Burnsville experienced significant pressure on its muskie fishery back then, but for some reason during the last 10 years, fishing pressure on muskellunge has dropped dramatically. Could it be that many anglers fell in love with Stonewall Jackson and forgot about old reliable?

Well, nothing has changed from the days of old in terms of the muskie population on Burnsville. The lake is still stocked with plenty of fingerling muskies each year, and the reservoir remains full of forage, primarily redhorse suckers. Redhorse suckers make hearty forage that can really pack pounds on big muskies.

This scenario of unlimited forage and low fishing pressure creates an atmosphere that enables muskies to live long, grow fast and ultimately attain trophy size.

Burnsville Lake still has good numbers of muskies, but the lake's best attribute is producing trophy muskies. How big? Well, how about the 55-inch, 47-pound muskie that was found by fishermen in 1996? This potential state-record muskie was found floating dead on the lake either having expired from a stressful battle with an angler or more likely died of old age.

The lake has turned out a number of 40-inch-plus muskies over the last few years, and with additional angling effort would likely have yielded more fish of this size or better. The bottom line is that trophy muskies abound in this reservoir and not too many folks are pursuing them.

With 968 acres of water, this Braxton County reservoir features several areas of excellent muskie habitat, including patches of standing timber and small tributaries that flow into the lake. Many muskie anglers feel that the upper sections of the lake offer the best habitat, but muskies might turn up anywhere in the lake.

Jerkbaits or crankbaits fished near tributary mouths and around submerged timber continue to produce good muskie action, but trolling has become a popular method of probing the lake, too. Trolling has accounted for many of the trophy muskies produced by Burnsville Lake during the last two years.

Two launch ramps provide access for anglers. On the upper end of the lake, the Bulltown ramp is open from April to November, while the Riffle Run ramp, on the lower end of the lake, is open year 'round. The Riffle Run ramp can be easily reached by taking exit 79 off Interstate 79 at Burnsville. Located along U.S. Route 19 near Falls Mill, the Bulltown ramp remains situated in a more remote area.

For many anglers, nothing produces a fishing thrill like catching a trophy muskie. For those who have encountered such fish, you know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't, you might be in for a treat. That's if you head to one of West Virginia's premier trophy muskie lakes like the three featured here.