Burnsville Lake fishing: Black Redhorse, Golden Redhorse, Spotted Bass
Target species: Black Redhorse, Golden Redhorse, Spotted Bass, Northern Hog Sucker, Longear Sunfish
Boat: 4 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Burnsville Dam, 4 lanes.
The reservoir
Burnsville Lake covers 900 acres in West Virginia, across Braxton County. It is a reservoir: 92% of it is 21 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 55 feet (16.8 m). Our records hold 8 species for this water.
5 target fish, led by Black Redhorse
- Black Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- Golden Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- Spotted Bass — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
- Northern Hog Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
- Longear Sunfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
Also recorded here: Common Carp, Stonecat, Brook Silverside.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 55 ft (16.8 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92% of the water is 21 feet or shallower. We hold 82 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–3 ft: 7.7% of the water
- 3–6 ft: 10.3% of the water
- 6–9 ft: 18.1% of the water
- 9–12 ft: 17.9% of the water
- 12–15 ft: 15.2% of the water
- 15–18 ft: 12.7% of the water
- 18–21 ft: 10.1% of the water
- 21–24 ft: 6.1% of the water
- 24–27 ft: 1.3% of the water
- 27–30 ft: 0.3% of the water
- 30–33 ft: 0.2% of the water
- 33–36 ft: 0.2% of the water
- 36–39 ft: 0.1% of the water
4 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps, 1 boat ramp and 1 shore access point.
- Burnsville Docks — Burnsville.
- Burnsville Dam — 4 lanes, lit for night fishing.
- Bulltown Campground — 1 lane, lit for night fishing.
- Bulltown Day Use Area — 1 lane.
Shore access for bank fishing
- Burnsville Lake Tailwaters — on Little Kanawha River.
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 5 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
Water and conditions
Our water temperature readings average 68°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.4. These readings span 2017–2020. The latest reading is from 2020, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.
What is hard here
Only 4 public ramps are on file, so the launch decides where you fish.
Where this data comes from
- West Virginia DNR — West Virginia DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
