Middleton Lake Fishing near Pennington Gap, Virginia

• Overview

  Middleton Lake lies in Lee County, in Virginia. The setting is open valley on every side. Small at around 6 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other Virginia water on our list, it sits high. For a base, Pennington Gap sits 5 miles out. After that come Dryden at 9.8 miles and Harlan at 13 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Middleton Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Survey and observation records for Lee County include black redhorse, rock bass, creek chub, northern hog sucker and striped shiner. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Middleton Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 72°F and January reads 32°F. Most months fish reasonably, given the right weather. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Expect Middleton Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Herb Smith Lake, 6.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Middleton Lake before loading the car.