Reservoir · Virginia
Leesville Lake
Leesville 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 Leesville 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
Leesville Lake is the reregulating reservoir immediately below Smith Mountain Dam, a named largemouth, striped bass, walleye, catfish, crappie, and white perch fishery. Cascaded operations do not make it Smith Mountain Lake.
Target species
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: most sought-after species; best from about mile marker 8 to the dam.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR 2026 forecast: recently improved black-crappie fishery with good numbers 8–11 inches.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: channel catfish among the most abundant catfish species.
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: good stocked striped bass population; 2000 state record from this reservoir.
White Perch
Morone americana
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: white perch abundant; white bass fishery no longer supported.
Walleye
Sander vitreus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: limited stocked walleye fishery; no natural reproduction. Most fingerlings pass the dam within two years.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Narrow Roanoke River reregulating pool whose level and current respond to Smith Mountain generation and pumping. Creek arms hold bass and crappie; the main riverine lake is the striped-bass and walleye lane. The upper pumped-storage lake is a different destination.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
Public ramps and bank sites serve Leesville as its own lake. Confirm current launch status and any hydro-operations closures near either dam. Catalog coordinates are a Leesville reference, not a Smith Mountain state-park pin.
Stocking information
Existing notes treat Leesville bass, striped bass, walleye, and panfish as established reregulating-pool populations. Confirm any current DWR plants on official Virginia schedules for Leesville Lake by name, not Smith Mountain.
- 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 Leesville. Verify current seasons and any striped-bass notes for this lake. Do not treat Smith Mountain Lake pages or bags as Leesville law, even though the two reservoirs operate as a cascade.
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
Leesville Lake
Regulation Summary
Virginia freshwater fishing regulations apply; confirm current seasons, access, and limits.
Target Species
Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass
Public Access
Public
Description
Reregulating reservoir immediately below Smith Mountain Dam. Cascaded with Smith Mountain Lake; still a distinct named fishery (Orange/Lochloosa rule). 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. Reservoir cascade; 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.
