The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) recently released lists of top bass fishing spots for for 2025.
DWR rated the top five Virginia waterbodies based on total numbers of bass citations caught in 2025. The lists were compiled by analyzing data from by The Online Virginia Angler Recognition Program (OVARP).
Top Largemouth Bass Locations
Smith Mountain Lake (20,600 acres) was ranked as the #1 waterbody for citation largemouth bass, with 14 trophy fish being caught and entered into OVARP in 2025. Smith Mountain Lake provides deeper water habitat in addition to rock shoals, submerged brush piles, fallen trees, DWR habitat structures, coves, and numerous big points. DWR electrofishing catch rates for largemouth bass eight inches and larger in 2025 were the highest catch rates ever recorded since the current sampling protocol was established in 2000.
Lake Burton (76 acres) was the #2 ranking Virginia waterway by largemouth bass citation numbers. In 2025, a total of nine citation largemouth bass were caught and entered into the OVARP from Lake Burton. The lake is known for its abundance of forage fish; mainly gizzard shad and small bluegill. Lake Burton is owned and managed by DWR.
The Chickahominy River ranked #3 with eight citation largemouth bass entered in 2025 through the OVARP. The tidal Chickahominy is the best section for trophy largemouth bass. Anglers can have success from the spillway below Walkers Dam at Chickahominy Lake all the way to its confluence with the James. Along the river’s path, fish habitat varies from lily pad fields to dock shorelines to bald cypress trees and stump fields.
Briery Creek Lake (845 acres) was ranked #4, with seven citations were caught in 2025. Located within DWR’s Briery Creek Wildlife Management Area in Prince Edward County, Briery Creek Lake is a popular destination for anglers targeting trophy largemouth bass.
Chickahominy Lake (1,230 acres) ranked #5 with five citation largemouth bass entered in 2025 through the OVARP.
Top Smallmouth Bass Locations
The New River was the #1 ranking Virginia waterway in 2025, with 130 citation smallmouth bass catches reported through OVARP. Thought to be the oldest river system on the North American continent, the New River has long been renowned as a trophy smallmouth bass fishery.
The James River ranked #2 for producing citation smallmouth bass catches in 2025 with 49 citation catches awarded through OVARP. From its headwaters at the confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers all the way to the fall line in downtown Richmond, the James River has long been known as a top smallmouth destination.
The South Fork of the Shenandoah River ranked #3 in 2025 with 14 citation smallmouth bass entered through OVARP. The South Fork begins at the confluence of the North River and South River near Port Republic and flows 97 miles to meet the North Fork to ultimately form the mainstem Shenandoah River in Front Royal, Virginia.
Smith Mountain Lake ranked #4 for citation smallmouth with 13 citations being caught in 2025. Many of the lake’s smallmouth bass are are found in deeper water habitat, rock shoals, submerged brush piles, fallen trees, coves, and numerous big points. Smith Mountain Lake is one of only a few locations in Virginia where anglers can catch big smallmouth bass in a lake setting.
The Shenandoah River ranked #5 for citation smallmouth with 10 citations being caught in 2025. Just northeast of Front Royal, Virginia, the South Fork and North Fork come together to form the mainstem Shenandoah River. Anglers can target smallmouth bass in both the North Fork and South Fork in addition to the mainstem from its formation all the way down to its confluence with the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry.
Online Virginia Angler Recognition Program
OVARP is a voluntary program where anglers can be recognized for the catch of trophy sized freshwater fish. Different minimum lengths and weights are required to reach trophy “citation” size for the 30 different species in the program.
Largemouth bass must be a minimum of 22″ to be a length citation and 8 lbs to be a weight citation. Anglers can receive a citation for either length, weight, or both.
OVARP is based on the honor system. Not every citation caught in Virginia is entered into the program and the 2025 ranking is simply a reflection of the data collected from the past year within the OVARP.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.