Photo by Tom Berg

Upon arriving at Tygart Lake State Park in Taylor County, I could easily see why this establishment has such a good reputation as a destination for families who enjoy fishing and the outdoors. Parents and their children could fish for tailrace trout below the Tygart Lake Dam, float-fish for smallmouths and sunfish above the lake in the Tygart River, or, as many families do, angle for smallmouths, bluegills and catfish in the impoundment.

DISTRICT I
Tygart Lake State Park
Joe Skeen, activities programmer and park naturalist for the state park, which is located in District I, is understandably proud of the family-friendly atmosphere.

"Park personnel have strived to make this a family-oriented facility," he said. "We've done so by seeing to it that we offer a wide variety of family-related activities, especially nature based with our summer recreation program. We also know that the family element is what people are looking for, something that every member can enjoy about the outdoors. It could be fishing or swimming in the lake, sunbathing on the beach area or walking along some seven miles of hiking trails.

"Bluegills, channel catfish and smallmouth bass are the fish most often caught in Tygart Lake. And last year, someone caught a 28-inch walleye. Most people fish from the shore, and as you would expect, the morning and evening periods are typically best in the summer. Tygart is a very warm lake in the summer, so the fish usually only feed actively along the coves and shoreline during low-light conditions. The lake trail runs around the impoundment; just look for openings along the shoreline off that trail and you should find a place to catch some fish."

Skeen added that during the midday period, the fishing is often quite poor -- again because of the overly warm water. The afternoon hours might be a good time for parents and their offspring to meander along one of the trails. The park naturalist recommends Ridge Trail, which winds end to end just under a mile and covers moderate terrain. Hikers will have to crest just one ridge and they should enjoy strolling along two streams, across two bridges and through a beautiful valley. Skeen relates that deer commonly inhabit the trail corridor, something that wildlife watchers should appreciate.

The 2,134-acre Tygart Lake State Park features 11 deluxe cabins, a 40- unit camping area (open from late April to Oct. 31), a 20-room lodge, gift shop, and fishing boat and pontoon rental. Three picnic areas and a recreation building are two of the amenities. Some nearby attractions include the International Mothers Day Shrine, Valley Falls State Park and the Philippi Covered Bridge. For more information, contact the park by calling (304) 265-3383. All state parks and forests in this story can be reached by dialing (800) CALL-WVA.

DISTRICT II
Smoke Hole Caverns
Jerry Hedrick, who operates Smoke Hole Outfitters in Seneca Rocks, said that families who enjoy pursuing trout should enjoy a visit to the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac.

"The North Fork is a clean, cold, unpolluted mountain stream and a great trout river," Hedrick said. "My favorite section is from Seneca Rocks to Smoke Hole Caverns, which is a distance of about 15 miles. The catch- and-release section is an especially good place to fish."

The aforementioned catch-and-release area lies in Pendleton County and is a 3/4-mile-long section at the mouth of Seneca Creek near the Seneca Rocks Visitors Center. Access is by county Route 28/1 at the junction of state Route 28 and U.S. Route 33 at Seneca Rocks. That water receives an annual stocking in April. The North Fork, as it courses through Grant and Pendleton counties, receives stockings once in January, twice in February, once each week from March through May and again in October. The October stocking coincides with the beginning of squirrel season.