Two Names for One Lake

Anglers on the big reservoir on the Virginia and North Carolina line use two names for it, Buggs Island Lake and Kerr Reservoir, and both are official. This is how the lake got its name, drawn from a reference history and the state’s lake page.

Authorized in 1944, built by 1953

Congress authorized the project in the Flood Control Act of 1944, and construction did not begin until 1947. The dam opened in 1953. During early construction, the project was called Buggs Island Lake, after a downstream island named for Samuel Bugg, an 18th-century pioneer.

The rename

In 1951 the 82nd Congress renamed the project for John H. Kerr, a North Carolina congressman who was instrumental in authorizing it. Local usage never settled on one name.

Why it is remarkable

Both names are still in use, and the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) lists the water as “Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir).”

Connection to the waterway

Part of the lake lies in North Carolina, and a Virginia license is valid across it. The lake is covered in the Buggs Island Lake guide, where the license and boundary details are given.

The lake today

Buggs Island Lake covers about 48,900 acres at full pool, according to DWR, in Mecklenburg County on the Roanoke River. Part of the lake is in North Carolina, and a Virginia license is valid lake-wide. DWR lists largemouth bass of 2 to 4 pounds as typical, with fish over 8 pounds rare, along with striped bass, crappie, channel, flathead and blue catfish, white bass, white perch and sunfish.

North Bend Park has a pier designed for anglers with disabilities that extends over more than 17 feet of water. Crappie are best from February to April in Buffalo, Grassy, Bluestone and Butcher creeks.

Rules

Black bass are limited to five a day, with only two under 14 inches. For striped bass, from October 1 to May 31 the limit is two a day, none under 20 or over 26 inches, and from June 1 to September 30 it is four a day with no length limit. DWR says summer release mortality for stripers is about 75 percent, so it advises stopping at the limit. Kite tubes are prohibited on the lake.

What anglers can take from it

When you look up reports or regulations, search under both names, because sources use one or the other. More stories from Virginia waters are in the Dock Tales index.

Sources and caveats

The history comes from one secondary source, Wikipedia’s article on the John H. Kerr Dam. The DWR lake page confirms the dual name. We discarded an earlier fetch of a different “Kerr Dam” page. An Army Corps of Engineers source would strengthen this story.