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Fishing Briery Creek Lake: what the data says
845-acre lake near Farmville. impounded in 1986 and famous statewide as a trophy largemouth destination, studded with standing timber that grows and hides big bass. The lake tops out around 40 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Briery Creek Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Briery Creek Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Briery Creek Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Briery Creek Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Briery Creek Lake
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring chain pickerel. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 40 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 29 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 5 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 5 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Briery Creek Lake?
Briery Creek Lake is about 40 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Briery Creek Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, chain pickerel on Briery Creek Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Briery Creek Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Briery Creek Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Horsepen Lake · Lake Nottoway · Lake Gordon · James River · Fluvanna Ruritan Lake · Lake Orange
See how Briery Creek Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Virginia · best crappie lakes in Virginia · best bluegill lakes in Virginia · best channel catfish lakes in Virginia
Browse all Virginia fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.