See every public fishing venue in Virginia on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
South Holston Lake is a public lake in Washington County, Virginia, managed by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. It is public water managed for fishing by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
South Holston Lake (7,580 ac, ~2,600 in Virginia) — a deep, clear TVA lake straddling the Tennessee line near Bristol. Smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, a good crappie fishery, bluegill, and channel catfish; the cold lower lake holds trout. A Virginia or Tennessee licence with the reciprocal stamp fishes the whole lake.
South Holston Lake covers about 2,580 acres in the Southwest Virginia region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, muskellunge; black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Beaverdam Creek and Fifteenmile Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, VDWR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Virginia. Some VDWR lakes and city reservoirs have posted hours or gate at dark, and a few stocked-trout waters and special-regulation sections have daylight-only rules — check the water-specific regulations. Trotlines and set poles are legal on most non-trout waters with the lines tagged.
Boats: The big power and Corps reservoirs (Smith Mountain, Kerr, Gaston, Anna, Claytor, Moomaw, South Holston) have no horsepower limit; idle / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, dams and marinas. Most VDWR lakes are electric-motor-only or have a gas-motor horsepower cap, and many Tidewater city reservoirs are car-top / electric only and need a launch permit. Virginia requires a boater-education card for all motorboat operators.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Virginia state parks (which sit on many of the best waters — Claytor Lake, Smith Mountain Lake, Douthat, Hungry Mother, Staunton River, Kiptopeke, Occoneechee on Kerr), Corps campgrounds on Kerr, Gaston and Moomaw, and the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. Dispersed camping is allowed on much of the national-forest land along the trout streams; VDWR boat ramps and Wildlife Management Areas are day-use unless posted otherwise.
Tackle: Statewide black-bass daily limit is 5 (12-inch minimum), but many waters carry their own slot or minimum — Briery Creek, Sandy River, Lake Gaston, the Chickahominy and others. Crappie 25 on most waters; striped-bass and muskellunge limits and seasons vary by water; the Roanoke/Staunton and tidal-river striped-bass seasons are tightly regulated. Trout creel and tackle rules depend on the stream's designation (stocked, wild, special regulation, catch-and-release). Check the current VDWR regulations for this water.
Anyone 16+ needs a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources freshwater fishing licence — resident annual is about $24, non-resident annual about $47, and short-term (1-day / 5-day) licences are sold. A separate trout licence (~$24 resident) is required from 1 October to 15 June to fish designated stocked trout waters, and many of those in national forest also need a National Forest permit (~$5). Residents 65+ can buy discounted or free licences; a saltwater fishing licence (VMRC) covers tidal waters below the fall line. Buy from VDWR. A Virginia freshwater fishing licence covers this water. Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston are fished lake-wide on a Virginia or North Carolina licence; South Holston on a Virginia or Tennessee licence with the reciprocal stamp.
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