← Nebraska fishing maps

Best crappie lakes in Nebraska

119 Nebraska waters list crappie (official records or labelled estimates), 118 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Schooling panfish that suspends around timber, brush and creek channels.

1. Calamus Reservoir — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
2. Harlan County Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites
3. Merritt Reservoir — 70 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
4. Sherman Reservoir — 63 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
5. Red Willow Reservoir — 55 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
6. Swanson Reservoir — 45 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
7. DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge — 18 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Desoto Bend — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Medicine Creek — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
10. Branched Oak Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites
11. Pelican Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
12. Maloney Reservoir — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
13. Lake Wanahoo — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Box Butte Reservoir — 39 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Cottonwood Steverson Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Crescent Lake — 16 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Hackberry Lake — 6 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow PerchWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
18. Johnson Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Willow Creek Lake — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugeyeWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
20. Pawnee Lake — 21 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
21. Lake Minatare — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
22. Enders Reservoir — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
23. Cunningham Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Flanagan Lake — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Blue Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 94 more Nebraska waters holding crappie.

Find the closest crappie waters to you →

When to fish crappie in Nebraska

• Spring 2–8 ft — The famous spring bite: brush, timber and docks in protected shallow pockets.
• Summer 10–25 ft — Find suspended schools over channel-edge brush piles and deep timber.
• Fall 8–20 ft — Schools follow shad into creeks; fish channel bends with cover.
• Winter 15–35 ft — Tight schools in deep holes and channel bends; slow presentations.

Also in Nebraska: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best saugeye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best white perch lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Crappie elsewhere: Ontario · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Maine · New Hampshire · New York · Montana · Massachusetts · Wyoming · Washington · Florida · Indiana · North Dakota · Texas · Iowa · Ohio · Connecticut · California · Missouri · Vermont · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Arizona · Colorado · Illinois · New Mexico · Kansas · West Virginia · Mississippi · Idaho · New Jersey · Kentucky · Alabama · Oregon · North Carolina · Tennessee · Georgia · Delaware · Nevada · Virginia · Rhode Island · Manitoba · Louisiana · South Carolina · Pennsylvania · Maryland · Arkansas