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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. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 2,854 acres wrapped in 101.7 miles of bank, with 6 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 13.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 72% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 8 mi, about 4 mi across. It sits in Patrick County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Smith Mountain Lake, is 30 mi to the northeast.
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 45 ft one. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (7 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (21 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Sharp break (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 35 ft before dropping to 20 to 40 ft for winter. Spring walleye concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| 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 | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (11 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (21 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) |
When the water first warms, white bass & hybrids slide up into 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (7 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Philpott Lake carries 14 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 111 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Virginia waters are set by the Virginia DWR — and special regulations can apply to Philpott Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Virginia fishing regulations →
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.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Philpott Lake.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 7 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.
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.
Fishing on Philpott 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 30 mi · Claytor Lake 35 mi · Leesville Lake 37 mi · Carvins Cove Reservoir 40 mi · Moncove Lake 57 mi, WV · Rural Retreat Lake 67 mi · Lake A. Willis Robertson 73 mi · High Rock Lake 80 mi, NC · Lake Moomaw 81 mi · Greenbrier River 81 mi, WV · Lake Sherwood 82 mi, WV · W. Kerr Scott Reservoir 83 mi, NC
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
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.