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Best muskellunge lakes in West Virginia

10 West Virginia waters hold muskellunge, 7 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The fish of 10,000 casts. Apex predator that shadows weed edges, rock and open-water bait schools.

1. Tygart Lake — 125 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
2. Burnsville Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
3. Greenbrier River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge, Rock Bass
4. Beech Fork Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Stonecoal Lake — 84 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
6. Woodrum Lake — 54 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Muskellunge
7. North Bend Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Upper Mud River Lake — 37 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. New River (Gorge) — 20 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge
10. Potomac River (Upper) — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge

When to fish muskellunge in West Virginia

• Spring 3–12 ft — Post-spawn fish recover in shallow, warming bays — smaller baits, slower work.
• Summer 8–25 ft — Deep weedlines, rock points and open-water humps near bait schools.
• Fall 8–30 ft — The trophy season: big baits worked slow on steep rock and remaining green weeds.
• Winter 15–35 ft — Mostly dormant; deep basins adjacent to structure.

Also in West Virginia: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best spotted bass lakes

Muskellunge elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Michigan · Montana · Wyoming · North Dakota · Iowa · Indiana · Ohio · Utah · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Illinois · New Jersey · Pennsylvania