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Fishing Summersville Lake: what the data says
2,700-acre reservoir near Summersville. West Virginia's largest lake. deep, clear water and a renowned spotted-bass fishery. The lake tops out around 263 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Spotted Bass fishing at Summersville Lake
Spring spotted bass on Summersville Lake hold shallow, usually 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 5 ft, rated prime for spring spotted bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Summersville Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Secondary point: a point around 11 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Summersville Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Summersville Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. 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 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 |
Walleye fishing at Summersville Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Secondary point is the standout, a point at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Summersville Lake
Spring channel catfish on Summersville Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Feeding flat: a feeding flat around 30 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Summersville Lake
Spring crappie on Summersville Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Marina / dock area, a dock line in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Summersville Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 262 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 147 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 111 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 25 ft
- Gauley River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 19 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 16 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 15 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
Common questions
How deep is Summersville Lake?
Summersville Lake is about 263 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 Summersville Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, rainbow trout, spotted bass on Summersville Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Summersville Lake?
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Summersville Lake?
For spotted 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
Hawks Nest Lake · New River (Gorge) · Sutton Lake · Plum Orchard Lake · Greenbrier River · Burnsville Lake
See how Summersville 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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.