Burnsville Lake is in Braxton County, just south of the Braxton/Lewis county line. It took a dam on the Little Kanawha River to form this 968-acre water, which has an average depth of 15 to 20 feet.

The Division of Natural Resources provides additional fish-attracting habitat in the form of brushpiles made of Christmas trees and triangular pallets. These structures are placed in depths of about 10 to 20 feet. The forage base on Burnsville is made up of emerald shiners, other minnows and small panfish.

Anglers targeting catfish will find that they tend to concentrate along points, just as many other species of game fish do. Burnsville Lake has a number of long, extended sand points and flats, excellent spots to intercept the lake's channel cats.

There is no horsepower limitation on Burnsville Lake, though there are several no-wake zones. Basically, the no-wake zones are found in the lake's bays and coves, as well as its headwaters.

Boat access is available at three sites. This includes the Riffle Run and Bulltown day use areas, plus the Bulltown Camping Area. Many of Burnsville's better shoreline access for anglers is found within these areas. The Falls Mill Fisherman's Area provides access for the handicapped, as do other day use areas.

Burnsville is an excellent place to combine catfishing with a summer camping outing. The Riffle Run Campground provides 60 sites, while the Bulltown Campground offers over 200. Sites vary from primitive to those with hookups for electric, water and sewage.

Burnsville Lake can be reached by taking exit 79 off Interstate 79. Follow state Route (SR) 5 to the lake.

A daily report on lake and tailwaters conditions can be heard by calling (304) 853-2398.

BLUESTONE LAKE
Spanning the New River near Hinton, Bluestone Lake's 2,000-plus acres represent another topnotch channel catfish impoundment.

Stonewall Jackson is one of the top lakes in the state for channel catfish, with good numbers of average-sized fish, as well as some that are over 20 inches.

Bluestone supports an excellent warmwater fishery, part of the reason being a strong gizzard shad population. While considered a scavenger by many -- and they do readily take dead bait -- channel cats are also effective predators. Many a bass angler has had a channel cat smash a crankbait. So you can be sure Bluestone's channel cats make good use of the lake's shad population.

Bluestone Lake is easily accessible from I-77 and I-64. Take exit 14 (Athens Road) off I-77 to SR 20. Travel north approximately 25 miles to Bluestone Dam. From Interstate 64, take exit 139 (Sandstone/Hinton) off I-64 to SR 20, and travel south approximately 12 miles to Bluestone Dam. The dam is located at Hinton.

Launch ramps are located at Bluestone Bridge, Bluestone State Park, Bluestone Marina, Leatherwood Landing, Bull Falls and Bertha, though not all are suited for larger- size boats. A campground is within Bluestone State Park. Primitive camping is available at specified locations on the Bluestone Wildlife Management Area.

For additional information, contact the Bluestone State Park at (304) 466-2805, or call the COE Project Manager's office at (304) 466-1234.

There is no horsepower limit on the lake.

OHIO RIVER
West Virginia's portion of the Ohio River not only provides a distinct physical boundary along the northwestern edge of the state, it also provides some outstanding fishing opportunities, catfish in particular. Channel cats and flatheads exist in very good numbers, and also grow to excellent sizes in the Ohio. Blue cats are also showing up.