When I consider choosing the best bass fishing lake in West Virginia, Tygart Lake wouldn’t be my first choice. However, the folks at Bassmaster Magazine seem inclined to disagree. Bassmaster recently put out its list of the Top 100 bass fishing lakes in the United States. Their list ranked Tygart #86 in the nation.
Since it was the only West Virginia water mentioned, I concluded in the eyes of the Bassmaster staff, it’s the best bass fishing water in West Virginia.
"The list was compiled through a months-long process reviewing research from state fisheries agencies, nominations from B.A.S.S. Federation Nation tournament organizers and a panel of widely traveled professional anglers, fishing writers and others." Reads a press release, which arrived this week in my in-box.
Tygart Dam was authorized in 1935 and was the first of 16 flood control dams built in the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was completed in 1938 and has long been a protector of downstream communities. It’s a phenomenal protection device against flooding and it’s a beautiful setting for a picnic, weekend camping trip, or for that matter a good place for a fishing trip. I’m just not so sure I would count it among my top bass fishing destinations in West Virginia.
A DNR fisheries biologist once told me, "Managing fish in Tygart is like managing fish in commode." He wasn’t deriding water quality, but the fluctuation in water levels. The lake level is controlled by the Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh and the rise and fall of the water, especially in the spring, can be dramatic. The radical changes often adversely impact bass spawning and nesting success.
Secondly, Tygart is largely bereft of any vast cover for bass. When the Corps began flood control projects in the 1930’s, nobody gave much thought to the fishery–the focus was narrowly scoped on protecting downstream property. Since the land taken for the lake would never be used again, much of it was clear-cut. The result is a lake bottom resembling a moonscape during winter drawdown.
Eventually, construction of flood control lakes improved. Research on bass habitat evolved and more attention was paid to life after the lake by the time Stonewall Jackson Dam was completed in 1986. Instead of timbering the lake’s bottom, the Corps flooded the forest. Bass, and bass anglers, have delighted in the results for more than 20 years.
I have nothing against Tygart Lake. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a fantastic spot in relation to a family outing. But as a bass fishery, I would disagree is the 86th best bass water in the nation. Even more surprising were the well-known bass lakes, which were ranked behind it. Lake Murray in South Carolina, Lake Eufaula in Alabama/Georgia, Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee, and Lake Lanier in Georgia were all ranked below Tygart in the Bassmaster list.
The number one lake on the Bassmaster list is Falcon Lake in Texas. I’d be hard-pressed to disagree. A friend of mine recently returned from there with stories to amaze and the pictures to back them up.
"Okay Chris, since you know so much…which would YOU say is the best bass fishing lake in West Virginia?"
I thought you’d never ask…
Bassmaster’s list called them the best "lakes", but they did include a river or two in there–including the Potomac in Maryland and Virginia. Therefore, I’m not sure my number one choice would qualify in the list, but my top choice of a bass fishery in West Virginia is the New River. The New River benefits greatly from a surface release of water from Bluestone Dam leaving the watershed filled with nutritious plankton and vibrant aquatic life. The waterway is environmentally clean and largely free of much industrial pollution. Fish are abundant and thriving. Fishing access is limited in some cases, which reduces pressure on the fish. State fishing regulations establish a catch and release regulation on many areas of the stream, which contributes to enhancing the fishery.
If New River can’t be number 1 then my choice is Stonewall Jackson Lake. Stonewall was built to be a bass fishery. The standing timber has long been a haven for bass to lurk. There is solid reproduction in the lake. A 25-year catch and release regulation has served to enhance the bass in the water. There is some discussion about changing the regulation in the next few years. Pleasure boaters at times make the water difficult to fish. Because of the central WV location and its popularity, the lake is often crowded. Still yet, it is in my mind the state’s top bass fishing water.
Others I would have to consider among the best bass fishing waters in West Virginia. Elk Fork Lake in Jackson County, Upper Mud River Reservoir in Lincoln County, Sleepy Creek Lake in Morgan County, and North Bend Lake in Ritchie County. Each of those waters is incredibly similar in their makeup. All are about the same size. All were built as smaller flood control projects. All have horsepower restrictions on boating. Each has a strong bass population. Three of the four have a catch and release restriction for black bass and three of the four have standing timber. Upper Mud may have had trees in the water at one time, but nothing to speak of today. Sleepy Creek does NOT have a catch and release restriction. All of them are very productive for bass fishing.
Here is the Bassmaster Top 100. Feel free to weigh-in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Bassmaster Magazine 2012 100 Best Bass Lakes in the U.S.
1. Falcon Lake, Texas
2. Lake Okeechobee, Florida
3. Lake Guntersville, Alabama
4. Lake Erie, Michigan/Ohio/New York/Pennsylvania
5. Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont
6. Lake Amistad, Texas
7. Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota
8. San Joaquin Delta, California
9. Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
10. Clear Lake, California
11. Rainy Lake, Minnesota
12. Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee
13. Lake St. Clair, Michigan
14. Oneida Lake, New York
15. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana
16. Kentucky Lake/Barkley Lake, Kentucky/Tennessee
17. Grand Lake, Oklahoma
18. Kezar Lake, Maine
19. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
20. Columbia River, Washington/Oregon
21. Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes, Florida
22. Candlewood Lake, Connecticut
23. Santee Cooper lakes, South Carolina
24. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
25. Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin
26. Lake Fork, Texas
27. Louisiana Delta, Louisiana
28. Lake Ouachita, Arkansas
29. Lake Konawa, Oklahoma
30. Lake Of The Ozarks, Missouri
31. Potomac River, Maryland/Virginia
32. Shasta Lake, California
33. Lake Havasu, Arizona
34. Lake Michigan, Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana/Michigan
35. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
36. Florida Everglades, Florida
37. Lake Charlevoix, Michigan
38. Lake Mead, Nevada
39. Choke Canyon Lake, Texas
40. Lake Seminole, Georgia/Florida
41. Congamond Lakes, Massachusetts
42. Table Rock Lake, Missouri
43. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
44. Falls Lake, North Carolina
45. Umpqua River, Oregon
46. Okoboji Lake, Iowa
47. Red River, Louisiana
48. Pueblo Reservoir, Colorado
49. DeGray Lake, Arkansas
50. Trap Pond, Delaware
51. Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas/Missouri
52. Spirit Lake, Iowa
53. St. Lawrence River, New York
54. Squam Lake, New Hampshire
55. High Rock Lake, North Carolina
56. Arbuckle Lake, Oklahoma
57. Lake Tarpon, Florida
58. Apache Lake, Arizona
59. Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona
60. Perry Reservoir, Kansas
61. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee
62. Lake Wawasee, Indiana
63. Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
64. Lake Conroe, Texas
65. Noxon Rapids, Montana
66. Diamond Valley Lake, California
67. Summit Reservoir, Nebraska
68. Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey
69. Rend Lake, Illinois
70. Lake Pleasant, Arizona
71. Lake Audubon, North Dakota
72. Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming
73. Harris Chain Of Lakes, Florida
74. Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine
75. Ute Lake, New Mexico
76. Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
77. Wilson Reservoir, Kansas
78. Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico
79. Lake Oahe, South Dakota
80. Gull Lake, Minnesota
81. Kerr Reservoir/Buggs Island, N.C./Virginia
82. Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky
83. Lake Gaston, North Carolina
84. Bullards Bar Reservoir, California
85. Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho
86. Tygart Lake, West Virginia
87. Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Kansas
88. O.H. Ivie, Texas
89. Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania
90. Lake Murray, South Carolina
91. Lake Sammamish, Washington
92. Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia
93. Enid Reservoir, Mississippi
94. Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee
95. Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana
96. Manasquan Reservoir, New Jersey
97. Lake Mohave, Nevada
98. Lake Lanier, Georgia
99. Sebago Lake, Maine
100. McPhee Lake, Colorado