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Claytor Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The New River's Virginia pool: striper genetics from the river that made them famous, walleye rebuilding and bluff-lined bass water.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
93 / 94 F
Wind
WNW 7 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Claytor Lake stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 94. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassGood

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 90 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low94 / 68 F
WindWNW 7-11 mph
Pressure1013.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain96% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset06:55 / 19:46
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 94/68 F, wind 14 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Claytor Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Claytor Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Claytor Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Virginia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Virginia license. Walleye: protective New River slot: striper 20-inch/2: check VDWR.

Access

Claytor Lake SP ramps, Harry's Point, Dublin access.

About this water

4,472 acres of the New River, Pulaski County, VA. The striper pool of the New.

Fishing Claytor Lake: the full guide

The New's deep pool

Claytor pools the New River behind its 1939 dam: 4,500 deep, bluff-lined acres carrying the river's pedigree: a landlocked striper program with real shoulders, the New's native-strain walleye rebuilding through VDWR's work, and bass on every rocky point.

Stripers and hybrids

The pelagic program stacks the channel: live bait and freelines over the river bed's 40-80-ft depths, winter gulls marking bait at the dam basin, and spring pushes up the river arm. Fish to 30 pounds swim the pool: the river's forage keeps them thick.

The walleye restoration

VDWR's native New River walleye project seeds Claytor deliberately: spring staging at the head of the lake (the river transition jigs classically), summer schools on the deep points. Protective slots apply: check current: the restoration is the region's conservation pride.

Working the pool

The state park anchors access (ramps, camping, the beach crowd): bluff structure means vertical fishing (drop shots and spoons over 30-60 ft in summer): and the river above offers the float-fishing escape when ski traffic peaks. Radford's college crowd shares the water: dawn stays honest.

Common questions

How big do Claytor stripers get?

Thirty-pound fish come up yearly: river forage and deep water build them. Winter's gull-marked schools at the dam are the reliable window.

Why the special walleye slot at Claytor?

The New River strain is a native Virginia treasure being rebuilt: the slot protects spawners. Check current VDWR rules and release the middle class.

Is Claytor Lake good for bank fishing?

The state park's shoreline, fishing pier and the Dublin access serve the boatless honestly: stripers cruise the park points at dawn in spring and the sunfish-and-catfish bite holds all summer.

Is fishing good at Claytor Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

New River4 miPhilpott Lake37 miBluestone Lake42 miGreenbrier River46 miSmith Mountain Lake47 miNew River Gorge64 mi
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