Fesstus Stalder | Frank State Wildlife Area | 2017 |
Catch-and-release lengths
| Entry | Length | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 18.25 in | Eric Allee | McKay Lake | 2023 |
Pre-2020 length awards
| Entry | Length | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | 19.5 in | Ray Clusman | Panama in Boulder Co. |
A new length record must beat the current one, or 14 inches where no record exists (the Master Angler qualifying length).
CPW Fishing Awards and Records and the 2026 brochure pages 6 and 7, retrieved October 25, 2026.
Finding black crappie in Colorado
Still water holding black crappie
- Navajo Reservoir15,753 acres
- John Martin Reservoir11,712 acres
- Meredith Reservoir5,114 acres
- McPhee Reservoir4,289 acres
- Pueblo Reservoir3,363 acres
- Dillon Reservoir3,345 acres
- North Sterling Reservoir2,752 acres
- Jackson Reservoir2,423 acres
- Prewitt Reservoir2,192 acres
- Green Mountain Reservoir2,111 acres
- Horsetooth Reservoir1,824 acres
- Barr Lake1,725 acres
- Neenoshe Reservoir1,660 acres
- Boyd Lake1,575 acres
- Jumbo Reservoir1,411 acres
- Chatfield Reservoir1,355 acres
- Shadow Mountain Reservoir1,338 acres
- Standley Lake1,230 acres
- Henry Lake1,189 acres
- Cherry Creek Reservoir881 acres
- Trinidad Reservoir843 acres
- Nee Gronda Reservoir835 acres
- Union Reservoir751 acres
- Elkhead Reservoir706 acres
CPW Boatable Waters and Quality Waters species fields and state record waters; largest waters first.
Close relatives of black crappie on the Colorado list
- White Crappiepanfish
- Bluegillpanfish
- Hybrid Bluegillpanfish
- Green Sunfishpanfish
- Redear Sunfishpanfish
- Pumpkinseed Sunfishpanfish
- Yellow Perchpanfish
Snapshots of lakes and rivers close to Black Crappie
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain
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Photo: USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency, Public domain
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Straight answers on Colorado Black crappie
Can I keep black crappie in Colorado?
Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate (statewide); special regulations can change it on listed waters.
Who caught the Colorado record black crappie?
3 lb 7.8 oz from Frank State Wildlife Area, by Fesstus Stalder in 2017.
Which lakes list black crappie?
115 water pages here list it, starting with Navajo Reservoir, John Martin Reservoir and Meredith Reservoir.
Are there waters with their own black crappie limits?
No special-regulation entry names it, so the statewide chart applies unless a water closes or limits all fishing.
How does CPW group black crappie?
Panfish on the CPW species list; the chart zones that apply are statewide.
What dates apply to black crappie?
Colorado waters are open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation closes them; no entry names it.
What license does a visiting angler buy to fish for black crappie here?
Everyone 16 and older needs a CPW fishing license: $44.87 a year for adult residents, $124.01 for nonresidents, or $18.07 for a resident one-day license.
How long must a record black crappie be?
Photograph it on a measuring device with a witness and release it; it must beat the current record, or 14 inches where none exists.