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OH · Crappie (black and white)

Ohio crappie (black and white) limits

Ohio has no statewide crappie limit: crappie are not in the statewide table, so on most public waters there is no daily cap or minimum length. About 30 named lakes allow 30 a day at 9 inches or longer, three wildlife areas allow 10, Pymatuning Lake allows 20 at 9 inches, and the Ohio River allows 30 with no minimum.

Verified 2026-10-26

Updated

Limits at a glance

Regulation period: March 1, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027.

Statewide public waters, including Ohio waters of Lake Erie (crappie are not listed in the statewide or Lake Erie tables)

Daily limit
No daily limit

DatesYear-round (as printed)

Size ruleNo minimum length

Site-specific lakes: Alum Creek, Buckeye, Caesar Creek, Deer Creek (Fayette and Pickaway counties), Delaware (with listed Olentangy River and Whetstone Creek stretches), Dillon, East Fork, Ferguson, Grand Lake St. Marys, Hoover, Indian, Lake Milton, Loramie, the Mahoning River between Berlin Lake and Lake Milton, Metzger, Mosquito Creek, O’Shaughnessy, Paint Creek, Piedmont, Pleasant Hill, Portage Lakes (East, North, Turkeyfoot, West), Rocky Fork, Salt Fork, Seneca, Tappan and Veterans Memorial

Daily limit
30, black and white crappie combined

DatesYear-round (as printed)

ReleaseMay keep

051015202530INCHES9"

Size ruleMinimum length 9 inches

A measuring board for this length rule. The name is the Amazon listing title.

Rapala 60 Inch Retractable Fish Measuring Ruler

See on Amazon: measuring board, opens in a new tab

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Killdeer Plains, Oxbow and St. Joseph River wildlife areas

Daily limit
10

DatesYear-round (as printed)

Size ruleNo minimum length

Pymatuning Lake (Ohio–Pennsylvania shared rules)

Daily limit
20, black and white crappie combined

DatesYear-round (as printed)

ReleaseMay keep

051015202530INCHES9"

Size ruleMinimum length 9 inches

Ohio River, Western Unit (Ohio–Kentucky unified rule) and Eastern Unit (Ohio shore anglers, embayments and tributaries)

Daily limit
30, black and white crappie combined

DatesYear-round (as printed)

Size ruleNo minimum length

Watch for

  • The 9-inch rule applies only on the named lakes; check the site-specific table for the exact water before you keep small fish.
  • On Pymatuning Lake, a Pennsylvania license is needed to fish from the Pennsylvania shore or islands.
  • Ohio River rules differ between the Western (Kentucky) and Eastern (West Virginia) units; see pages 8–9 of the booklet.

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Ohio · Crappie

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Quick answers

What is the daily limit for crappie (black and white) in Ohio?

Statewide public waters, including Ohio waters of Lake Erie (crappie are not listed in the statewide or Lake Erie tables): No daily limit. Size rule: No minimum length. Other waters and date windows have different rules; see the table. Verify with Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

Which regulations do these Ohio figures come from?

March 1, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027, as published by Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. Last verified 2026-10-26.