BURNSVILLE LAKE LARGEMOUTH BASS
The opportunity to catch trophy bass is what draws anglers to Burnsville Lake. The fact that Burnsville Lake is situated in the middle of the state and is surrounded by a picturesque landscape doesn't hurt either.

Burnsville's bass fishery consists of all three species: largemouth, spotted and smallmouth, but anglers primarily catch spots and largemouths. The lake has long been known for producing fair numbers of bass, but on special occasions, Burnsville can yield bass of lunker proportions.

As for yielding big bass, Burnsville can hold its own with any other Mountain State impoundment, including Stonewall Jackson. However, Burnsville doesn't possess the quantities of 5-pound and larger bass like Stonewall does.

Spotted bass remain the most abundant bass species in Burnsville Lake, making up approximately 60 percent of the lake's bass population. Largemouths fill out the other 39 percent. Smallmouths comprise about 1 percent of the bass fishery on Burnsville Lake.

Burnsville is fortunate to possess several areas of high-quality bass habitat. Standing timber remains the most visible structure on the lake and areas such as Big Run, Knawl Creek, and Little Knawl Creek incorporate the greatest concentrations of the woody habitat.

Burnsville also contains numerous rocky points. These long, submerged points generate consistent bass fishing opportunities all year long and can be particularly good fishing spots during the fall when fishing pressure subsides.

While Carolina rigging a lizard might put your bait in the face of a giant largemouth, running a crankbait over the rocky points is probably the best way to generate fantastic action during the fall frenzy.

Launch ramps can be found on both ends of Burnsville Lake. Along U.S. Route 19, anglers will discover the Bulltown daytime and the Bulltown campground areas on the upper end of the lake. The day-use area remains open until November, and the campground ramp typically stays open year 'round.

On the lower end, the Riffle Run boat ramp stays open year 'round and is adjoined to the lake's only marina, Burnsville Docks. To access the Riffle Run area, take exit 79 from Interstate 79 through the town of Burnsville and follow signs to the lake.

GREENBRIER RIVER SMALLMOUTH BASS
The Greenbrier River is one of the Mountain State's premier waters to fish for smallmouth bass, both for wading and float-fishing anglers.

The river is an easy one in terms of navigation, and even novice anglers should have no trouble paddling the Greenbrier River. Floating the Greenbrier remains the best way to garner a complete river experience, but wading anglers also share numerous opportunities to fish along its length.

The river contains a slight gradient, plenty of rocky substrate and fertile terrestrial banks. Smallmouths thrive among such structure, and this fishery is certainly a destination to rack up big numbers when fishing for smallmouths. Largemouth bass also inhabit the river, but their numbers remain substantially lower than smallmouths.

The Greenbrier is a heck of a place to catch plenty of good-sized smallmouth bass, with the majority falling in the 10- to 15-inch category. Occasionally, smallmouths exceeding 20 inches are caught, but the real attraction for anglers fishing the Greenbrier River remains the numbers of 10- to 15-inch bass.

As the fall season approaches, two lures really stand out for Greenbrier River smallmouths: the Rebel Crawfish lures and twistertail jigs. Crayfish stay active well into the fall and smallmouths are in the process of bulking up before the onset of winter, thus the rebel crayfish provides an enticing package for hungry bronzebacks.

During the fall, small jigs (1/8 to 1/4 ounce) consistently outfish other baits on the river, and small bass in particular really take a liking to the jigs. By hitting jigs so readily, small bass can in effect prevent larger bass from striking the baits. The consistent action can become a bother, or at other times a terrific problem to encounter depending on your outlook.