Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Kevin Yokum

The 20th bass of the day left me speechless. The lunker attacked my spinnerbait as the sun was sinking behind the mountain. It was the bass I had traveled all this way to encounter. The 6 1/2-pound bucketmouth was the highlight of the trip and more than enough justification for a return trip to this particular water.

West Virginia's catch-and-release lakes serve as extraordinary places to run into trophy largemouth bass. In addition to providing outstanding trophy potential, most of the special regulation lakes have excellent bass numbers, which means serious bass-catching action for Mountain State anglers. With high catch rates and exceptional trophy potential, it's no wonder anglers are flocking to these catch-and-release impoundments.

Although it's not the only reason that these lakes offer premium bass fishing, the catch-and-release regulation has certainly contributed. Public perception from the angling community is very strong toward support of this bass regulation on West Virginia impoundments.

A catch-and-release regulation on black bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) has been in place on Stonewall Jackson Lake since it was filled in 1989. During the three- to five-year period after a reservoir is impounded, fish go through a stage of rapid growth. Stonewall Jackson was no exception, as fish, especially bass, grew big fast. The catch-and-release regulation has enabled the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) to keep large bass in the population for an extended period of time. Stonewall bass aged by the DNR show that a few of these bass are more than 12 years old. Currently, Stonewall Jackson Lake is one of the largest bodies of water in the United States that has a catch-and-release regulation for black bass.

According to DNR bass tournament data, the catch rates (number of fish caught per hour) are higher in Stonewall Jackson than on any other reservoir in the state - and they have been for more than 12 years. While anglers enjoy catching lots of bass on the lake, most fishermen come to Stonewall Jackson to catch trophy bass.

Stonewall Jackson Lake is synonymous with abundant standing timber and for good reason. Anglers will find that most of the coves and vast areas of no-wake zones are covered with standing or submerged timber. Bass love to hang around timber, especially if deeper water is nearby.

Timber is such a productive cover to fish that trophy bass may be caught among Stonewall's timber any time of the year. Big bass love to hang around large trees, so make sure to thoroughly work those areas, particularly around trees that are lying horizontal.

Shorelines covered with riprap are also good places to find bass on Stonewall Jackson. Although under constant fishing pressure, these areas always seem to produce bass. Fish gather around these areas as the sun comes out, making riprap a great structure to fish during the afternoon or on sunny days. Even though fish can be caught year 'round near riprap, the best time of year to fish this rocky cover is probably during the summer.

Lying on the bottom of Stonewall Jackson are miles of old roadbeds. Bass often come up on the roadbeds to feed early in the morning and late in the evening. Even when bass aren't up on the roadbeds, they typically lie along the dropoffs just a few feet from the roadbeds. Although the roadbeds are superb places to fish year 'round, they are especially good in summer.

Located along Interstate 79 in central West Virginia, Stonewall Jackson Lake is one of most accessible waters in the state. Five launch facilities provide boating access. All launch ramps, with the exception of Glady Fork, are capable of launching large bass or pontoon boats. The lake itself is divided into two arms: the West Fork and Skin Creek.

The Skin Creek arm includes the Vandalia Bay, Glady Fork and Georgetown access sites. These sites can be reached by taking Exit 96 off Interstate 79 and traveling on county Route (CR) 30. Vandalia Bay is probably the busiest launch ramp on Stonewall Jackson and although this area has good habitat, it receives the most fishing pressure. One advantage of the Vandalia Bay site is that it provides convenient access to several miles of the Skin Creek arm.

The Georgetown access site receives low to moderate fishing pressure and contains a lot of standing timber, as well as riprapped shoreline areas for anglers to fish. An advantage of fishing the Georgetown access is that anglers can be fishing almost immediately after launching their boat, since excellent fishing is available close to the launch ramp.

Glady Fork offers primitive access on a small tributary arm of the lake, but it has plenty of bass habitat and receives relatively low fishing pressure. If you're looking to avoid the crowds, then Glady Fork may be your best bet on the Skin Creek side of the lake.

The West Fork arm offers the Roanoke and Jacksonville access sites and can be found by taking Exit 91 from Interstate 79. The Roanoke launch is located inside Stonewall Jackson State Park and is probably the second busiest ramp on the lake. This ramp provides access to many areas of the lake and features the lake's only marina service. The Roanoke area has some of the best riprapped shoreline on the lake.

The Jacksonville area is the most remote access on the lake and furnishes anglers with an abundance of submerged and standing timber. A five-mile no-wake zone stretches from the Jacksonville ramp downstream to an area near the state park, ensuring a peaceful fishing experience. This area offers some of the lake's best habitat for producing big bass. Concentrated fishing pressure is low in this area because of the endless topnotch fishing spots to choose from.

Big bass are found from one end of the lake to the other, although some areas may have higher numbers of trophy bass than others. Experienced anglers will tell you that Stonewall's big bass can be tough to catch sometimes, but each cast may produce the trophy of a lifetime.

Elk Fork has a lot of fishable water. By fishable, I mean that depth, cover and water clarity combine to create a perfect setting for anglers to contact bass in the fish's comfort zone. Bass that are in their home domain are much more likely to hit a lure than those that aren't. The average depth of the lake is between 8 and 10 feet and the lake's slightly tinted water makes it nearly ideal for largemouth bass anglers to fish.

Like Stonewall Jackson, Elk Fork's bass have been protected by catch- and-release regulations since the lake was impounded in the late 1990s. Nearly 300 acres of big-time bass fishing water was formed when Elk Fork Creek, a small but very productive tributary of Mill Creek, was impounded.

Elk Fork is filled with an assortment of woody habitat. When the lake was created, most of the trees in the lake basin were left standing. This means outstanding habitat for black bass and other fish species. The most elaborate patches of standing 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, which is normally a superb spot for summertime bass.

In addition to rich patches of standing and submerged timber, Elk Fork has an abundant supply of aquatic vegetation. This lake houses some of the state's best aquatic vegetative habitat, and there's no doubt that Elk Fork's vegetation is one of the reasons that this lake is such a dynamite bass fishery. Elk Fork is one of the few places in the state where anglers can go to purposefully fish aquatic vegetation, since annual drawdowns in West Virginia's reservoirs and other small impoundments prevent vegetation from prospering.

Elk Fork's aquatic vegetation is primarily concentrated along its shoreline, and generally, lush vegetation can be found along most of the lake. In addition to providing supreme cover for bass, this vegetation functions as a forage factory by forming a thriving environment for bluegills, crappie and other prey species.

Elk Fork is a relatively new impoundment that's still reaping the benefits of the nutrient surge that accompanies newly impounded waters, so it's no surprise that the lake provides bass anglers with both numbers and size.

Anglers who regularly fish Elk Fork are disappointed if they don't catch more than a dozen bass in an outing. Adding to the excitement, several bass in the lake have managed to reach trophy size (5 pounds) and a few of the lake's bass have gotten even bigger. Scott Morrison, a District 6 fisheries biologist, says that he has received credible reports of anglers catching Elk Fork bass that exceed 8 pounds.

Morrison also reports that last year's electrofishing samples indicated that Elk Fork is filled with a healthy population of largemouth bass as well as abundant forage. A good portion of the forage base is composed of small bluegills and crappie, which should continue to produce excellent bass fishing. Currently, the lake continues to provide growth rates even without a shad forage component.

Don't show up at Elk Fork and expect to have the lake all to yourself. This lake gets a significant amount of angling pressure. Morrison says that it's unusual to see Elk Fork's parking lot less than half full anytime, and during the weekends, the lot is typically full. A good bit of the angling pressure comes from the Charleston and Parkersburg areas, which are less than an hour's drive from the lake.

To access Elk Fork Lake from Interstate 77, take Exit 138 at Ripley and head west on U.S. Route 33. Turn onto CR 26 and follow it to the lake. The access ramp to Elk Fork is located about three-quarters of a mile from the dam along CR 26.

Catch-and-release regulations on Upper Mud Lake's bass have been in place since the upper portion of the Mud River was impounded in 1995. Live bait is allowed, but all bass must be released back into the water.

Where can anglers find those Upper Mud Lake lunkers? Upper Mud has a fair amount of aquatic vegetation, particularly during the summer months. The aquatic vegetation is clearly Upper Mud Lake's best bass habitat, and it's usually a sure bet that lake vegetation will hold several good-sized largemouths. Unlike the previously mentioned lakes, Upper Mud has very little standing or submerged timber, so don't go there looking to beat on some wood.

Upper Mud offers bass anglers a good mix of numbers and sizes. Electrofishing samples conducted by the DNR last year show a healthy population of largemouths and indicate that a few of the lake's bass had exceeded 5 pounds. Rumors of larger bass caught from the lake have been circulating. I wouldn't be surprised if bass in the 6- to 7-pound range inhabit the lake.

Instead of relying on shad as a food source, Upper Mud Lake utilizes small bluegills, crappie and several species of minnows for its forage base. So far, bass growth rates look good and anglers should look forward to Upper Mud turning out even more lunkers in the future.

The danger of putting shad in such a small impoundment is that these baitfish can quickly outgrow their forage size, becoming too large for bass to feed upon. As a result, shad become overabundant and can quickly turn a topnotch bass lake into a downtrodden lagoon.

According to Zack Brown, a District 5 fisheries biologist, Upper Mud Lake gets a moderate amount of fishing pressure, mainly from local anglers. The lake's remote location and less-than-perfect access roads keep fishing pressure at a lower level than if the lake were more accessible. However, many anglers who make the trip remain thankful that they did.

Upper Mud has two boat ramps, but the lake's main access ramp is located at the Upper Mud recreation area. There must be a hundred ways to access Upper Mud Lake, but none are really convenient. To get to Upper Mud Lake from Charleston, take U.S. Route 119 south and turn off onto CR 10. Follow CR 10 until you arrive at CR 46, and then travel on CR 46 until you reach CR 7. Turn onto CR 7 and follow it to the Upper Mud River Wildlife Management Area where the lake is located. Basically, all of the CRs parallel the Mud River from U.S. Route 119, so the river can serve as a guide for anglers traveling to Upper Mud Lake.

No matter how good these catch- and-release lakes are, catching big bass is usually not easy. If it were, everyone would catch them. One simple rule to live by on these waters is that you must have patience to consistently catch big bass. Sometimes just one cast can make the difference between going home a little disappointed or heading to the one-hour photo shop to develop a roll of pictures that shows you just caught the biggest bass of your life. You decide which of these awesome bass lakes to fish, but be sure to bring your camera because each one of these lakes has trophy-sized bass just waiting to attack your offering.