So my kids are just now getting old enough to effectively fish (6, 5, and 3). I have not fished for crappie in years and I am going to start back again this spring. So what are your favorite crappie lakes? I am especially interested in what ya'all come up with in North TX, but let's not put limitations on ourselves...

I should have noted. My favorite Lake for anything that swims is Lake Fork!

Depends on what time of year but favorite lake would be a tie palestine and cedar creek lake

I will suggest you hook up with Lane Palmer (anywhere in FTW or Cedar Creek) or chuck at Big Crappie (Cedar Creek) for those kiddos. Everyone will have a fun time with those guys...at least I did, and I am a kid at heart.

Also, Chris Webb is really good with kids (at least That is what Chuck at Big Crappie once told me) although I have no direct experience with him and kids. I do think Cris is a really nice guy.

Richland Chambers as it can be challenging but when it�s on it�s on and the fish taste better.

Chris webb , Will be glad you did.

LAKE FORT IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lake Fork is the best I've seen.

Getting your kids into fishing is one of the coolest things a parent can do with them.
Just a reminder though in case you forgot, crappie can be real frustrating for kids till they get the hang of it and you re-learn how to put them on fish.
Personally, i've found crappie to be one of the more challenging fish to learn.

I really suggest if you can swing it to book a trip with Lane Palmer. He's great with kids and a great teacher as well.
When you'er on your own with your kids I'd suggest to keep sand bass and bluegill aka "perch" in the possible line up to keep them interested until y'all master crappie. If you do go with Lane, I'd ask him to teach y'all sandbass as well for a backup plan when you're on your own if the crappie aren't biting well enough. I don't much care to eat them compared to crappie but they can be made edible if you get most of the red meat trimmed out. They sure are fun for everyone to catch though and put up a helluva good fight.

The spring spawning season coming up can be one of the most fickle times for crappie due to how they move in and out from changing spring weather and water levels.
It can also be one of the most fun when they are on and the action is hot.
2 of my kids were patient enough to fish for crappie with me but one of them needed much more consistent action to stay interested in fishing.

This recent post by Lane is excellent info
Spawn Calender Plus Tips

The most important part of getting kids into crappie fishing is being able to put them on fish so they get some good action.
The benefit is of course is the fun y'all will have and some of the tastiest eating there is.

I can�t pick just one.
For numbers of fish... Sam Rayburn
For catching 2 plus pounders LOP



That said I have a bunch of grandkids and crappie can be hard to catch for them

You can go out in the timber at LOP and dump a bucket of range cubs out and catch channel cats as fast as you can get the bait down

Best crappie fishing I ever encountered was at Richland Chambers...while catfishing!?!..didn�t take me long to switch gears either...me and a bud, caught a limit of huge Fork sized crappie within 15 minutes on fresh caught baby Shad. Unfortunately, it was only one time, and I have never been able to recreate that situation, no matter how hard I tried.

Favorite lake, man I don�t know how to answer that one, I have fished some outstanding crappie lakes in my life...there are some very good crappie fisheries around here. I can say Fork, Palestine, Cedar Creek, Navarro Mills, Aquilla, Wright Patman, Millwood, are but a few of the lake I truly enjoy fishing. The lakes below Cyprus Springs deserve some merit as well.

Guess if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Caddo, even though I have only fished it twice in my life (both times last year) and despite the size of the crappie are not exceptional. My reasoning is as follows: 1) it is a relatively shallow lake, and I like fishing 15 feet and less. 2) it is a stumpy lake. 3) it is a natural lake ( the only one in Texas). 4). When you fish it, it seems like you are traveling back in time, to a much simpler life. 4) the people you encounter are friendly, genuine, and helpful. 5). This lake gives you nothing easy, you must use all your experience to catch fish consistently (twice in a row with Jigs is considered consistent, by the locals). 6) Without good electronic maps, I would have stayed lost (I consider this a cool factor). 7) After fishing it just one time, it is one of the few crappie lakes I have considered buying a retirement cabin on. 8) it is not overly commercialized. 9) there are plenty of amenities 15 miles away from the lake. 10) guess it brought out the E Texas redneck in me. Finally, Caddo has somehow taken my heart strings and keeps pulling me back. More than any other lake, I can�t wait to go back and yearn to do so!

This question comes up a lot and it simply depends on what you are looking for when fishing. A lot of the tournament guys will say Fork because it has bigger fish than most lakes around here while others will have other favorite lakes. My favorite lake would have to be Cedar Creek. I don't fish tournaments and don't enjoy fishing all day for 7 big bites. I would rather catch 100 10-14 inch fish and Cedar Creek is hard to beat for numbers and average size. I also love shooting docks so that plays a role in that too. I have lots of good memories from that lake back when Guy Skinner took me out for my first time in a boat. I still remember the first dock fish I caught that day and I was instantly hooked. Cedar Creek will always be a special place for me. Thanks again Guy!

Cedar creek or pines

For sure in deep east Texas it would have to be caddo if for no reason other than the scenery (however there are a few "secret" trees around that always seem to have a nice crappie or two on them to keep things interesting). Beyond that pines, murvaul, Tyler......... Heck Lets be honest I like anywhere that the fish are biting!!