Kerr Reservoir
This 50,000-acre lake extends 39 miles up the Roanoke River along 800 miles of wooded, cove-studded shoreline with 70,000 acres of project lands and it's yours to enjoy whether you like to swim, fish, camp, go boating, or just relax by enjoying its scenic beauty. Kerr Lake Fishing Report.
Lake Level
For current and predicted water level elevations, call (804) 738-6371, John H. Kerr Powerhouse (continuous 24-hour service). You can also view the lake level by clicking here.
Pete's Ponds
Pete’s Pond (7 acres) is the largest of five fishable ponds located on White Oak Mountain Management Area in Pittsylvania County.
Gas engines
are not permitted on this lake. Fishing
regulations, including creel and size limits, are posted at the lake.
Pete’s
Pond has good fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, red ear sunfish, and
channel catfish. There is no boat
ramp and only small car top boats can be used on the pond while the rest of the
lakes on the management area are bank fishing only.
Christmas trees have been placed at various locations to improve bank
fishing success. Grass Carp are
stocked for vegetation control, but if caught, these fish must be immediately
returned to the lake.
White Oak Mountain Management Area is located near the center of Pittsylvania County, approximately five miles southeast of Chatham. Access from Chatham is via Rt. 832 east to Rt. 649 south, or from U.S. Rt. 29 south of Chatham via Rt. 640 north.
White Oak Ponds
Five fishable ponds, varying in size from 1.5 to 7 acres, provide limited largemouth bass, catfish, and bluegill fishing. Car-tops only can be used on the 7-acre Pete's Pond, while the rest are bank fishing only. Grass carp have been stocked in three of the ponds, including Pete's Pond, for vegetation control. Anglers are requested to return all grass carp to the pond. The wildlife management area is located east of Chatham. Take Route 649 through Motleys Mill, or Route 832 to Route 640, then to Spring Garden to pick up Route 707. From Danville, go north on Route 29 to Route 640, Spring Garden Road.
Lake Burton
Located in north-central Pittsylvania County in a wooded setting among rolling hills northwest of Gretna, Lake Burton is 77 acres in size. Oak-hickory-pine forests and extensive cropland characterize the Upland Piedmont terrain within which the lake is located. Due to its fairly remote location, Lake Burton gets relatively little fishing pressure.
Lake Burton was impounded in 1950 and is a relatively shallow (mean depth 10.2 ft), infertile lake. The lake is frequently stained, which actually helps the largemouth bass fishing, as do the many tree blow downs on its southwest shoreline, which provide excellent fish shelter. The upper end of the lake has an abundance of emergent vegetation and thick stands of black alder along the shoreline.
Gasoline
engines are not allowed on this lake. Fishing
regulations, including creel and size limits, are posted at the lake.
The
lake supports populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, black and white crappie,
bullheads, channel catfish, and white catfish.
The largemouth bass population in Lake Burton is excellent with above
average growth rates and many six pound-plus fish being caught each year.
Gizzard shad are the principal forage species in the lake.
Also, channel catfish up to twelve pounds and nice crappies in the
three-pound range are common.
The
lake has adequate parking with a gravel parking lot and a concrete boat ramp.
Lake
Burton is located west of Chatham. Take
Rt. 57 west then right on Rt. 750 and left on Rt. 800 to the lake.
Briery Creek
Briery
Creek Lake is an 845-acre lake located in Prince Edward County.
The lake is located in the 3164-acre wildlife management area, so the
surroundings are nearly all wooded. This
provides for a quiet and peaceful setting with gently rolling terrain around the
lake. The lake itself contains
heavy cover form flooded timber that was left standing when the lake was
constructed. It also has some small
weed beds, and both the weeds and the timber provide excellent fish habitat.
Gasoline
motors up to 10HP are allowed on this lake; however, boaters should be aware of
flooded timber and stumps.
The species
to be found at Briery Creek Lake include bluegill, black crappie, red ear,
channel catfish, chain pickerel, and largemouth bass.
Briery is known for its trophy largemouth bass; however, the number of
trophy bass seems to be on the decline due to heavy fishing pressures and the
lake’s natural aging process. Despite
a decline in very large bass, Briery remains one of the top bass lakes in the
state with bass around twelve pounds occasionally creeled.
This lake also has a reputation as an excellent sunfish lake.
Bluegill and red ear in the 1/3 to ½ pound range are commonly caught.
Briery is also becoming a respectable crappie lake.
Facilities
at Briery Creek include a modern concrete boat ramp with courtesy pier, paved
parking lot, and Porte Jon facilities. There
are also multiple access points for bank fishing.
A tackle store can also be found nearby.
Briery Creek is located 7 miles south of Farmville. Take Rt. 15 south to Rt. 790.
Lake Conner
This
110-acere lake constructed in 1954 is located in northern Halifax County.
It is surrounded by wooded countryside and there is little influence from
development. Small weed beds found
along the shoreline provide good fish habitat.
Lying between Buggs Island and the Leesville/ Smith Mountain complex,
Lake Conner is often overlooked by anglers.
However, many anglers feel that this shallow lake (mean depth of 11 feet)
offers bass fishing that is on a part with any lake in Virginia.
Lake
Conner is a quiet, secluded impoundment with little fishing pressure.
No gasoline motors are allowed.
The 16 lb 4
oz state record largemouth bass came out of this lake in 1985.
Other species found in Lake Conner include channel catfish, red ear,
bluegill, and chain pickerel. Largemouth
bass are numerous up to 14 inches and red ear and bluegill populations are good
up to 9 inches. There is one fish
attractor located across from the boat ramp and it is marked with a buoy.
One boat
ramp and parking area are the only facilities available near the lake.
From U.S. Rt. 360 take Rt. 746 to Rt. 603 on left, then right on Rt. 619 to Rt. 623 East on Rt. 624 South. Lake Conner is located approximately 20 miles north of South Boston.
Smith Mountain Lake
Largemouth
bass fishing on this 20,600-acre lake is excellent. Piers and boathouses provide
extensive shoreline cover that anglers should take advantage of although natural
structure such as fallen trees, rock shoals, and points, are seasonally
productive. Extensive electrofishing surveys (conducted by VDGIF fisheries
biologists) each spring typically produce a lot of largemouth bass in the 2-4
pound range. The largemouth bass fishery has remained stable for several years,
which is an improvement over the last decade.
The
striper fishery has to be the most notable fishery on Smith Mountain Lake. The
good year-classes of stripers (from 1997 and 1998) are producing many fish just
over the 20-inch minimum. A voluntary catch-and-release (no harvest) season is
recommended from October through May to help build population abundance and fish
size. Look for information brochures around the lake community or contact the
VDGIF regional office in Forest, Virginia, for more details on how to practice
effective catch-and-release for striped bass.
Flathead catfish are doing very well in size and abundance in the upper reaches of the lake. Smallmouth bass appear to prosper well on the shad and alewife forage. Crappies are best on the upper ends of the reservoir, especially around large fallen trees. Smith Mountain Lake is also annually stocked with musky fingerlings. This lake does not produce large numbers of muskies; however, a fair number are caught each year, primarily by bass and striper anglers. Although walleye stocking has been discontinued, adult walleye can be caught along the shoreline of the lower lake (below R-8) during night hours of late spring and fall. Some natural reproduction of walleye is occurring in the reservoir.
Numerous
public and private boat ramps and marinas are found around the lake. In
addition, there is a very nice handicapped-accessible fishing pier at the Smith
Mountain Lake State Park boat launching area.
Philpott Reservoir
Anglers
find this lake a real challenge to fish due to water clarity and steep
shorelines. Smallmouth bass, walleye, and trout are the main attractions of
Philpott Reservoir, a 2,880-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake. McConaughy-strain
rainbow trout are running 3-5 pounds, but are infrequently encountered. Anglers
troll 20-50 feet deep (depending on water temperatures) for trout using
down-riggers or lead core line. Another method that is often productive for
trout is fishing under lights at night.
Big
smallmouth bass are often caught at night in 20-30 feet of water during the
summer, either jigging or with live minnows. Drifting bait or jigging in open
water is also a productive technique. Largemouth are abundant in all sizes.
Walleye are abundant and average about 18 inches in length. Other opportunities
include crappie, channel catfish, and sunfish. The largest sunfish can be found
in sizes up to 3/4 pound along the shorelines in April.
There are numerous ramps and access points around the lake, administered by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. For lake levels and conditions contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office, 540-629-2432.
Leesville Reservoir
This lake offers some very good fishing opportunities! Water fluctuations are the norm in this 3,400-acre reservoir. As a result, logs and other hazardous debris can be a problem for boaters, but anglers shouldn't let this deter them from trying this peaceful alternative to busy upstream Smith Mountain Lake. Leesville Reservoir has a very good walleye population and produces a number of large walleye. The fishery is maintained with annual stockings. Striped bass are flourishing and fishing pressure is starting to increase. Leesville Reservoir generally surrenders a couple of 30 pound + stripers each year, including the new state record which weighed in at 53.4 pounds. White bass are averaging better than a pound and offer some great fishing. Fish from the strong spawns of the early 1990s are near the end of their life span and no similar year classes have occurred since then to replenish the population. Crappie are good at certain times of the year, but cover for them is limited due to water fluctuations. Rocky or stationary cover is the most consistent in holding fish in this reservoir, since woody cover tends to float away during high water. Roanoke bass are abundant in the upper end of the lake in November. Anglers looking for bass, sunfish, and crappie should concentrate their efforts in the lower one half of the reservoir.
From Route 29, turn onto Route 642 near Motley. Route 642 will run into Route 754 and the boat launch and picnic area will be at the end of Route 754. The public catwalk, in the tailwater behind Leesville Dam, can be accessed from Route 29 by taking Route 43 to Leesville about 6 miles, then turn left on Route 630 for 0.2 miles, veer left on Route 718 and go about 2.5 miles to the parking area. If the siren sounds while fishing below the dam, be prepared to move to a higher level. When water is released during generating, it "boils" up quickly and the lower level catwalk is quickly flooded.
Farmers Lake
Lake Farmer serves as primary source of raw water for Yanceyville and is located on Country Line Creek southwest of the town. Access to the lake is via a new road running west from SR 1156 (Old Hwy. 62) about three miles from Yanceyville (Caswell Co.). The lake covers 369 acres and was filled in 1983. The Commission stocked this lake in 1984 with largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish and the lake was opened to public fishing in 1986. Lake Farmer provides excellent fishing for crappie in the spring with nice stringers of 1/2- to 2-pound fish harvested. Lake wardens characterize the bass fishing as good with numerous lunker fish taken each year up to 11 pounds. Lake Farmer has a special slot limit regulation on the bass population. No bass between 12-16 inches can be harvested from this reservoir. Pan fishing is considered fair while fishing for channel catfish is rated good. Channel catfish upwards of 8 pounds are common. The lake is open from March 15 through Dec. 6 Wednesday through Sunday during daylight hours.
Roxboro City Lake
The old city lake, sometimes referred to as Isaac Walton Lake, is a primary source of water for Roxboro with access at the boat dock located off a gravel road (opposite Claytonís Store) via SR 1336 and SR 1333 (Chub Lake St.) in Person County. In 1984, the 100-acre lakeís dam and spillway collapsed causing the lake to drain and destroying the fishery. In 1985, the Wildlife Commission restocked the lake with largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish and channel catfish. The lake reopened to fishing in March 1987. Crappie fishing is considered excellent by local anglers with nice stringers of 1-pound fish caught each spring. Bass fishing is rated as fair-to-good with occasional catches of lunker (6 to 10 pounds) fish. The best fishing for these two species is in the old creek channel and around some of the stump fields in this lake. The lake also supports good fishing for bream and channel catfish, particularly during the summer. The lake is open year round and operating hours are from sunrise to sunset. There is a 25 hp restriction on outboard motors for Roxboro City Lake.
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