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Fishing Lake Nottoway: what the data says
188-acre lake near Blackstone. created in 1978 at Nottoway Falls, a scenic timber-filled impoundment with strong spring largemouth and shoreline panfish action. The lake tops out around 16 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 Lake Nottoway
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lake Nottoway
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 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| 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 | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Nottoway
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 16 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Nottoway
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Nottoway?
Lake Nottoway is about 16 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 Lake Nottoway?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Lake Nottoway.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Nottoway?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 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 Nottoway?
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
Briery Creek Lake · Lake Gordon · James River · Horsepen Lake · Fluvanna Ruritan Lake · Lake Orange
See how Lake Nottoway 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.