# Summersville Lake, WV



## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

A group of friends and I have a cabin on Summersville Lake the first week of April. Has anyone fished this lake? We’re going to be targeting mostly walleye but will likely mix in some bass and maybe see if we can hook up with a couple pike. Thanks in advance for any pointers


----------



## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

TTT


----------



## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

You would think someone on here has fished it & has some advice for you.


----------



## work2fish (Mar 27, 2013)

T-180 said:


> You would think someone on here has fished it & has some advice for you.


I have fished there before, but it was during the summer and fall. Its a deep clear lake. It has the state record perch and also walleye and bass in it. I would look shallow around points in rhe spring. Either the upper lake or lower lake around the campground might be a good spot to start. It is truly a beautiful lake with huge rock walls.Good luck


----------



## clinchmtnboy1 (Jan 28, 2019)

ReadHeaded Hunter said:


> A group of friends and I have a cabin on Summersville Lake the first week of April. Has anyone fished this lake? We’re going to be targeting mostly walleye but will likely mix in some bass and maybe see if we can hook up with a couple pike. Thanks in advance for any pointers


----------



## clinchmtnboy1 (Jan 28, 2019)

_ I_


ReadHeaded Hunter said:


> A group of friends and I have a cabin on Summersville Lake the first week of April. Has anyone fished this lake? We’re going to be targeting mostly walleye but will likely mix in some bass and maybe see if we can hook up with a couple pike. Thanks in advance for any pointers


Ned rig should be right for bass. Very clear and deep. Walleye should be on the night feed.


----------



## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Being early April, will the eyes be upstream on a spawning run ?

Sent from my ST1009X using Tapatalk


----------



## clinchmtnboy1 (Jan 28, 2019)

Here is some info about summersville 

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/editorial/fishing_walleyes-fishing_wv_0308_01/192776


----------



## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

Trip is coming up soon. Checking the weather there daily and hoping for warm temps and sun! We could use the water temp to come up a bit


----------



## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

I wouldnt overlook the wv trout streams and lakes 

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk


----------



## afishinfool01 (Feb 13, 2019)

ReadHeaded Hunter said:


> Trip is coming up soon. Checking the weather there daily and hoping for warm temps and sun! We could use the water temp to come up a bit


Let us know how you do. I'd be very interested.

Sent from my LG-M327 using Tapatalk


----------



## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

afishinfool01 said:


> Let us know how you do. I'd be very interested.
> 
> Sent from my LG-M327 using Tapatalk


*And for anyone else wondering how it went... I just copy/pasted my report from a WV fishing forum I was talking to people on leading up to the trip. Saved me a lot of time typing the same information:*

Thanks again to everyone for the advice and willingness to share information! We had a blast of a weekend and really enjoyed our time at Summersville. It is an absolutely gorgeous lake and so different than what we're used to. And wow can the roads get sketchy towing a boat around if you dont know where you'r going! Here's my report:

FRIDAY 4/5: Water temp ~50-51, cloudy/rain/high winds

Started the morning from Salmon Run ramp and set up on good marks on a rocky drop off in ~26' of water jigging live minnows, moonshine jigs, and blade baits. A couple good hits but no catches. Wind kept blowing us off the spot so we werent there long. It was amazing the wind tunnel that dry riverbed creates. Headed into some more secluded water to explore-- found some good marks on a 20' drop off but didnt fish them much. Friday was cold and rainy so it was more of an exploring day than anything. Made a run to the other end of the lake and casted coves and river mouths to stay out of the wind. Picked up a nice 16.5" walleye in 4 fow on a black/chrome jerkbait on a mud line. After realizing the wind kept picking up, we wanted to get closer to the ramp, so headed back up towards where we started. Trolled cranks along the river channel drop. Tons of marks, but very few active fish or takers. Picked up one more 'eye and a couple nice rockies in 30-35'. Best bait was a blue/chrome wally diver (thanks Crawdaddy) behind a 1.5 oz snapweight @ 30/80. Also picked a couple up on flicker shads behind #1 tadpoles. Lost a good fish on a purple Reef Runner 800 @ 120 back unassisted. Fished 10 am-4 pm with a lot of motoring and exploring mixed in
Ended the day with some fish to fry as an appetizer while we grilled burgers at the cabin. We knew we were in trouble when we filleted the walleye and their stomachs were EMPTY. Seems like we hit the post spawn "funk".

Saturday 4/6- Sunny and 70, Water temps up to ~52-54

Launched at the USACE ramp by the dam and headed to the cove where we picked up the 'eye the day before. Worked the whole area casting with everything we had and no bass or walleye were hungry. Bass boats everywhere and everyone we talked to had a really rough day. Explored some and found some great marks on a 10 to 17' drop on a secondary point near the marina, but fish seemed inactive. No takers so decided to head back up to the other end of the lake. This is where things started going south. About halfway up the lake the depth finder started freaking out and we realized we were trolling the transducer behind the boat, only attached by the cord. Headed back and put the boat on the trailer to find out the mounting bracket for the transducer had snapped. Decided to trailer to Salmon Run and fish the rest of the day with no depth finder. Casted a river mouth with little luck, however saw someone slaying the bass parked in shallow water right where water was coming in. We decided to head up the river just out of curiosity. We got all the way up until we couldnt go any farther and WOW it was incredible. Didnt fish for long and didnt catch any but that crystal clear water with huge boulders almost to the surface was some of the coolest water I've ever fished. Decided to troll deeper water for the rest of the day but knew it would be tough with no depth finder. Ended up using 3-way swivels with a bell sinker on the bottom and a leader to the crank and just tried to keep bottom contact. Since the fish seemed very neutral we slowed the presentation down and tipped the middle hooks with small pieces of worm (this is a Gary Parsons trick for any fans). We trolled the S-curve then down the river channel down to just past the bridge and once we found out what they liked, we stayed busy reeling in fish, albeit it mostly rock bass. We had opted to troll with the light spinning tackle, so those stud rock bass were still a lot of fun. Did manage a nice 'eye and lost a MONSTER walleye close to the boat. Most fish came on blue/chrome flicker shads, but did pick one up including the big one we lost on chrome clown. Fish tacos for dinner Saturday night!

Since it had been relatively slow and we had lost the depth finder, we opted to get an early start on the way home Sunday and didn't fish. All in all it was an awesome trip with great friends and gorgeous scenery. 

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT LIKE TO WALLEYE FISH... from what we saw as far as a pattern with the 'eyes and their empty stomachs, I think its really about to explode with some hungry walleye out looking to fill those empty stomachs. Good luck!!


----------

