Best striped bass lakes in Virginia
8 Virginia waters hold striped bass, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Open-water nomad that follows shad and herring schools; loves current, points and cool depths.
- Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Striped Bass
- Lake Gaston — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
- Smith Mountain Lake — 250 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
- Lake Anna — 80 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
- Claytor Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
- Leesville Lake — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
- Lake Chesdin — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
- Mobjack Bay — 27 ft max · survey depth data · Striped Bass, Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Summer Flounder (Fluke)
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When to fish striped bass in Virginia
- Spring 5–20 ft — Fish push up creeks and rivers; chase the bait to moving water.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Stripers hold in the cool deep layer — live bait or trolling over the thermocline.
- Fall 10–35 ft — Fall blitz season — follow the birds and breaking fish.
- Winter 20–50 ft — Big schools stack on channel bends with bait; slow presentations.
Also in Virginia: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best common carp lakes · best white perch lakes
Striped Bass elsewhere: Québec · Texas · Arizona · California · Illinois · Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Alabama · North Carolina · Maryland · Arkansas · South Carolina