4VAC15-320-25. Creel and length limits.
The creel limits (including live possession) and the length limits for the various species of fish shall be as follows, unless otherwise excepted by posted rules at department-owned or department-controlled waters (see 4VAC15-320-100 D).
Type of fish | Subtype or location | Creel and length limits | Geographic exceptions | Creel or length limits for exceptions |
largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass | | 5 per day in the aggregate (combined); No statewide length limits | Lakes |
Briery Creek Lake | No bass 16 to 24 inches, only 1 per day longer than 24 inches |
Buggs Island (Kerr) | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
Claytor Lake | No bass less than 12 inches |
Flannagan Reservoir | No bass less than 12 inches |
Lake Gaston | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
Leesville Reservoir | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
Lake Moomaw | No bass less than 12 inches |
Philpott Reservoir | No bass less than 12 inches |
Quantico Marine Base waters | No bass 12 to 15 inches |
Smith Mt. Lake and its tributaries below Niagara Dam | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
Rivers |
Clinch River – within the boundaries of Scott, Wise, Russell, or Tazewell counties | No bass less than 20 inches, only 1 bass per day longer than 20 inches |
Dan River and tributaries downstream from the Union Street Dam, Danville | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
James River – Confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers (Botetourt County) downstream to the 14th Street Bridge in Richmond | No bass 14 to 22 inches, only 1 per day longer than 22 inches |
New River – Fields Dam (Grayson County) downstream to the VA - WV state line and its tributaries Little River downstream from Little River Dam in Montgomery County, Big Walker Creek from the Norfolkand WesternSouthern Railroad Bridge downstream to the New River, and Wolf Creek from the Narrows dam downstream to the New River in Giles County (This does not include Claytor Lake, which is delineated as: The upper end of the island at Allisonia downstream to the dam) | No bass 14 to 22 inches, only 1 per day longer than 22 inches |
North Fork Holston River - Rt. 91 bridge upstream of Saltville, VA downstream to the VA - TN state line | No bass less than 20 inches, only 1 per day longer than 20 inches |
North Fork Shenandoah River – Rt. 42 bridge, Rockingham Co. downstream to the confluence with S. Fork Shenandoah at Front Royal | No bass 11 to 14 inches |
Potomac River - Virginia tidal tributaries above Rt. 301 bridge | No bass less than 15 inches from March 1 through June 15 |
Roanoke (Staunton) River - and its tributaries below Difficult Creek, Charlotte Co. | Only 2 of 5 bass less than 14 inches |
Shenandoah River – | |
Confluence of South Fork and North Fork rivers, Front Royal, downstream, to the Warren Dam, near Front Royal | No bass 11 to 14 inches |
Base of Warren Dam, near Front Royal downstream to Rt. 17/50 bridge | No bass 14 to 20 inches, only 1 per day longer than 20 inches |
Rt. 17/50 bridge downstream to VA - WV state line | No bass 11 to 14 inches |
South Fork Shenandoah River - | |
Confluence of North and South rivers, below Port Republic, downstream to Shenandoah Dam, near Town of Shenandoah | No bass 11 to 14 inches |
Base of Shenandoah Dam, near Town of Shenandoah, downstream to Luray Dam, near Luray | No bass 14 to 20 inches, only 1 per day longer than 20 inches |
Base of Luray Dam, near Luray, downstream to the confluence with North Fork of Shenandoah, Front Royal | No bass 11 to 14 inches |
Staunton River - | |
Leesville Dam (Campbell County) downstream to the mouth of Difficult Creek, Charlotte County | No smallmouth bass less than 20 inches, only 1 per day longer than 20 inches |
striped bass | landlocked striped bass and landlocked striped bass x white bass hybrids | 4 per day in the aggregate; No fish less than 20 inches | Buggs Island (Kerr) reservoir including the Staunton River to Leesville Dam and the Dan River to Union Street Dam (Danville) | October 1 - May 31: 2 per day in the aggregate; No striped bass or hybrid striped bass less than 24 inches; June 1 - September 30: 4 per day in the aggregate; No length limit |
Smith Mountain Lake and its tributaries, including the Roanoke River upstream to Niagara Dam | 2 per day in the aggregate; November 1 - May 31: No striped bass 30 to 40 inches; June 1 - October 31: No length limit |
Lake Gaston | 4 per day in the aggregate October 1 - May 31: No striped bass or hybrid striped bass less than 20 inches June 1 - September 30: No length limit |
anadromous (coastal) striped bass above the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay | Creel and length limits shall be set by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for recreational fishing in tidal waters | | |
anadromous (coastal) in the Meherrin, Nottoway, Blackwater (Chowan Drainage), North Landing and Northwest Rivers and their tributaries plus Back Bay | 2 per day; No striped bass less than 18 inches | | |
white bass | | 5 per day; No statewide length limits | | |
walleye | | 5 per day in the aggregate; No walleye or saugeye less than 18 inches | New River upstream of Buck Dam in Carroll County | No walleye less than 20 inches |
Claytor Lake and the New River upstream of Claytor Lake Dam to Buck Dam in Carroll County | February 1 - May 31:
2 walleye per day; no walleye 19 to 28 inches; June 1 - January 31:
5 walleye per day; no walleye less than 20 inches |
sauger | | 2 per day; No statewide length limits | | |
yellow perch | | No statewide daily limit; No statewide length limits | Lake Moomaw | 10 per day |
chain pickerel | | 5 per day; No statewide length limits | Gaston and Buggs Island (Kerr) reservoirs | No daily limit |
northern pike | | 2 per day; No pike less than 20 inches | | |
muskellunge | | 2 per day; No muskellunge less than 30 inches | New River - Fields Dam (Grayson County) downstream tothe VA - WV state lineClaytor Dam, including Claytor Lake | 1 per day No muskellunge less than 42 inches |
New River - Claytor Dam downstream to the VA - WV state line | 1 per day June 1 - last day of February: No muskellunge [ less than 42 40 to 48 ] inches; March 1 - May 31: No muskellunge less than 48 inches |
bluegill (bream) and other sunfish excluding crappie, rock bass (redeye) and Roanoke bass | | 50 per day in the aggregate; No statewide length limits | Gaston and Buggs Island (Kerr) reservoirs and that portion of the New River from the VA - NC state line downstream to the confluence of the New and Little Rivers in Grayson County | No daily limit |
crappie (black or white) | | 25 per day in the aggregate; No statewide length limits | Gaston and Buggs Island (Kerr) reservoirs and that portion of the New River from the VA - NC state line downstream to the confluence of the New and Little Rivers in Grayson County | No daily limit |
Flannagan and South Holston reservoirs | No crappie less than 10 inches |
rock bass (redeye) | | 25 per day; No statewide length limits | Gaston and Buggs Island (Kerr) reservoirs and that portion of the New River from the VA - NC state line downstream to the confluence of the New and Little Rivers in Grayson County. | No daily limit |
Nottoway and Meherrin rivers and their tributaries | 5 per day in the aggregate with Roanoke bass; No rock bass less than 8 inches |
Roanoke bass | | No statewide daily limit; No statewide length limits | Nottoway and Meherrin rivers and their tributaries | 5 per day in the aggregate with rock bass; No Roanoke bass less than 8 inches |
trout | See 4VAC15-330. Fish: Trout Fishing. |
catfish | channel, white, and flathead catfish | 20 per day; No length limits | All rivers below the fall line | No daily limit |
blue catfish | 20 per day, only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inches; No statewide length limits | Kerr Reservoir | 20 per day, except only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inches |
James River and its tributaries below the fall line and York River and its tributaries (including the Pamunkey River and Mattaponi River) below the fall line | No daily limit, except only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inches |
All rivers below the fall lineother than the James River and its tributaries and the York River and its tributaries | No daily limit, except only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inches |
yellow, brown, and black bullheads | No daily limit;
No length limits | | |
American shad and hickory shad | [ James River above the fall line (14th Street Bridge), the Meherrin River above Emporia Dam, the Chickahominy River above Walkers Dam, the Appomattox River above Harvell Dam, the Pamunkey River and the Mattaponi River above the Rt. 360 bridge, and the Rappahannock River above the Rt. 1 bridge, and ] Virginia waters of Lake Gaston and Buggs Island (Kerr) Reservoir and tributaries to include the Dan and Staunton rivers | No possession (catch and release only) | | |
Above and below the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay | Creel and length limits shall be the same as those set by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for these species in tidal rivers | | |
Meherrin River below Emporia Dam Nottoway River, Blackwater River (Chowan Drainage), North Landing and Northwest rivers, and their tributaries plus Back Bay | 10 per day in the aggregate No length limits | | |
anadromous (coastal) alewife and blueback herring | Above and below the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay | Creel and length limits shall be the same as those set by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for these species in tidal rivers | | |
Meherrin River, Nottoway River, Blackwater River (Chowan Drainage), North Landing and Northwest rivers, and their tributaries plus Back Bay | No possession | | |
red drum | Back Bay and tributaries including Lake Tecumseh and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 1 per day; No drum less than 18 inches or greater than 27 inches | | |
spotted sea trout (speckled trout) | Back Bay and tributaries including Lake Tecumseh and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 4 per day; No sea trout less than 14 inches | | |
grey trout (weakfish) | Back Bay and tributaries including Lake Tecumseh and North Landing River and its tributaries | 1 per day; No grey trout less than 12 inches | | |
southern flounder | Back Bay and tributaries including Lake Tecumseh and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 6 per day; No flounder less than 15 inches | | |
northern snakehead | | Anglers may possess snakeheads taken from Virginia waters if they immediately kill the fish and notify the headquarters or a regional office of the department; notification may be made by telephoning (804) 367-2925 No statewide daily limit No statewide length limits | | |
longnose gar | | 5 per day; No statewide length limits | | |
bowfin | | 5 per day; No statewide length limits | | |
American eel | | 25 per day; No eel less than 9 inches | Back Bay and North Landing River | No possession limit for those individuals possessing a permit obtained under 4VAC15-340-80 |
other native or naturalized nongame fish | See 4VAC15-360-10. Fish: Aquatic Invertebrates, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Nongame Fish. Taking aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and nongame fish for private use. |
endangered or threatened fish | See 4VAC15-20-130. Definitions and Miscellaneous: In General. Endangered and threatened species; adoption of federal list; additional species enumerated. |
nonnative (exotic) fish | See 4VAC15-30-40. Definitions and Miscellaneous: Importation, Possession, Sale, Etc., of Animals. Importation requirements, possession and sale of nonnative (exotic) animals. |
4VAC15-320-120. Special daily permit for fishing in Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Douthat State Park Lake and, Crooked Creek, and Wilson Creeks Creek.