Picture the perfect bass fishing trip. Maybe you’re chugging a floating frog through lily pads waiting for a blowup from a hungry largemouth, working a soft jerkbait through the head of a deep pool for river smallmouths, or exploring a forest of standing timber with a spinnerbait.
Any of these experiences could be taking place on one of West Virginia’s best bass waters, which are as diverse as they are excellent.
From iconic waterways like the New River to hidden gems like Elk Fork Lake, the Mountain State offers bass anglers a wide range of opportunities and many miles of picture-perfect bass water to explore.
These are the best spots for bass fishing in West Virginia.
Stonewall Jackson Lake
Frequently cited as the best largemouth lake in West Virginia, 2,630-acre Stonewall Jackson Lake is an impoundment of the West Fork River completed in 1990. Timber was left standing when the lake filled, providing excellent bass habitat.
No other lake in West Virginia is more likely to produce a 10-pound largemouth. The lake was long managed with strict catch-and-release regulations, but the rules were changed in 2013 to allow the harvest of six bass per day, only one of which may be over 18 inches.
The change was intended to control a growing population of invasive Alabama spotted bass, which have the potential to threaten the trophy largemouth fishery.
Timber-filled coves are some of the best places to find bass, and there are many of them along the reservoir’s main arm as well as the smaller Skin Creek and Little Skin Creek arms. Shoreline cover, including laydowns and brush, is also abundant.
Spring offers some of the finest bass fishing on Stonewall Jackson Lake. Largemouths head shallow to spawn starting in April, with the spawn in full swing by May.
Spinnerbaits and shallow-running crankbaits are ideal lures to mimic the gizzard shad that largemouths eat here. There are no horsepower restrictions on Stonewall Jackson Lake, but there are numerous no-wake zones, many of which indicate shallow stump fields.
The majority of the lake is accessible through the Stonewall Jackson Lake Wildlife Management Area, which includes multiple boat launch sites.
New River
In any ranking of America’s best smallmouth rivers, the New River is right up there with the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and the St. Lawrence River in New York. And when you factor scenery into the equation, the New River is virtually impossible to beat.
Its reputation is thoroughly justified. Smallmouth bass are tremendously abundant in the New River, and anglers catch numerous smallies weighing 4 to 5 pounds every year.
Some of the best smallmouth water flows through New River Gorge National Park, and many locals who fish the river regularly insist that the farther downriver into the gorge you go, the better the fishing gets.
The New River offers long, deep pools with rock and gravel bottoms, which are prime smallmouth haunts, especially early in the season. As the spawn approaches, look for bass in protected areas like deep bends and below islands.
Though the river is easiest to fish in summer, some of the biggest bass are caught in spring when the water is high and muddy. Hard stickbaits and jerkbaits like Original Rapalas and Husky Jerks are popular lures.
As phenomenal as the fishing in the New River can be, it’s not a river for novice paddlers. There’s some serious whitewater here, with rapids ranging from Class I to Class V, so it’s wise to float the river with an experienced guide.
There’s ample access to the New River for shore-bound anglers as well. The stretch through McCreery and Grandview can be reached right from the roadside, making it a good section for bank fishing.
Muskies also prowl the New River, and every so often, one will grab an unsuspecting bass angler’s lure. All we can say is, good luck!
Elk Fork Lake
You don’t need a big lake to produce big bass, and 209-acre Elk Fork Lake is proof of that. Created in 1997 with the construction of an earthen dam on Elk Fork Creek just outside of Ripley, it’s also one of West Virginia’s newer bass lakes.
Elk Fork Lake supports a very impressive largemouth population for such a small body of water. Bass are distributed throughout the lake, and fish up to 8 pounds have been reported, with 2- to 5-pounders being common.
The water is generally stained, and the lake has a lot of woody habitat, including timber that was left standing. Some of the best timber is right along the main creek channel.
Bass are often caught among the treetops, though they commonly retreat to deeper water along the channel in summer.
Elk Fork Lake also has a lot of healthy, established aquatic vegetation, which is uncommon in most West Virginia lakes due to their drastic winter drawdowns every year.
Elk Fork Lake gets a fair amount of pressure for a small lake, so avoid weekends if you want to beat the crowds. Bank and boat access is through Elk Fork Lake Wildlife Management Area.
Greenbrier River
The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River. Though not quite as legendary as its parent river, the Greenbrier offers some truly excellent smallmouth bass fishing. It’s also considerably calmer and easier to navigate.
Trophy smallmouths aren’t common on the Greenbrier River, but this waterway is loaded with bass up to 3 pounds. Anglers catch some of the biggest smallmouths in late fall and early spring.
The Greenbrier River is 162 miles long. Anglers generally think of as having upper and lower sections, with the boundary between Pocahontas and Greenbrier Counties serving as a dividing line.
The upper Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County typically fishes best in May, when bass are spawning and the river is still a little high. This section can get too low to float by the end of June most years, though wade fishing can be very good in summer.
Seneca State Forest and Watoga State Park are great places to access the upper Greenbrier River. The relatively small size of this section makes it a great place to fly fish for smallmouths.
Farther downriver, the Greenbriar is usually floatable year-round, though it’s generally still small enough to cast to either bank from the middle. The lower Greenbrier has abundant riffles, pools, gravel bars and shoals that often harbor bigger bass than the upper river.
Ample access makes it easy to plan a day-long float trip on the lower Greenbrier. Popular sections include Caldwell to Ronceverte (6 miles), Ronceverte to Fort Spring (8.5 miles), and Fort Spring to Alderson (6 miles).
Ohio River
The mighty Ohio River offers 277 miles of great fishing along the state line between West Virginia and Ohio. Though it’s best known for catfish, the river also supports healthy largemouth and smallmouth bass populations.
Spring is generally prime time for bass on the Ohio River, though high, muddy conditions often make the river virtually unfishable until April. Fall brings around some good bass fishing, too.
The best smallmouth fishing tends to be in the tailwaters below the lock and dam structures at the head of each of the Ohio River’s pools. The Pike Island, Hannibal and New Cumberland tailwaters, in particular, are good bets for smallies.
Located on the upper portion of the Ohio River along West Virginia’s northern panhandle, these three tailwaters commonly produce smallmouths over 18 inches. Plastic lizards and hellgrammite imitations are key baits.
Largemouth bass prefer to stay out of strong current and avoid tailwaters in favor of sheltered backwater areas. Barge docks, weed beds, backwaters, and tributaries in the Willow Island and Belleville pools are some of the best places to find largemouths.
Honorable Mentions
Plum Orchard Lake
Located in southern West Virginia’s Fayette County, Plum Orchard Lake is a small reservoir with a big reputation when it comes to fishing. In addition to some of the state’s biggest bluegill, the lake offers excellent largemouth action.
Early in the spring, anglers catch bass around timber and beaver huts along the lakeshore. Lily pads become productive as they proliferate in late spring, and the lake typically stratifies about 8 feet down in summer. It’s common to catch 4- to 5-pound bass here.
At just over 200 acres, Plum Orchard Lake is an excellent place to fish from a kayak. The surrounding Plum Orchard Wildlife Management Area is a great big outdoor playground that spans over 3,000 acres and includes campgrounds and multiple bank fishing spots.
Potomac River
The Potomac River is a great smallmouth fishery that spans four states and over 400 miles. It begins near Green Spring, WV, with the confluence of the North Fork and South Fork of the Potomac, both of which offer some excellent bass fishing in their own right.
The Potomac has a lot of great rocky structure, including ledges and riffles that provide great homes for smallmouth bass. Topwater lures are often productive, and soft jerkbaits are perennial favorites.
There are some fantastic floats on the Potomac, with the 8.5-mile section from Taylors Landing (on the Maryland side) to Shepherdstown being an excellent stretch. Expect to catch a lot of bass from 12 to 16 inches.
Upper Mud Lake
A small and fairly remote lake in the far western corner of West Virginia, Upper Mud Lake is a 307-acre reservoir that offers great bass fishing and receives fairly low fishing pressure.
Upper Mud Lake is an impoundment of the Left Fork Mud River. It is easily accessible through Upper Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area, which provides multiple bank access sites and shoreline hiking trails. It’s also a perfect kayak lake.
This small lake has a lot of great cover, including timber, the occasional beaver hut, and well-established weed beds, thanks to the absence of winter drawdowns. Try a weedless jig to punch through the vegetation for summer largemouths.
Cheat Lake
It hasn’t been that long since acid mine runoff left Cheat Lake virtually lifeless, but this 1,730-acre reservoir just outside Morgantown has made quite an impressive recovery. These days, it provides a substantial fishery for bass as well as lots of crappies.
Cheat Lake has become a popular tournament lake, and its location near I-79 in the northern part of the state means it gets quite a bit of attention from anglers. Largemouth bass are abundant, and smallmouths are also available.
Some of the best bass fishing is in the embayments formed by tributaries like Rubles Run and Morgan Run.
Jerkbaits and plastic worms are generally effective, and June is a great month to take advantage of hungry post-spawn bass.
Kanawha River
Formed by the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers near Gauley Bridge, the Kanawha River offers a wide range of fishing opportunities, including a healthy smallmouth bass population.
Some of the best fishing is less than a mile below the New/Gauley River confluence at Kanawha Falls. Farther down, a series of navigation dams control the Kanawha. You’ll likely catch smallmouths in the slack water above each dam and the tailwaters below.
The Kanawha River also flows through Charleston, and there’s excellent fishing within walking distance of the state capital. Smallmouths often grab soft jerkbaits and 4-inch plastic worms along Charleston’s rock-lined riverfront.
Summersville Lake
Known as one of the best walleye lakes in West Virginia, Summersville Lake is also an underrated bass lake. Smallmouths are the dominant black bass species, and this 2,700-acre reservoir on the Gauley River produces lots of fat, healthy bronzebacks from 12 to 18 inches.
They’re caught primarily around the lake’s rocky points and ledges. Deep, clear water can make fishing difficult at times, but McKeys Creek and Battle Run are a couple of reliable areas.
Try a finesse worm on a drop-shot rig when bass get picky.
Summersville Lake is drawn down 60 feet or more every winter, and as a result it has little established vegetation. The lake refills each spring starting in March, and smallmouths typically head shallow in April as the waters rise.
Catch More Bass
Try these simple fishing tactics and tips to catch more bass in West Virginia and beyond.