Catching a big bass is the goal of most area anglers when they head to their favorite fishery each spring. Seeing the strike or the jump of an eight-pound or better largemouth bass is an image not soon forgotten, nor are the hours spent to accomplish this noteworthy feat.
More often than not, though, anglers return home without their big fish dream. That’s not to say big bass are the only reason to go fishing, but when you do finally get one, the experience is a vivid and lasting memory.
To give you a better shot at making a big fish memory you have to start with the right water. This is why we have put together the following article on our top big bass waters. You might be surprised at a few of the recommendations; they are not all the big waters you’d expect to be on the list; however, they are good places to start your lunker hunt. Here they are in order of rank along with some advice on how to fish them.
Remember to qualify as a trophy largemouth bass, the fish must weigh at least eight pounds or measure 22 inches long.
According to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources trophy fish recognition data, the best place to catch a trophy bass is a private pond! In 2024 anglers certified 83 largemouth bass over eight pounds or 22 inches pulled from farm ponds, community lakes and watersheds. The sheer number of these waters around the state makes them good places to start your search.
Now, if you want to catch a citation bass from a public water it’s going to be tougher. There are more anglers vying for the same reward and the fish can be savvy. However, if you fish the right waters at the right time, you can beat the odds.
As far as public waters, based on just DWR citation/trophy fish numbers from 2024 (which we already covered in our March edition for all the major sport fish in Virginia), you’ll want to start with Smith Mountain Lake, which produced a certified 24 trophy largemouth bass. 845-acre Briery Creek gave up 11 lunkers (the largest 26.25 inches and caught in August!). At 946 acres Lake Prince in Norfolk surrendered 10 trophy bass. Newcomer Lake Burton (76 acres) in Pittsylvania County produced eight citations including an 8-10, followed by 740-acre Sandy River Reservoir with seven and Lake Anna with six.
But trophy fish data doesn’t tell the whole story… no, this article will refer to a different set of DWR data points – Catch Rate Per Unit of Preferred Fish (CRPU-P) and Catch Rate Per Unit of Memorable Fish (CRPU-M) that offer a more scientific reason to seek a trophy in certain highly ranked public waters.
DWR Biologist John Odenkirk was kind enough to share the latest scientific findings for largemouth bass catches rates.
At the top of the list of public trophy largemouth bass fisheries is Occoquan Reservoir, a 2,100-acre Fairfax Water Authority impoundment, which forms the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Fairfax County Water Authority manages Occoquan as a water supply impoundment, which serves residents of Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria. Occoquan is located near the I-95 corridor and is readily accessible to anglers residing in the northern Virginia area. Three developed marinas provide boat rentals, bait, tackle, food, and boat launching facilities. Outboards up to 9.9 hp are permitted.
The Department initiated fish management activities in 1961, and management continues today for largemouth bass, bluegill, black and white crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish and white perch. Currently, the largemouth bass fishery is ranked as the best in the district for CPUE-M (greater than 20 inches) at 8. The CPUE-P (fish over 15”) was an astounding 106 fish.
Occoquan Reservoir is essentially a dammed up tributary of the Potomac River. Anglers use a combination of shoreline and offshore fishing tactics to routinely rack up 25-pound + limits.
Coming in at #2 on the best bass waters list is Sandy River Reservoir. We travelled there last summer to see for ourselves and enjoy a good morning fishing with bass up to five pounds.
This is 740-acre water supply impoundment located slightly east of the town of Farmville in Prince Edward County that scored 6.7 for CRPU – M and a 55 for CPUE – P.
The lake is a blend of shallow weeds and standing timber and has a bluegill and herring forage base. The largemouth bass fishery is managed with a 14-20 inch slot to improve quality fish catch rates and still allow for some harvest.
Lake Chesdin was next on the DWR list. Created when a dam was installed on the Appomattox River, this 3,100-acre lake has plenty of shoreline willow grass, rocks, lily pads (in the upper end) and swampy areas. The bass there eat mostly gizzard shad which can make bass fishing challenging at times. This lake tallied a 6.6 CPUE – M and a 47 for CPUE – P.
The next couple months are an excellent time window to pursue a Virginia trophy largemouth in Chesdin.
Briery Creek is still in the mix after careful fisheries management over the past 10 years. At 845 acres Briery is fairly small with a 9.9 hp restriction. The lake is full of standing timber, some lily pads and some hydrilla. Many of the biggest fish of the year are pulled out of Briery in the late summer/early fall. Blue back herring have become established in the lake and that has created wolfpacks of bass that feed on them while roaming around.
Briery’s CPUE – M was 4.5 and the lake received a 51 for CPUE – P.
Lake Anna makes this top five list this season and it appears the 54-year-old lake is going strong after three years of experimental stocking with F1 N1 hybrid northern/Florida strain bass have proven just what the lake needed with over dozen bass over eight pound already weighed this season and one 10 pounder!
Anna’s CPUE – M was three and 49 for CPUE – P.
Leesville Lake was another somewhat new addition to our best bass lakes list. Located just below Smith Mountain Lake, Leesville is 3,270 acres with a mostly riverine layout – narrow and twisting. It’s CPUE – M for 2 and it had 22 for CPUE – P.
Now 60+ years old, 20,600-acre Smith Mountain Lake bass fishing has been rejuvenated somewhat recently with the stocking of F1 N1 hybrid largemouth bass about eight years ago. Recently it produced a 10+ pounder, probably part of that tiger bass stocking. This lake is mostly deep and clear in the lower end with many coves and docks in two branches. The upper end is narrower and more like a river with more stained water.
SMLs CPUE – M was 1.3 and 27 for CPUE – P.
Rounding out the top 10 bass lakes in Virginia were Lake Mooney, Chickahominy Lake and Flannagan Reservoir.
Mooney is a 540-acre reservoir built to serve Fredericksburg with drinking water. Only electric motors are permitted to be operated, though you can take the bass boat but cannot run the outboard no matter the hp.
Mooney scored 1 for CPUE – M and a 21 for CPUE – P.
Chickahominy Lake at 1,230 acres is a shallow water angler’s dream with cypress knees, lily pads, submerged aquatic weeds, barges and more to fish. It scored a 1 for CPUE – M and an 18 for CPUE – P.
Flannagan is a fairly remote 1,143-acre reservoir located in Dickenson County in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Fifty miles of beautiful shoreline consisting of mature hardwood forest interspersed with spectacular rock bluffs surround this deep, clear reservoir. At full pool elevation of 1396 feet above sea level, the lake has a maximum depth of 166 feet and an average depth of 58 feet. During the summer and fall the lake is incredibly clear, with visibility often exceeding 20 feet. The lake level fluctuates about 16 feet per year. The lake is drawn down to winter pool during October and November and is typically returned to summer pool in April.
Flannagan scored 1 for CPUE – M and a 23 for CPUE – P.
There you have it, some of the best places to find big bass. Remember, our annual Big Bass Contest is easy to enter – just email or post a photo of your big bass to our Facebook page and you’re entered to win the $50 gift card from Green Top Sporting Goods. The 11.42 pound mailbox caught last month from the Chickahominy River by David Williams is our early leader. Good luck!
