Fishing Report For Lake Anna, VA

By Rick Seaman

March 14, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Lake Anna Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
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Fishing Report Lake Anna, VA

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Lake Anna, VA

Black Crappie

Uncle Buck's Panfish Creatures Curly Tail Minnow Rigged

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good

Crappie tend to congregate in the Pamunkey Creek arm of the lake, as well as the Terry's Run arm, pretty much year round. Spring is the premiere time to be on the water as crappie move into shallow coves all over the lake to spawn. Docks, bridge pilings, brush, wood and vegetation are ideal areas to cast small crappie jigs or live minnows. Light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line is ideal. Locals report good success when the weather warms for multiple days in a row.

Striped Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

Striped bass in Lake Anna feed on threadfin shad, gizzard shad and blueback herring. According to reports by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, they are being caught year round, even in the coldest months. In the colder months focus on the area from the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station to the dam. As Spring and Summer bring warmer water, fishing is generally better up-river from the power plant. Being successful at fishing for stripers is a matter of locating schools of bait, and wolf packs of stripers are likely to be nearby. Fish finders are a big help in locating these roaming schools. Swimbaits, blade baits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spoons, live bait and cut bait are all effective here.

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

According to Virginia DFW, bass fishing at Lake Anna is better than it has been in several decades. Largemouth bass are thriving, and growing fast in the year-round warm water here, enhanced by vegetation that provides cover for bass, baitfish and sunfish. A wide variety of lures are catching nice largemouth bass here, but using lures that imitate the blueback herring, is always a good choice here. Spring and Fall are shallow-water anglers favorite times of the year. In winter, spend your time fishing Lake Anna on deeper structure where the bass spend much of their time.

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, white catfish, black crappie, walleye, bluegill, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, white perch, striped bass and hybrid striped bass at Lake Anna in Virginia.

Lake Anna is a 9,600-acre lake with 250 miles of shoreline, much of which is scattered with aquatic vegetation to hold fish. A few areas around the lake are accessible for fishing from the bank. Marinas, stores, camping, lodging and boat rentals are available at or nearby the lake.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

Click here for fishing boat rentals available at this lake.

Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Click here for boat ramps available at this lake.

Marinas

Click here for marinas available at this lake.

Fishing License

Click here for a Virginia Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".