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Fishing Lake Moomaw: what the data says
2,530-acre lake near Covington. a deep, cold, clear Jackson River mountain reservoir in the Alleghenies. stocked trout, smallmouth and trophy chain pickerel. The lake tops out around 150 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Moomaw
Spring smallmouth bass on Lake Moomaw hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Moomaw
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| 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 |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Moomaw
Spring rainbow trout on Lake Moomaw hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Brown Trout fishing at Lake Moomaw
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Walleye fishing at Lake Moomaw
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Moomaw
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. 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 |
Lake Moomaw also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 128 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 38 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 38 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Hughes Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Moomaw?
Lake Moomaw is about 150 ft (46 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lake Moomaw?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, rainbow trout, brown trout on Lake Moomaw.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Moomaw?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 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 Lake Moomaw?
For smallmouth 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
Lake A. Willis Robertson · Carvins Cove Reservoir · Smith Mountain Lake · Leesville Lake · Philpott Lake · Lake Shenandoah
See how Lake Moomaw stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Virginia · best smallmouth bass lakes in Virginia · best walleye lakes in Virginia · best crappie lakes in Virginia
Browse all Virginia fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.