This 5-pound Burnsville Lake bass was caught just off a ledge with some submerged timber in the Knawl Creek area. Photo courtesy of Kevin Yokum.

Bass continually rank as the No. 1 freshwater sport fish across America, and it’s easy to see why. After all, bass live just about everywhere, they get quite large, and they are an absolute blast to catch.

West Virginia has tons of opportunities for bass, whether it is the mighty largemouth, the spirited spotted bass or the feisty smallmouth. Opportunities in our state include shots at trophy largemouths, or fishing in waters where three kinds of bass are present. Don’t forget the many float-fishing trips that may generate 100 smallies per day and rivers that provide a shot at world-class smallmouths.

So, if hot bassin’ action is what you crave this spring and summer, look no farther than the Mountain State.

ELK FORK LAKE
Perhaps the best new bass fishery in West Virginia is Elk Fork Lake. A relatively new impoundment, Elk Fork Lake has continued to flourish, even after capturing the initial burst of production that naturally follows the creation of new impoundments. Today, this lake boasts a bass population that features more bass per acre than any other state impoundment.

At 278 acres, this Jackson County impoundment may be smaller than waters normally fished by die-hard bass anglers, but the lake is simply full of bass. The lake’s small size can be a bit deceiving, because nearly every bit of Elk Fork Lake is capable of holding bass. The depth, cover and water clarity combine to create plenty of high-quality fishing locations throughout the lake.

Elk Fork Lake remains primarily filled with largemouths, but a few spotted bass do call it home as well. While it’s always tough to compete with O’Brien, Stonewall Jackson or even Burnsville lakes for trophy potential, one day when Elk Fork’s bass mature, this impoundment might join the Mountain State’s elite trophy bass waters. But for now, booming bass numbers are the main attraction at Elk Fork.

Another of the state’s specially regulated waters, Elk Fork’s bass are protected by catch-and-release regulations ever since the lake was impounded in the late 1990s. The regulation has assisted in the production of more big bass by restricting harvest as these fish work their way toward trophy status. Since Elk Fork is still reaping the benefits of the nutrient surge that’s normal for newly impounded waters, it’s not surprising that the lake offers bass anglers both numbers and size.

The secret about Elk Fork’s high catch rates has started to creep out, and naturally, the crowds have followed. So, expect to encounter fishing pressure when you come to Elk Fork, particularly on the weekends.

Elk Fork Lake was designed to retain plenty of woody habitat, and when the lake was formed, most of the timber within the lake basin was purposely left standing for fish habitat. As you might expect, submerged wood remains one of the lake’s hottest habitat types for bass.

The best stands of timber can be found along the original Elk Fork Creek channel, and it’s certainly no surprise that this area continues to be one of the lake’s most popular bass-fishing locations. Not only can anglers fish among submerged treetops in this area, but they also get to fish the deep creek channel, which is normally a superb spot for early summer bass.

In addition to timber, Elk Fork maintains good patches of aquatic vegetation. At times, Elk Fork’s vegetation serves up terrific fishing, and in this part of the country, weedbeds are always worth some angling effort.