Quantities of bass appear to be the lake's best attribute right now, but just how many bass can an angler expect to catch at this hotspot? It's not uncommon for anglers fishing Elk Fork to catch 20 or so bass in an outing, most of which will run from 1 to 3 pounds. However, as the bass population ages, many of Elk Fork's largemouth bass will be in the 5-pound range soon enough.

Biologist Morrison reports that recent electrofishing samples on Elk Fork revealed a healthy mix of largemouth bass as well as ample forage to keep them healthy. So far, shad have not been included in the lake's fishery, and a solid portion of the forage base remains composed of small bluegills and sunfish. The lake also contains several minnow and shiner species, as well as other small forage fish.

If you come to fish Elk Fork Lake, expect to encounter fishing pressure. "Usually, Elk Fork's parking area runs at least half full during the spring and early summer. As you might expect, the heaviest fishing pressure occurs on the weekends," Morrison said.

Over 300 bass were tagged on Elk Fork during a 2003 tagging study, which was designed to assess fishing pressure on several of West Virginia's small impoundments. The results of that study revealed considerable angling pressure on most of the state's small impoundments, although anglers catching bass on Elk Fork shouldn't significantly affect the fishery because of the catch-and-release regulation.

The lake's high fishing pressure shouldn't surprise anyone, since Elk Fork happens to be located between the major population centers of Charleston and Parkersburg. Any decent bass lake resting between such urban areas would be expected to attract big crowds.

WHERE ARE THE BASS?
It's no accident that Elk Fork Lake features plenty of woody habitat. Most of the timber in the lake basin was purposely left standing, and thus creates some marvelous habitat for bass and other fish species. Submerged woody debris has been proven to be one of the preferred habitat types for bass.

The best stands of timber can be found along the old Elk Fork Creek channel, and it's certainly no surprise that this area is one of the lake's most popular bass-fishing locations. Not only can anglers fish among the treetops in this area, but they also get to fish the deep creek channel that is normally a superb spot for summertime bass. Morrison rates the timber area and the creek channel as two of the best locations to probe for bass on Elk Fork Lake.

In addition to patches of standing and submerged timber, Elk Fork has some of the state's best aquatic vegetative habitat; there's no doubt that Elk Fork's vegetation is one of the reasons that this lake has become such a dynamite bass fishery.

Elk Fork Lake serves as one of only a handful of destinations in the state where anglers can go to purposefully fish aquatic vegetation. Annual drawdowns, harsh climates, tough growing conditions and predation from animals prevent vegetation from prospering in most West Virginia reservoirs and small impoundments.

Like most impoundments, Elk Fork's aquatic vegetation is primarily concentrated along its shoreline. However, since this lake is relatively shallow in many areas, it is not uncommon to find patches of aquatic vegetation throughout the lake.