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Lake Burton

Lake Burton is a 76-acre impoundment located in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. This reservoir is owned by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and is managed primarily for fisheries related activities. The reservoir was impounded in 1950 and was stocked with various species of sportfish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish. Lake Burton is an impoundment of Tomahawk Creek and is relatively shallow (average depth 10.2 ft.) and contains a number of fish species that were not originally stocked. These species either were in Tomahawk Creek prior to impoundment or were stocked by anglers. Carp, suckers, and gizzard shad currently dominate the fishery. Small impoundments such as Lake Burton typically do not benefit from these species because they cause the sport fish populations to become unbalanced. Carp and suckers tend to keep water muddy while gizzard shad contribute to stunted sunfish populations.

Turbid water and an abundance of undesirable fish species have resulted in an unbalanced fishery in Lake Burton. Lake Burton has a fair largemouth bass fishery with a few 6 pound + fish. However, these fish are not abundant and may be hard to catch due to the large quantity of forage. The large number of bluegill can provide fast action for sunfish anglers but these fish are small and an increase in size is not likely in the near future. Crappie are abundant with only a few good size fish being caught.