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1,700-acre reservoir near Woodbridge. A Northern Virginia water-supply lake near Manassas. Wooded coves, docks and quality largemouth and crappie (electric motors only). The lake tops out around 65 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
On the chart, Occoquan Reservoir draws 1,385 acres inside 58.8 miles of shoreline, with 4 islands in the mix. With a shoreline index of 11.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 89% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 8.1 mi end to end and 2.9 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Prince William County. The nearest mapped water is Potomac River (Tidal), 12 mi to the east.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | open water | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 25 ft before dropping to 20 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Occoquan River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Occoquan River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Occoquan River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) |
Early season blue catfish use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 40 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 50 ft. Put Occoquan River inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Occoquan River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 10 to 25 ft for winter. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| 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 (55 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
10 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 55 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 Occoquan Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Virginia fishing regulations →
Occoquan Reservoir is about 65 ft (20 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 largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish, bluegill on Occoquan Reservoir.
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. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Occoquan Reservoir 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.
Potomac River (Tidal) 12 mi, MD/DC · Lake Brittle 19 mi · Rappahannock River 26 mi · Clopper Lake 30 mi, MD · Little Seneca Lake 33 mi, MD · T. Howard Duckett Reservoir 37 mi, MD · Shenandoah River 43 mi · Lake Frederick 49 mi · Lake Orange 50 mi · Piney Run Lake 51 mi, MD · Monocacy River 51 mi, MD · Lake Anna 52 mi
See how Occoquan Reservoir 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.