Reservoir · Virginia
Lake Anna
Lake Anna
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 Lake Anna.
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
Lake Anna is Dominion’s North Anna cooling reservoir across Louisa, Spotsylvania, and Orange counties, a striped-bass and largemouth lake with crappie, catfish, bluegill, and white perch. It is not Smith Mountain Lake and not a Piedmont farm pond.
Target species
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: top bass destination; 2025 abundance near record; F1 supplemental stocking 2020–2025.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: black crappie are a main species of interest; 2026 forecast above-average.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: naturally reproducing channel catfish since 1972 introductions.
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: annually stocked striped bass fishery; no dedicated coolwater habitat in summer.
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: fair bluegill population; typically suppressed in this complex community.
White Perch
Morone americana
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: white perch caught in good numbers in late fall and winter.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Large cooling-reservoir complex with a public side and a restricted hot side, long creek arms, and open-water lanes that striped bass use through the year. Power-plant circulation is part of Anna’s identity, not a reason to copy another Virginia cooling or hydro lake.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
Public ramps and bank sites serve the public side of Lake Anna; the cooling lagoons remain restricted. Confirm current DWR, state-park, and Dominion access postings. Catalog coordinates are a whole-lake reference.
Stocking information
Existing notes treat Anna striped bass, largemouth, crappie, catfish, bluegill, and white perch as established cooling-reservoir fish. Confirm any current DWR plants on official Virginia forecast or stocking pages for Lake Anna by name.
- Stocked
Striped bass
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Official sources
Virginia freshwater regulations apply, including any striped-bass notes DWR posts for Anna. Restricted cooling water is not public fishing water. Verify current DWR rules and posted Dominion / park boundaries before fishing.
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
Lake Anna
Regulation Summary
Virginia freshwater fishing regulations apply; confirm current seasons, access, and limits.
Target Species
Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass
Public Access
Public
Description
Dominion North Anna cooling reservoir (Louisa/Orange/Spotsylvania). Not an ordinary inland lake and not Smith Mountain. 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. Cooling-reservoir operations; ordinary L-C/L-D prohibited. USGS 01670400 North Anna River near Partlow is downstream river, not lake-body thermal. 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.
