Back Bay Fishing
Public lake fishing in City of Virginia Beach, 25,000 acres.
Pick for smallmouthPiscifun Chaos Pro CNC baitcasting reel25% OFFSale $97.99 Photo of Virginia Beach: Nicolas Henderson, CC BY 2.0
Back Bay, the short version
Covering 25,000 acres, Back Bay is a lake in City of Virginia Beach. Ice, gas and groceries wait in Virginia Beach, roughly 12 miles off.
The DWR access layer counts 1 boat ramp here.
Acres as stated on the Virginia DWR waterbody page, read November 6, 2026. Virginia DWR Public Fishing Lakes layer (outline, motor rule, region number), read November 6, 2026. Census 2023 places.
What DWR marks as available at Back Bay
- Boat motors (DWR layer)Unlimited HP
- DWR region numberDWR Region 1
These Back Bay entries come from DWR layers, word for word where possible.
Virginia DWR Public Fishing Lakes layer (outline, motor rule, region number), read November 6, 2026.
Boat ramps serving Back Bay
| Site | Recorded attributes | Owner | Location (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Bay boat ramp | dock and ramp, 1 ramp, fresh and salt | DWR | Princess Anne Road, South to Back Bay; L on Rt 622 |
Ramps worth knowing close to Back Bay
- Owls Creek boat ramp on Linkhorn BayLinkhorn Bay, 15 miles north
Virginia DWR Boating Access Locations layer (attributes as recorded; lanes, fees and hours are not in the layer), read November 6, 2026.
Size and creel at Back Bay
| Species as printed | Applies to | 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 |
Unless the digest singles out Back Bay for a species, the statewide row decides.
What the DWR page lists under rules for Back Bay
- With more than 25,000 acres, Back Bay is the largest body of water in the district. It produces good white perch and channel catfish at times, some flounder, and other saltwater and brackish water species. Many citation channel catfish are caught in the tributary creeks in the spring, as fish move into fresher water to spawn. The freshwater creeks feeding into the bay have largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill. Bank fishing is limited and available only in some of the tributary creeks.
- Some fishing is available at the
- state-owned boat ramps
- on Mill Landing Road, Back Bay Landing Road, and some private ramps. Several private launch ramps are available on the bay and feeder creeks off Princess Anne and Muddy Creek Roads.
- River Herring (Blueback and Alewives)
- No possession
- –>
Virginia DWR waterbody page (updated 11/17/2023), read November 6, 2026.
A Virginia freshwater license is $23 a year for residents and $47 for nonresidents 16 and older.
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. Virginia license fees in the 2026 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia digest (licenses run one year from purchase unless noted), read November 6, 2026.
For the smallmouth herePiscifun AlinoX 300 low profile baitcaster34% OFFSale $104.99 Sizing Back Bay against nearby impoundments
Among the five nearest lake pages, Lake Drummond is the biggest at 3,142 acres.
| Water | Distance | Size | DWR ramps | Trout stocking dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back Bay | this water | 25,000 acres | 1 | 0 |
| Northwest River Park Lake | 14 miles west | 0 acres (DWR outline area) | 0 | 0 |
| Trashmore Lake | 18 miles northwest | 52 acres | 0 | 0 |
| Lake Whitehurst | 25 miles northwest | 838 acres (DWR outline area) | 0 | 0 |
| Lake Drummond | 29 miles west | 3,142 acres | 0 | 0 |
| Lake Meade | 37 miles west | 512 acres | 0 | 0 |
Virginia DWR waterbody pages and Public Fishing Lakes layer, NHD outline areas, DWR Boating Access Locations and stocking schedule; read November 6, 2026.
Old Dominion stops around Back Bay
Other impoundments a short drive from Back Bay
- Northwest River Park Lake14 miles west
- Trashmore Lake18 miles northwest
- Lake Whitehurst25 miles northwest
- Lake Drummond29 miles west
- Lake Meade37 miles west
Bloodworm and minnow counters en route to Back Bay
- Westneck Marinamarina, Virginia Beach, 7 miles
- Tow Boat USmarina, Virginia Beach, 9 miles
- West Landing Marinamarina, Virginia Beach, 9 miles
- Tackleworksbait and tackle shop, Virginia Beach, 11 miles
- Bob's Fishing Holebait and tackle shop, Chesapeake, 14 miles
- Dare Marinamarina, Virginia Beach, 15 miles
Hired Commonwealth guides on Back Bay
- A-Aa Four Winds Charteringcharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 464-4680
- AAA Ryno Charterscharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 679-3474
- AfishinadoVB Fishing Charterscharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 748-0488
- Aquaman Sportfishing Charterscharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 200-0200
- Big Time Charters Inccharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 496-1040
- E Fishin Sea Sportfishingcharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 985-6255
- E-Fishinsea Sport Fishing Charterscharter, Virginia Beach, (970) 946-7071
- First Landing Charterscharter, Virginia Beach, (757) 708-0707
Towns that make a good base for Back Bay
- Virginia Beach12 miles, City of Virginia Beach
- Chesapeake20 miles, City of Chesapeake
- Norfolk27 miles, City of Norfolk
- Portsmouth29 miles, City of Portsmouth
Each locality touching Back Bay, linked
- City of Virginia Beachindependent city
A Piscifun spread to take to Back Bay
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Photo ID for the fish swimming at Back Bay
Photo: USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Andy Sloane, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Sorting out Back Bay, question by question
Which part of Virginia is Back Bay in?
Set the GPS for City of Virginia Beach, about 12 miles from Virginia Beach.
What size is Back Bay?
It spans 25,000 acres.
Which Commonwealth ramp puts a bass boat on Back Bay?
The DWR list has just Back Bay boat ramp.
Which fish does a Virginia angler find in Back Bay?
DWR has not named its fish.
Do I measure bass at Back Bay?
The statewide digest row for largemouth and smallmouth bass reads: 5 per day in the aggregate (combined); No statewide length limits.
Which license should I carry at Back Bay?
A Virginia freshwater license is $23 a year for residents and $47 for nonresidents 16 and older. Anglers under 16 need none.
Is Back Bay worth a trip with no boat on the trailer?
The pier layer is empty for this water.
Does any listed bait store serve Back Bay?
Try Westneck Marina (about 7 miles away).
Head out to Back Bay this season
Read the creel rows before the bow leaves the ramp.