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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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Hawks Nest Lake runs 202 acres with 9.1 miles of edge. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 23% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 3 mi of water from one end to the other, 1 mi at the beam. The water lies in Fayette County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Plum Orchard Lake, 12 mi southwest of here.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 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. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (13 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 13 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season spotted bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 15 to 40 ft game here, winter a 25 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Main-lake point — point, 13 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (16 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Secondary point (16 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: white bass & hybrids in 3 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 13 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (57 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 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. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (13 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (57 ft) |
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall flathead catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | open water | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (57 ft) |
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.
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 57 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Hawks Nest Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official West Virginia fishing regulations →
Hawks Nest Lake is about 62 ft (19 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, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill 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. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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 Hawks Nest 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.
Plum Orchard Lake 12 mi · New River (Gorge) 15 mi · Summersville Lake 17 mi · Lake Stephens 24 mi · Wallback Lake 33 mi · Big Ditch Lake 36 mi · Greenbrier River 42 mi · Woodrum Lake 44 mi · Ridenour Lake 45 mi · Sutton Lake 46 mi · Charles Fork Lake 47 mi · R.D. Bailey Lake 50 mi
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 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.