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 (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) waters. You might be surprised at a few of the recommendations; they are not all the big lakes 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 largemouth bass is a private pond! In 2025 anglers certified73 trophies caught fishing private water.
The sheer number of these waters around the state makes them good places to start your search. In fact, the winner of the 2025 Country Chevy Big Bass Contest, Ed Hall, pulled a 13-7 fishing in a private lake – also the biggest largemouth certified in 2025.
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.
Based on just DWR citation/trophy fish numbers from 2025 (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 13 trophy largemouth bass. Other good places to search for your trophy largemouth include the Chickahominy River (8) and Lake (5), Lake Burton (8), Briery Creek (7) and Lake Anna (5). Remember, not everyone takes the time to register their trophy catch. It’s likely you can increase these numbers three-fold to get a more accurate representation.
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.
At the top of the list of public trophy largemouth bass fisheries in Virginia based on fisheries samping data 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, for 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. 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. The lake receives significant fishing pressure.
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 11 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 stays in the top five this season and it appears the 54-year-old lake is going strong after four 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 pounds already weighed this season.
Anna’s CPUE – M was three and 49 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. This winter it produced some five fish, 30-pound limits and fish up to nearly 10 pounds, 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.
Smith Mountain Lake is also our top pick to catch a trophy smallmouth bass.
Claytor Lake is another that holds good number of smallmouth bass as well has largemouth and spotted bass.
Lake Moomaw harbors some big brown bass, too, but this very deep, clear lake can be confounding to all but dedicated locals that fish it often.
Rounding out the top 10 bass lakes in Virginia were Lake Pelham with a CUE-P of 94 and a CPUE-M of 9 and Lake Burton with a CPUE-P of 73 and a CPUE-M of 14.
Pelham (a.k.a. Lake Culpeper) is 255 acres and located just outside of Culpeper. It offers anglers two launch ramps and a fertile lake with good shoreline structure in the form of trees, logs and stumps.
The largmouth bass population of Pelham is in excellent condition with bass averaging two to three pounds and 6+ pound fish available. Due to the abundant forage, though, they can be difficult to catch as bass feed heavily upon gizzard shad and bluegill.
Lake Burton is a 76-acre lake in Pittsylvania County you are going to want to keep an eye on as some big bass are growing in it.
The overall largemouth bass population is lower in this relatively shallow and turbid reservoir than many other small lakes due to the abundance of sunfish, crappie and white perch that limit spawning success and survival of young bass. However, the surviving largemouth bass experience good growth rates from reduced competition and abundant forage, which has produced one of Virginia’s best trophy bass fisheries.
In fact, Lake Burton annually produces some of highest electrofishing catch rates of bass 15 inches and larger, than any lake in Virginia with the highest catch rates of any lake for bass over 20 inches. The most abundant sizes are 15 to 19 inches with the largest bass reaching nine pounds.
Largemouth bass are most abundant in the lower two thirds of the lake, however, these fish can be a challenge to catch due to the large quantity of available forage.
While Lake Gaston does still harbor some big largemouth, the introduction of spotted bass some years back has created a thriving fishery. Spots up to nearly six pounds have been caught from this lake that straddles the Virginia/North Carolina border.
Claytor holds the state record for spotted bass and Disascund Reservoir also has them. Kerr Reservoir anglers have been catching spotted bass the past couple of years as well.
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. Good luck!
