Sutton Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Flathead Catfish

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Spotted Bass, Northern Hog Sucker, Black Crappie
Boat: 4 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Sutton Lake, 2 lanes.

The reservoir

Sutton Lake covers 1,459 acres in West Virginia, across Braxton County. It is a reservoir: 93.3% of it is 70 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 112 feet (34.1 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 193 feet (58.8 m) at full pool. Our records hold 10 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 112 ft (34.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. USGS RESSED gives 193 ft (58.8 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. 93.3% of the water is 70 feet or shallower. We hold 69 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–10 ft: 16.7% of the water
  • 10–20 ft: 23.4% of the water
  • 20–30 ft: 16.8% of the water
  • 30–40 ft: 11.5% of the water
  • 40–50 ft: 9.5% of the water
  • 50–60 ft: 8.8% of the water
  • 60–70 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 70–80 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 80–90 ft: 2.4% of the water

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Flathead Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Spotted Bass — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
  • Northern Hog Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.

Also recorded here: Bluegill, Rock Bass, Longear Sunfish.

4 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 4 trailer ramps.

  • Sutton Lake Bee Run — 1 lane. On Elk River, Sutton. Bee Run Recreation Road, Sutton 26601
  • Sutton Lake — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms.
  • Sutton Lake Bakers Run Campground — 1 lane.
  • Sutton Lake: Gerald R Freeman Campground — 1 lane. On Elk River.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 4 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 48°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 6.7. These readings span 2022–2023.

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.
  • USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.