Fishing Lake Crabtree

AKA: Crabtree Lake

Popular Fish Species
Lake Crabtree Fishing Video
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Amenities
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Lake Crabtree, NC

Popular Fish Species Lake Crabtree, NC

Crappie Fishing

Lake Crabtree is loaded with both black and white crappie. They generally school by species, but once you locate them around cover, you may catch both species due to the fact they often share the same cover. Crappie fishing is on the rise and they can be found in sizeable schools. Crappie always like cover and structure, so locate brush and vegetation. Using a fish finder can help locate schools of crappie, which tend to stack vertically around cover. Live bait and small jigs are the most common method for crappie here. In spring and fall focus on the 8 to 12 foot range. The best time to catch crappie tends to be at dawn and dusk. As the crappie move deep in summer and winter, follow points out deep, as well as find ledges near channels in deeper water.

Lake Crabtree Lake Popular Fish - Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass Fishing

Always considered a decent bass fishing destination, Lake Crabtree continues to deliver great catches of largemouth bass. Locals attest that fishing for largemouth bass has been as good this year. A decent number of larger bass also roam these waters adding the potential bonus trophy bass. Thorough fisheries management by NC Wildlife has maintained a quality bass fishery for some time now. Generally speaking, when the bite is good bass often move shallow and become fairly aggressive. Use shallow crankbaits around rip rap. Around grass use worms, jigs, topwater and spinnerbaits. In deeper water, big worms, jigs and spoons are three good weapons. In winter, spend your time fishing Lake Crabtree on deeper structure where the bass spend much of their time. Fishing for largemouth bass is good here is year round.

Lake Crabtree Popular Fish - Channel Catfish

Channel Catfish Fishing

Lake Crabtree, again this year, supports a healthy population of channel catfish, including some monsters. The state record channel catfish is over 40 pounds, and they do grow big in Crabtree. In Spring, channel catfish tend to migrate toward incoming water, so stay up river away from the main lake. Night fishing for channel catfish often delivers better results than fishing during the day. In early summer look for rocky banks, the bigger the rocks the better. In summer and winter deeper structure is where to look. The river end of the lake is often the area where the bigger catfish are caught. Fishing for channel catfish is often productive around any kind of structure in the area. Road beds, creek channels and rocky points are all good places to begin. Use a slip sinker or Carolina rig with popular catfish baits. Flathead catfish and blue catfish also reside in the lake and fishing for them is often good as well.

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, blue catfish, black crappie and bluegill at Lake Crabtree in North Carolina.

Lake Crabtree Fishing Video

Less than a mile down the road from the Bass Pro Shop on I-40, Lake Crabtree is a small fishing lake of 520 acres. This small lake is located in Crabtree County Park, and has about 5 miles of shoreline. No gas-powered boats are allowed on the lake, so it is a great destination for fishing from a canoe, kayak or car-top boat. There is a fishing pier and a fishing platform with handicap accessibility. Anglers will find bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish in this shallow-water fishery.

Primary fish species residing in Lake Crabtree

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Lake Crabtree Amenities

Marina: NO
Boat Rental: YES
Boat Launch Ramp: YES
Campgrounds: NEARBY
RV Hookups: NEARBY
Lodging: YES
Convenience Store: YES
Bait & Tackle: YES
Restaurant: YES

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Lake Crabtree Boat Ramp
Located in Crabtree County Park, mid lake on the north side of the lake, this is a two-lane launch ramp, with a dock and limited, paved parking..