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Fishing Philpott Lake: what the data says
2,880-acre lake near Bassett. a deep, clear Smith River Corps reservoir in the Blue Ridge foothills. rocky structure, walleye and smallmouth. The lake tops out around 130 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 Philpott Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 7.497669725388381 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| 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 Philpott 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. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. 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 | 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 |
Walleye fishing at Philpott Lake
Spring walleye on Philpott Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are 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. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Philpott Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 Philpott Lake
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. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| 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 |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Philpott Lake
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 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 white bass & hybrids. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 111 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 33 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 33 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 20.91608312047676 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 11.046135469807169 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 7.497669725388381 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.177625468982404 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2.3879669521736484 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2.324995887130936 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Philpott Lake?
Philpott Lake is about 130 ft (40 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 Philpott Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Philpott Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Philpott Lake?
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 7.497669725388381 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Philpott Lake?
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
Smith Mountain Lake · Carvins Cove Reservoir · Claytor Lake · Leesville Lake · Lake A. Willis Robertson · Lake Moomaw
See how Philpott Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Virginia · best smallmouth bass lakes in Virginia · best walleye lakes in Virginia · best crappie lakes in Virginia
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