Fishing in Wythe County, Virginia
Government seat in Wytheville; 28,290 residents at the 2020 Census.
- 1lake pages
- 2DWR launches
- 4river pages
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What fishing in Wythe County looks like
Wythe County numbered 28,290 people in 2020; the seat sits at Wytheville. The DWR layers number local access points as DWR Region 3. Part of New River lies in the next state over.
By acreage, Rural Retreat Lake leads the 1 lake pages here. DWR access data puts 2 boating access sites within the boundary. Count 157 stocking dates on the DWR trout schedule here.
Census 2020 population; Virginia DWR Public Fishing Lakes layer (outline, motor rule, region number), read November 6, 2026. Virginia DWR Boating Access Locations layer (attributes as recorded; lanes, fees and hours are not in the layer), read November 6, 2026. Virginia DWR trout stocking schedule (date, county, water, category and species as listed; DWR prints no numbers or sizes), read November 6, 2026.
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Virginia DWR Boating Access Locations layer (attributes as recorded; lanes, fees and hours are not in the layer), read November 6, 2026. Lake points from the Virginia DWR Public Fishing Lakes layer (outline, motor rule, region number), read November 6, 2026.
Wythe County lakes with a page of their own
| Lake | Area | Kind | DWR launches | Fish DWR names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Retreat Lake | 90 acres | reservoir | 1 | bluegill, channel catfish, crappie |
Wythe County has few paged lakes of its own; here are the next ones out from Wytheville.
| Lake | From Wytheville | Area | Kind | DWR launches | Fish DWR names |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatewood Reservoir | 14 miles northeast | 162 acres | reservoir | 0 | black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish |
| Byllesby Lake | 15 miles southeast | 163 acres (DWR outline area) | lake | 1 | |
| Hales Lake | 16 miles southwest | 3 acres (DWR outline area) | lake | 0 | brown trout, rainbow trout, tiger trout |
| Claytor Lake | 23 miles east | 4,363 acres | reservoir | 3 | alewife, black crappie, bluegill |
| Hungry Mother Lake | 25 miles west | 108 acres | reservoir | 1 | common carp, channel catfish, crappie |
| Lincolnshire Lake | 26 miles northwest | 29 acres (DWR outline area) | lake | 0 | brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout |
Acres are the NHD outline area of the mapped lake (USGS National Hydrography Dataset), not a DWR figure. Virginia DWR Boating Access Locations layer (attributes as recorded; lanes, fees and hours are not in the layer), read November 6, 2026.
Which species DWR names most near Wythe County
Lake pages out to 50 miles from Wytheville were tallied by fish, with rainbow trout on top.
Species DWR names on waterbody pages and its fishing grid, counted per lake page within 50 miles; not a survey of fish numbers.
The short list of extra lakes in Wythe County
Another 2 named lakes sit in Wythe County without a page of their own.
| Water | Kind | Area | Nearest town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gullion Forks Ponds | pond | 1 acres (DWR outline area) | Rural Retreat |
| Gullion Fork Ponds | pond | Rural Retreat |
Virginia DWR Public Fishing Lakes layer (outline, motor rule, region number), read November 6, 2026. Acres are the NHD outline area of the mapped lake (USGS National Hydrography Dataset), not a DWR figure.
Moving water through Wythe County
- Cripple Creek2 stocked trout reaches
- Middle Fork Holston River2 stocked trout reaches, wild trout survey class VI, 29.0 km
- West Fork Reed Creek1 stocked trout reach
- New River18 DWR launches, 5 USGS gauges, shared with NC
Remaining named streams in Wythe County (15)
- Dry Run, EF1 stocked trout reach, wild trout survey class II, 6.2 km
- Peak Creek, 04PKC-01Twild trout survey class IV, 14.0 km
- Peak Creek, 04PKC-01wild trout survey class IV, 12.0 km
- East Fork Stoney Fork1 stocked trout reach
- Venrick Run1 stocked trout reach
- Venrick Run, 04VNK-01Twild trout survey class II, 8.7 km
- Blue Spring Creek, 04BLU-01wild trout survey class II, 7.7 km
- Venrick Run, 04VNK-01wild trout survey class II, 7.4 km
- Francis Mill Creek, 04FMC-01wild trout survey class III, 6.2 km
- Kinser Creek, 04KNS-01wild trout survey class III, 5.5 km
- Jones Creekwild trout survey class III, 4.9 km, 1 DWR launch
- Dry Run, WFwild trout survey class III, 4.5 km
- Francis Mill Creek, 04FMC-01Twild trout survey class III, 4.4 km
- Dry Run, 04DYR-01wild trout survey class III, 2.9 km
- Kinser Creek, 04KNS-01Twild trout survey class III, 0.9 km
USGS gauges reading in Wythe County
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| New River At Ivanhoe, Va | 956 cfs, 2.39 ft gage height | Nov 12 8:20 pm |
| Reed Creek At Grahams Forge, Va | 96 cfs, 1.56 ft gage height | Nov 12 8:00 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 12, 2026 8:32 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.
DWR waterbody pages, DWR Stocked Trout Reaches and Cold Water Stream Survey layers (wild trout classes and kilometres as recorded), DWR launches and USGS gauges (live readings); read November 6, 2026.
Points where trailers back down in Wythe County
- Austinville boat ramp on New RiverNew River, concrete ramp (no dock), 1 ramp, barrier-free, freshwater
- Rural Retreat Lake boat rampRural Retreat Lake, dock and ramp, 1 ramp, barrier-free, freshwater
Virginia DWR Boating Access Locations layer (attributes as recorded; lanes, fees and hours are not in the layer), read November 6, 2026.
Wythe County on the DWR trout schedule
| Date | Water as listed | Category | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2026 | Gullion Fork Ponds | B | Rainbow Trout |
| October 14, 2026 | Rural Retreat Lake Pond | A | Rainbow Trout |
| October 10, 2026 | Wytheville Community College Pond | B | Rainbow Trout |
| October 6, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Collins Cove) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| October 6, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| May 26, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Ravens) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| May 23, 2026 | Rural Retreat Lake Pond | A | Rainbow Trout |
| May 23, 2026 | Wytheville Community College Pond | B | Rainbow Trout |
| May 20, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| May 13, 2026 | Gullion Fork Ponds | B | Rainbow Trout |
| April 25, 2026 | Wytheville Community College Pond | B | Rainbow Trout |
| April 24, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| April 24, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Ravens) | A | Rainbow Trout |
| April 22, 2026 | Rural Retreat Lake Pond | A | Rainbow Trout |
| April 20, 2026 | Gullion Fork Ponds | B | Rainbow Trout |
| April 20, 2026 | Stoney Creek | C | Rainbow Trout |
| April 20, 2026 | West Fork Reed Creek | C | Rainbow Trout |
| April 11, 2026 | Rural Retreat Lake Pond | A | Rainbow Trout |
| April 7, 2026 | Wytheville Community College Pond | B | Rainbow Trout |
| April 6, 2026 | Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) | A | Rainbow Trout |
2026 planned trout releases in Wythe County
| Water | County or city as printed | Category | Category meaning | National forest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cripple Creek (Rt. 94) | Wythe County | A | stocked 8 times between October 1 and May 31 | |
| Cripple Creek (Ravens) | Wythe County | A | stocked 8 times between October 1 and May 31 | |
| Gullion Fork Ponds | Wythe County | B | stocked 5 times between October 1 and May 15 | yes |
| Rural Retreat Lake Pond | Wythe County | A | stocked 8 times between October 1 and May 31 | |
| Stoney Creek | Wythe County | C | stocked 3 times between October 1 and April 30 | yes |
| West Fork Reed Creek | Wythe County | C | stocked 3 times between October 1 and April 30 | yes |
| Wytheville Community College Pond | Wythe County | A | stocked 8 times between October 1 and May 31 |
Trout water rules printed for Wythe County
| Water | County or city as printed | Regulation | Trout license Oct 1 to Jun 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venrick Run | Wythe | Catch and Release |
Virginia DWR trout stocking schedule (date, county, water, category and species as listed; DWR prints no numbers or sizes), read November 6, 2026 2026 Catchable Trout Stocking Plan (category letters as printed), read November 6, 2026. Special regulation trout waters as printed (page updated August 17, 2026), 2026 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia digest (eRegulations, linked from the Virginia DWR regulations page), read November 6, 2026. Designated stocked trout waters require a trout license October 1 to June 15; urban waters November 1 to April 30 (as printed).
Digest limits for anglers in Wythe County
A Wythe County lake with no digest line of its own keeps to the rows below. The freshwater license runs $23 a year at resident rates and $47 at nonresident rates.
| Species | Where it applies | Creel | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth, Smallmouth Bass | statewide | 5 per day in the aggregate (combined) | No statewide length limits |
| Alabama, Spotted Bass | statewide | No statewide daily limit | No statewide length limit |
| Landlocked Striped Bass and Landlocked Striped Bass X White Bass Hybrids | statewide | 4 per day in the aggregate | No fish less than 20 inches |
| Striped Bass | Anadromous (coastal) striped bass above the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay and Crane Lake (City of Suffolk) | Creel and length limits shall be as set by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for recreational fishing in tidal waters | no length limit printed |
| Striped Bass | Striped bass in the Meherrin, Nottoway, Blackwater (Chowan Drainage), North Landing and Northwest rivers and their tributaries plus Back Bay | No possession | no length limit printed |
| Walleye, Saugeye | statewide | 5 per day in the aggregate | No walleye or saugeye less than 18 inches |
| Sauger | statewide | 2 per day | No statewide length limits |
| White Bass | statewide | 5 per day | No statewide length limits |
| Chain Pickerel and Northern Pike | statewide | 5 per day | No statewide length limits |
| Muskellunge | statewide | 1 per day | No muskellunge less than 40 inches |
| Bluegill (bream) and other sunfish excluding Crappie, Rock Bass (redeye) and Roanoke Bass | statewide | 50 per day in the aggregate (combined) | No statewide length limits |
| Crappie (black or white) | statewide | 25 per day in the aggregate (combined) | No statewide length limits |
| Rock Bass (redeye) | statewide | 25 per day in the aggregate with Roanoke bass | No statewide length limits |
| Roanoke Bass | statewide | 25 per day in the aggregate with rock bass | No statewide length limits |
| Perch (yellow and white) | statewide | No statewide daily limit | No statewide length limit |
| Trout | statewide | 6 per day | 7 inch minimum size |
| Channel, White, and Flathead | statewide | 20 per day | No length limits |
| Blue | statewide | 20 per day | No statewide length limits |
| Hickory Shad | Above and below the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay and their tributaries | Creel and length limits shall be the same as those set by the Virginia Marine Resources Comm. in tidal rivers | no length limit printed |
| Hickory Shad | 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 | No length limits |
| Anadromous (coastal) Alewife and Blueback Herring | Above and below the fall line in all coastal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay and their tributaries | Creel and length limits shall be the same as those set by the Virginia Marine Resources Comm. for these species in tidal rivers | no length limit printed |
| Other native or naturalized nongame fish | statewide | 20 per day | No length limits |
| Threatened and endangered species | statewide | No possession | no length limit printed |
| Grass Carp | statewide | No statewide daily limit | No statewide length limit |
| Longnose Gar | statewide | July 1 to April 14: 5 per day | April 15 to June 30: 1 per day No statewide length limits |
| Bowfin | statewide | July 1 to April 14: 5 per day | April 15 to June 30: 1 per day No statewide length limits |
| Northern Snakehead | statewide | No statewide daily limit | No statewide length limit |
| Spotted Sea Trout | Back Bay and tributaries, including Brinson’s Inlet Lake (Lake Tecumseh), and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 4 per day, no fish less than 14 inches | no length limit printed |
| Red Drum | Back Bay and tributaries, including Brinson’s Inlet Lake (Lake Tecumseh), and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 1 per day between 18 and 27 inches | no length limit printed |
| Grey Trout | Back Bay and tributaries, including Brinson’s Inlet Lake (Lake Tecumseh), and the North Landing River and its tributaries | 1 per day, no fish less than 12 inches | no length limit printed |
Waters inside Wythe County carrying separate digest lines (3)
| Water | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 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, | Largemouth, Smallmouth Bass | No largemouth or smallmouth bass 14 to 22 inches, only 1 per day longer than 22 inches |
| Claytor Lake and the New River upstream to Fries Dam in Grayson County | Walleye, Saugeye | 2 walleye per day; no walleye 19 to 28 inches |
| New River-Claytor Dam downstream to VA-WV state line | Muskellunge | 1 per day June 1–last day of February: No muskellunge 40 to 48 inches March 1–May 31: No muskellunge less than 48 inches |
Statewide creel and length limits as printed (page updated August 17, 2026), 2026 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia digest (eRegulations, linked from the Virginia DWR regulations page), read November 6, 2026. Water-specific exceptions as printed, 2026 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia digest (eRegulations, linked from the Virginia DWR regulations page), read November 6, 2026. Virginia license fees in the 2026 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia digest (licenses run one year from purchase unless noted), read November 6, 2026.
Virginia record fish linked to Wythe County
Listed here: the record waters nearest Wythe County, every one inside 70 miles.
| Species | Weight as printed | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musky (includes Tiger) | 45 lbs. 8 oz. | New River | 2007 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 8 lbs. 1 oz. | New River | 2003 |
| Walleye | 22 lbs. 8 oz. | New River | 1973 |
| Walleye | 15 lbs. 15 oz. | New River | 2000 |
State Record Freshwater Fish as of 9-2-2025 (keeper: Virginia DWR (State Record Freshwater Fish list as of 9-2-2025); angler names left off here), read November 6, 2026.
Where anglers in Wythe County buy their bait
Buying bait in Wythe County
- New River Sports-Wythevillebait and tackle shop, Wytheville
Yellow Pages and chain store listings; guide and charter business listings (matched by the waters they list or their locality), read November 6, 2026.
Leaving Wythe County
Towns inside Wythe County
- Wythevillepop. 8,265
- Rural Retreatpop. 1,546
Counties and cities around Wythe County
- Bland County16 miles north
- Grayson County19 miles southwest
- City of Galax19 miles southeast
- Carroll County23 miles southeast
Piscifun kit lined up for a day on Wythe County
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Photo ID for the fish swimming at Wythe County
Photo: robposse, CC BY 2.0
Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, CC0 1.0
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Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
What anglers ask about Wythe County
What launch count does DWR give Wythe County?
The DWR layer shows 2 boating access sites, starting with Austinville boat ramp on New River.
On which Wythe County impoundment can a boat run the farthest?
Rural Retreat Lake, at 90 acres.
Which species does DWR list most often on lakes by Wythe County?
Rainbow trout leads the count of lake pages within 50 miles, then bluegill, brook trout and channel catfish; DWR names them on its waterbody pages.
Do Yellow Pages listings show tackle sellers inside Wythe County?
1 listed shops, beginning with New River Sports-Wytheville.
What town serves Wythe County as its seat?
It is Wytheville.
Do waters of Wythe County require a fishing license?
The freshwater license runs $23 a year at resident rates and $47 at nonresident rates.
Which localities touch Wythe County?
The next locality pages over are Bland County, Grayson County and City of Galax.
Which DWR region do access points in Wythe County fall in?
DWR lakes, ramps or piers inside it carry the number for DWR Region 3.
Which lakes in Wythe County have special regulations?
The digest lists 3 water exceptions here, starting with New River–Fields Dam (Grayson County) downstream to the VA-WV state line and its tributari; the table above shows each.
What does the trout schedule show for Wythe County?
The DWR schedule carries 157 stocking dates; the newest lists Rainbow Trout (October 27, 2026; category B) at Gullion Fork Ponds.
Choose a reservoir or trout creek in Wythe County
Every lake page lists the fish DWR names there.