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Fishing Hawks Nest Lake: what the data says
250-acre reservoir near Ansted. New River reservoir in the New River Gorge at Ansted, reached by aerial tramway; smallmouth, spotted bass, hybrid stripers and big flatheads. The lake tops out around 62 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Hawks Nest Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spotted Bass fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
In spring, spotted bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 50 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 13 ft, rated prime for spring spotted bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
Spring white bass & hybrids on Hawks Nest Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
Spring channel catfish on Hawks Nest Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Hawks Nest Lake
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall flathead catfish. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Hawks Nest Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 57 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 15 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 13 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 13 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
Common questions
How deep is Hawks Nest Lake?
Hawks Nest Lake is about 62 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Hawks Nest Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, spotted bass on Hawks Nest Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Hawks Nest Lake?
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Hawks Nest Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Plum Orchard Lake · New River (Gorge) · Summersville Lake · Lake Stephens · Woodrum Lake · Sutton Lake
See how Hawks Nest Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in West Virginia · best smallmouth bass lakes in West Virginia · best bluegill lakes in West Virginia · best channel catfish lakes in West Virginia
Browse all West Virginia fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.