Lake Gaston is well stocked with game fish which include striped bass or rock fish, large mouth bass, crappie, sunfish and several varieties of catfish. Other species of fish found in the lake are walleye, yellow perch and chain pickerel.

A valid fishing license for either Virginia or North Carolina permits fishing in either state. No license is required for those under 15. There are boating requirements imposed on boaters in both states but no limit on the power of gas powered boats.

In the past, the headwaters of Lake Gaston have been low in oxygen and therefore not had the best habitat to hold fish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have now completed 'venting' all the turbines in Kerr Dam to oxygenate the tailrace during summer months. This newly created habitat should allow more fish to move upstream during the summer.

Lake Gaston has a variety of submerged structures including stumps. The visibility in the lake usually ranges from 4-8 feet, although heavy rains can make it muddy. There is a thermocline in Gaston in the summer at about 20-25 feet..

There are weeds in Lake Gaston especially in late summer. These include elodea, milfoil and hydrilla. This is most true in the creek arms and coves. Authorities do treat the grass with chemicals and also have added some grass carp.

Because of these weeds, you are asked to check your boat, motor, and trailer before entering and after removing it from Lake Gaston to be sure there is no lake vegetation (dead or alive) caught up or hanging from your prop, wheel wells, etc.   This will help decrease and prevent the spreading of these aquatic weeds to and from Lake Gaston and other bodies of water.

Largemouth Bass:  
Lake Gaston has a superior largemouth bass population. Many anglers like to fish the aquatic vegetation for them. Boat docks also are likely places to catch largemouth bass. In the springtime through mid-May, flipping and pitching heavy, dark-colored jigs and creature baits are good for pre-spawn females over 7 pounds. 

Flipping, pitching, and skipping a variety of soft plastics in natural colors around boat docks is also reliable this time of year.  The availability of visible fish-holding structures around Lake Gaston is a great benefit to newcomers.  Backing off the visible structure and slow rolling big spinnerbaits and/or pulling crankbaits across points where pre- and post-spawn bass stage is also a productive pattern that lasts from late February well into June.

Most of the bass caught range around 15 inches and about 1 1/2 pounds. However, fishermen have caught numerous 5 and 6 pounders. The lake record is 14 pounds 2 ounces.

Professional fisherman Steven Vonbrandt says the best locations for largemouth bass in the spring (March & April), are the northside creeks, especially Pea Hill and Lizard. He says they normally turn on first as soon as the water temperature reaches about  50 degrees.

The next places that  turn, says Vonbrandt, are on the southside arms, especially Lees and Poe. He suggests you should fish the areas around the boathouses, rip rap, and laydowns with a chrome / blue crankbait and a Terminator Colorado spinnerbait.

Striped Bass:  
Striped bass, which are stocked by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, continue to produce a number of quality-sized fish. Striper fishing in the tail waters below Kerr Dam (at the western end of Lake Gaston) is an annual spring event.

Soft plastic swimbaits, large flukes, and bucktails are suggested. Other times of the year, live bait spreads on downlines and planer boards are the most efficient way to catch a limit. Large jigging spoons fished over summer schools are effective.  At dawn, dusk and on cloudy days feeding fish will surface and can be caught using a variety of topwater lures and swimbaits.

Many striped bass are caught each year that weigh 3 to 8 pounds but plenty of 20 pounders are taken each year.  

Crappie:  
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries annually stock walleyes, and the best fishing is usually in the upper end during February and March. Trolling with spider rigs is an excellent way to cover open water and find pre- and post-spawn crappie.  

During the spring and fall, fishing small jigs and tube baits around boat docks is highly effective. Sunken fish attractors placed by dock owners provide a chance at less-pressured fish.