Reservoir · Virginia
Claytor Lake
Claytor Lake
Reservoir · Virginia
Information Only
StrikeTracks does not currently provide a live condition rating for this destination. Destination and fishery information is still available.
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Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Claytor Lake.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Claytor Lake is Appalachian Power’s New River hydro reservoir in Pulaski County, a smallmouth-and-largemouth lake that also holds striped bass, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, and catfish. It is not the free-flowing New River destination.
Target species
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: steep rocky shorelines make Claytor particularly good for smallmouth; black bass are the bread-and-butter fishes.
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: Bluegill and Rock Bass are numerous throughout the lake.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: emerging native channel catfish fishery; 2017 survey estimated ~6,000 annual catch.
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: fewer largemouth than other Virginia lakes; best in coves such as Peak Creek.
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: striped bass remain a managed stocked fishery despite summer habitat squeeze and 2025 kill.
Walleye
Sander vitreus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: walleye population improving with constant stocking near Allisonia.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: black crappie population is not large compared with other lakes.
Common Carp
Cyprinus carpio
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: catches of 20-to-30-pound carp possible; anglers travel to Claytor for them.
Muskellunge
Esox masquinongy
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR regulations list musky at Claytor; not the primary advertised fishery.
Yellow Perch
Perca flavescens
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: schools of yellow perch occur with walleye in fall, winter, and summer.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
New River hydro pool with drowned-river smallmouth ledges, cove largemouth and crappie water, and pelagic lanes used by striped bass and muskellunge. Generation-related current is part of the lake, not a substitute for the flowing-river identity upstream or downstream.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
Claytor Lake State Park and other public ramps serve the reservoir. Confirm current DWR / state-park launch status and any hydro-operations closures near the dam. Catalog coordinates are a lake-center reference.
Stocking information
Existing notes treat Claytor’s black bass, striped bass, walleye, muskellunge, and panfish as established reservoir populations. Confirm any current DWR plants on official Virginia stocking or forecast pages for Claytor Lake by name.
- Stocked
Striped bass
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- Stocked
Walleye
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Official sources
Virginia DWR freshwater regulations apply on the Claytor pool. Verify current seasons, striped-bass or muskie notes, and state-park rules. Do not apply New River flowing-water specials to this hydro reservoir.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Virginia
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
Management Category
Reservoir / catalog-visible Unavailable
Regulation Scope
Claytor Lake
Regulation Summary
Virginia freshwater fishing regulations apply; confirm current seasons, access, and limits.
Target Species
Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass
Public Access
Public
Description
New River impoundment, Pulaski County. DWR black bass / hybrid striped bass state-park reservoir. Catalog-visible Unavailable under accepted MIDATL-1A / POLICY-1: kind=reservoir, no qualifying same-lake USGS water-temperature station, ordinary L-C/L-D Estimated prohibited. kind=reservoir; ordinary L-C/L-D prohibited. Elevation, outlet/tailwater, tributary, and nearby-lake readings are not lake-body thermal. Unavailable means insufficient information, not Poor. Confirm current regulations and access. Coordinates are a public lake reference point, not a verified launch pin.
