Guide To The Best Places To Fish in Virginia
There are many great places to fish in The Old Dominion State, and whatever your style of fishing, you'll likely find it here in Virginia. Ponds, rivers, streams, coastal waters and lakes all provide opportunities to wet a line. Here, we focus on major lakes. With that in mind, here are some of the best places to fish in the state.
Virginia's Top-Five, Amazing Fishing Spots
- Occoquan Reservoir in northeast VA
- Smith Mountain Lake in south-central VA
- Lake Anna in northeast VA
- South Holston Lake in southern VA
- Lake Gaston in southern VA
There are close to a dozen major lakes in Virginia, and we cover most of them here. Year over year fishing may decline or improve in many of these lakes, but these are ones that have maintained a positive reputation for good fishing over time. Learn more...
Most Popular Fish Species In Virginia
Three species of bass, striped bass and hybrid stripers, four species of trout, four species of catfish, walleye, sauger, saugeye, both species of crappie, two species of perch, white bass and sunfish all make their homes in the state. Learn more...
Best Bass Fishing Lakes In Virginia
- Occoquan Reservoir in northeast VA
- Lake Anna in northeast VA
- Flannagan Reservoir in western VA
Expect quality fishing for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass in many of the fisheries across the state. State records include largemouth over 16 pounds, smallmouth over 8 pounds and spotted bass over 6 pounds.. Learn more...
Best Lakes For Striper Fishing In Virginia
- Smith Mountain Lake in south-central VA
- Lake Anna in northeast VA
- Lake Gaston in southern VA
If you enjoy chasing the big boys, you can catch striped bass and hybrid stripers in numerous waters in the state. The state record for striped bass is over 53 pounds, and the record for hybrid stripers is over 15 pounds. Learn more...
Top Places To Fish For Trout In Virginia
- Lake Moomaw in western VA
Not many of the major lakes in the state have a significant trout population. Lake Moomaw does have, and receives high accolades as the best place to fish for trout among lake fishing enthusiasts. There are also rivers and streams which provide good trout fishing, especially for fly fishing. Learn more...
Best Lakes To Fish For Catfish In Virginia
- Western Branch Reservoir in southeast VA
- Lake Anna in northeast VA
- Claytor Lake in southwest VA
The state record for blue catfish, of 132 pounds, is also the world record. The flathead state record is over 68 pounds, the channel catfish record is 32 pounds and the state record white catfish is over 7 pounds. All four of these records were caught out of major lakes. In addition to lakes, rivers can produce hot and heavy catfish action as well. Learn more...
Best Walleye Fishing Lakes In Virginia
- South Holston Lake in southern VA
- Flannagan Reservoir in western VA
- Leesville Reservoir in south-central VA
About a dozen major lakes in the state offer the chance to catch walleye. These three have a long-standing reputation for good walleye fishing. Rivers are also a great place to catch walleye, especially when they flow into a major lake. Learn more...
Enjoy these top spots to go fishing in Virginia
Find the best places to fish, by state.
VIRGINIA
