Virginia is home to a variety of good fishing lakes for largemouth bass and the warmer temperatures allow anglers to bass fish year-round. The water does cool during the winter months, but you can definitely target largemouth bass here from March through November and do pretty well at a variety of lakes throughout the state of Virginia.
Learn more about Virginia’s featured largemouth bass fishing destinations.
| Blue Ridge Mountains | John Kerr Reservoir |
| Chesapeake Bay | Lake Anna |
| James River | Smith Mountain Lake |
Learn More About Virginia’s Featured Fishing Destinations
| Blue Ridge Mountains | Lake Anna |
| Chesapeake Bay | New River |
| James River | Smith Mountain Lake |
| John Kerr Reservoir | Virginia Beach |
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Mountain Range and they run from northern Georgia to southwest Pennsylvania. The majority of the mountain range is found in northern Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. There are so many places to visit in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Anglers experience good fishing for a variety of fish species that are found in large lakes, small lakes, rivers and streams. From trout to bass, there is a lot to fish for in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is the largest estuary in North America. It covers more than 64,000 square miles encompassing parts of six states — Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay is a popular tourism destination for fishing, boating, hitting the beaches or just relaxing and taking in the beautiful scenery.
This is a unique area because it attracts fish that are normally known for being found down south from the Carolinas and into Florida as well as fish that are common in the north Atlantic. You will find plenty of fishing charters available whether you plan on going inshore or offshore. Some of the popular fish to catch in the bay are striped bass, bluefish, drum, sea trout and flounder. Offshore, anglers target many fish such as marlin, tuna, sailfish, wahoo, snapper, grouper, sharks and more.
James River
The James River in Virginia starts at the junction of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County and ends at the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads. The James River is Virginia’s largest river as it flows more than 350 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the southern Shenandoah Valley and the capital city. This river is very diverse and the fishery does change depending on what part of the river you are choosing to fish. Smallmouth bass are popular throughout the freshwater portion of the river, however, some stretches are much better than others. As you get closer to the bay, there are a variety of freshwater and saltwater fish in the brackish waters. In addition to smallmouth bass, anglers catch many other species of fish in the James River. Some of those species of fish are largemouth bass, sunfish, catfish, muskie, striped bass, flounder, drum and more.
John Kerr Reservoir
John H. Kerr Reservoir is also known as Kerr Lake & Buggs Island Lake. For the lake with many names, it is a large reservoir that covers nearly 50,000 acres and is home to some excellent fishing for a variety of fish species. Most anglers come here to fish for largemouth bass and crappie, however, you can also catch striped bass, white bass, catfish, white perch and other fish too.
Lake Anna
Lake Anna is a good-sized lake that covers 9,600 acres. Located between Richmond and Washington D.C., it is a popular day trip lake for many people that live in and around these cities. It is a popular lake in Virginia for fishing, boating and going to the beach. Anglers usually target largemouth bass or striped bass, however, the lake also has other species of fish such as catfish, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish.
New River
The New River covers about 360 miles and it flows through the states of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia before joining the Gauley River to then form the Kanawha River at the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. The river is home to a variety of fish species. Depending on what part of the river you are fishing will dictate the fishery, but some of the species you may catch are smallmouth bass, muskie, walleye, trout, crappie, sunfish, catfish, carp and more. The New River is known for its excellent smallmouth bass fishing. On some parts of the river, you can catch large numbers of smallmouth bass with some big bass available too.
Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake is a beautiful lake that is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is a very popular lake in Virginia for outdoor recreation such as fishing, boating, camping, swimming and more. The lake covers more than 20,000 acres and it is a very good fishing lake. There is a lot of fishing pressure on the lake, so it may not always be easy to catch lots of fish on artificial lures, but there are lots of quality fish in the lake. This lake gets a lot of attention for its striped bass fishery. There are good numbers of stripers and very big fish too. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are popular throughout the lake and there are plenty of fishing tournaments held on the lake every year. Crappie, catfish, white perch, bluegill and other sunfish round out the fishery here.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is the most populous city in all of Virginia with more than 430,000 people. Located on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, this city is known as a very popular resort town with miles of beaches and plenty of hotels, motels and restaurants along the oceanfront.
Because of its easy access to the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, anglers have a lot of options when planning a fishing trip here. You can catch a variety of inshore or offshore species in this area, however, striped bass probably get the most attention when they move into the area. Fish the beaches, piers, inshore or offshore. It’s all here in Virginia Beach.
