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968-acre reservoir near Burnsville. USACE Little Kanawha River flood-control lake; muskie, bass and big flatheads. The lake tops out around 35 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The outline encloses 885 acres, worked by 33 miles of shoreline. An index of 7.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. About 97% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 6.5 mi end to end and 2.5 mi across at its widest. It sits in Braxton County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Sutton Lake, is 11 mi to the south.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 25 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (16 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) |
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter an 11 to 35 ft one. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 16 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (16 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts spotted bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 11 to 35 ft, wintering in 11 to 35 ft. Winter spotted bass concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 16 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 11 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Burnsville Lake also holds muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 9 structure features on Burnsville Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 25 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for West Virginia waters are set by the West Virginia DNR — and special regulations can apply to Burnsville Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official West Virginia fishing regulations →
Burnsville Lake is about 35 ft (11 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, muskellunge, walleye, flathead catfish on Burnsville Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Burnsville Lake is regulated by the West Virginia DNR. Check the official West Virginia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Sutton Lake 11 mi · Stonecoal Lake 17 mi · Big Ditch Lake 27 mi · Elkwater Fork Lake 32 mi · Wallback Lake 33 mi · Dog Run Lake 33 mi · Deegan Lake 37 mi · Hinkle Lake 37 mi · North Bend Lake 39 mi · Charles Fork Lake 41 mi · Summersville Lake 41 mi · Teter Creek Lake 43 mi
See how Burnsville Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in West Virginia · best smallmouth bass lakes in West Virginia · best walleye lakes in West Virginia · best crappie lakes in West Virginia
Browse all West Virginia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.