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3,400-acre lake near Leesville. Smith Mountain's narrow tailrace lake on the Roanoke. Current-driven stripers, big flatheads and largemouth. The lake tops out around 90 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Leesville Lake draws 2,737 acres inside 76.9 miles of shoreline — 10 islands included. The 10.5 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Roughly 76% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 9.2 mi long by 4.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Pittsylvania County. The nearest mapped water is Smith Mountain Lake, 13 mi to the northwest.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 50 ft. Put Terrapin Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Terrapin Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Deepest basin (47 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Deepest basin (47 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
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. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring crappie. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Spring channel catfish concentrate at Terrapin Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Terrapin Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Terrapin Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deepest basin (47 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: flathead catfish in 5 to 20 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Deepest basin, a deep basin in the 47 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Terrapin Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deepest basin (47 ft) |
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. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tiny spoon |
16 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 77 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Virginia waters are set by the Virginia DWR — and special regulations can apply to Leesville Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Virginia fishing regulations →
Leesville Lake is about 90 ft (27 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.
Anglers target striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill on Leesville Lake.
Terrapin Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For striped 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.
Fishing on Leesville Lake is regulated by the Virginia DWR. Check the official Virginia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Smith Mountain Lake 13 mi · Carvins Cove Reservoir 36 mi · Philpott Lake 37 mi · Lake A. Willis Robertson 53 mi · Briery Creek Lake 56 mi · Horsepen Lake 59 mi · Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) 62 mi, NC/VA · Moncove Lake 63 mi, WV · Claytor Lake 66 mi · Lake Moomaw 70 mi · Lake Gordon 73 mi · Lake Sherwood 73 mi, WV
See how Leesville 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 see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.