White Crappie in Colorado
Colorado rules and lakes for white crappie.
- 20 a daylimit
- 4 lb 3.8 ozrecord
Pick for white crappiePiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of the species, not a Colorado water: -Rorey-, CC BY 4.0
Colorado White crappie at a glance
The 2026 brochure treats white crappie as a panfish species with 1 chart row on its limits chart. The waters statewide row allows daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate.
Colorado’s heaviest on record weighed 4 lb 3.8 oz, caught at Northglenn Lake in 1975. CPW Boatable Waters lists name it on 10 lake and stream pages here.
For the white crappie herePiscifun Carbon XT ultralight spinning reel25% OFFSale $59.99 How many white crappie a Colorado angler may keep
| 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.
white crappie and the state record list
Weighed records
| Entry | Weight | Length | Angler | Water | County | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Crappie | 4 lb 3.8 oz | 17 in | Daryel Thompson | Northglenn Lake | Adams | 1975 |
By length, released
| Entry | Length | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Crappie | 15.75 in | Pam Mitzner | Pueblo Reservoir | 2023 |
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.
What else the brochure says about white crappie
- b. Crustaceans: The following crustaceans may be possessed east of the Continental Divide: virile crayfish, waternymph crayfish, calico crayfish, ringed crayfish and Southern Plains crayfish. The following crustaceans may be possessed on either side of the Continental Divide: freshwater shrimp …p. 8
2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (Colorado Parks and Wildlife),, retrieved October 25, 2026.
Colorado water that holds white crappie
Colorado lakes for white crappie
- Pueblo Reservoir3,363 acres
- North Sterling Reservoir2,752 acres
- Jackson Reservoir2,423 acres
- Prewitt Reservoir2,192 acres
- Jumbo Reservoir1,411 acres
- Arapahoe Bend Beaver Pond36 acres
- Arapahoe Bend Bass Pond18 acres
- Bittersweet Lake15 acres
- Riverbend Pond #18 acres
- Arapahoe Bend Snapper Pond4 acres
CPW Boatable Waters and Quality Waters species fields and state record waters; largest waters first.
Same CPW group as white crappie
- Black Crappiepanfish
- Bluegillpanfish
- Hybrid Bluegillpanfish
- Green Sunfishpanfish
- Redear Sunfishpanfish
- Pumpkinseed Sunfishpanfish
- Yellow Perchpanfish
A camera tour of the water by White Crappie
Photo: Mshuang2, CC0 1.0
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Chasing White crappie from the plains to the high country
What may a Colorado angler take home in white crappie?
Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate (statewide); special regulations can change it on listed waters.
Where was the record white crappie caught in Colorado?
4 lb 3.8 oz from Northglenn Lake, by Daryel Thompson in 1975.
Where do white crappie live in Colorado?
10 water pages here list it, starting with Pueblo Reservoir, North Sterling Reservoir and Jackson Reservoir.
Do special regulations change the white crappie rules?
No special-regulation entry names it, so the statewide chart applies unless a water closes or limits all fishing.
What group is white crappie in?
Panfish on the CPW species list; the chart zones that apply are statewide.
Does Colorado close white crappie fishing?
Colorado waters are open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation closes them; no entry names it.
Which license should a white crappie angler buy?
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.
Can I enter a released white crappie for a record?
Photograph it on a measuring device with a witness and release it; it must beat the current record, or 14 inches where none exists.
Target white crappie this season
Each lake and stream in the lists links to its own Colorado page.