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Philpott Lake Fishing Report

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

Blue Ridge foothills water: Philpott holds smallmouth, walleye and stocked trout in clear mountain-fed depths.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.23 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
99 / 99 F
Wind
WNW 3 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.

2/5Slow. The wind owns today.23 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Philpott Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 99. Water sits around 73 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Similar at 95 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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp99 F
High / Low99 / 70 F
WindWNW 3-10 mph
Pressure1012.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain68% cloud, 9%
Sunrise / Sunset06:53 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 99/70 F, wind 23 mph, rain 9%

Slow. Wind at 23 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

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. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Philpott 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Philpott Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 96 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 5 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 plus trout license when fishing for stocked trout. Bass and walleye limits per current DWR regulations; the Smith River tailwater has special rules.

Access

Corps ramps and campgrounds at Philpott Park, Salthouse Branch and Jamison Mill; Smith River access below the dam.

About this water

A 2,880-acre Corps reservoir on the Smith River in Henry, Franklin and Patrick counties, Virginia.

Fishing Philpott Lake: the full guide

A clear Corps lake

Philpott Lake covers 2,880 acres on the Smith River in the Blue Ridge foothills of southern Virginia, a Corps reservoir with steep wooded shorelines, clear water and depths past 100 feet. The fishery leans coldwater by Virginia standards: smallmouth bass on the rock, walleye in the deeper structure, stocked trout in the cool months, plus largemouth, crappie and catfish.

Smallmouth and walleye

Smallmouth work the rocky points, bluff bases and submerged structure: tubes, drop-shots and jerkbaits in clear water, best at dawn, dusk and on overcast days. Walleye hold the deeper points and channel edges, taking jigs and trolled harnesses at low light. The steep terrain means fish relate to specific depth bands rather than broad flats.

Trout and the tailwater

Virginia stocks trout in the lake during the cool months, and below the dam the Smith River is one of the state’s best-known tailwaters: cold releases sustain wild brown trout in a technical, heavily fished river. Combining a day on the lake with an evening on the Smith is the standard plan for visiting anglers.

Southern Virginia logistics

Corps ramps and campgrounds serve the lake at Philpott Park, Salthouse Branch and Jamison Mill, with the surrounding Blue Ridge foothills largely undeveloped. Martinsville is 20 minutes southeast. Water levels vary with flood-control operations. The lake sees modest pressure, and weekday visitors often have entire arms to themselves.

Common questions

Is the water clear?

Yes, unusually so for Virginia: it favors finesse presentations and makes low-light periods considerably more productive.

What about the Smith River below?

One of Virginia’s best tailwaters, holding wild brown trout in cold releases: technical fishing worth a separate day.

Is it crowded?

Rarely: undeveloped shoreline and a rural setting keep pressure light outside summer holiday weekends.

Is fishing good at Philpott Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 23 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Smith Mountain Lake24 miClaytor Lake37 miNew River38 miGreenbrier River73 miJackson River74 miBluestone Lake75 mi
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