MORGANTOWN — With the start of summer right around the corner, anglers are more likely to be out and about trying to catch their trophy fish.
The Morgantown area offers a wide range of opportunities for both individual anglers and families, according to Dustin Smith, the fisheries biologist for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Division One.
“The Morgantown area offers quite a variety of opportunities for folks, ranging from basic family fishing opportunities where you can take kids to catch a bunch of bluegill and bass,” Smith said. “To areas more suited for our more seasoned anglers.”
Smith added the Morgantown area has a few small impoundments, which are small lakes that contain fish.
These lakes are easier access for those who want to fish, Smith said.
“For the most part [they] offer easy access, whether it’s shoreline fishing or boat opportunities,” he said. “Most of our small impoundments are for electric motors only, you’re talking kayaks, canoes and jon boats with a trolling motor.”
Smith noted most of these lakes offer easy fishing opportunities for those who want to catch a large number of fish.
Two of these lakes are just outside of Morgantown, Smith said.
“Two of the ones close to Morgantown are Mason Lake and Dixon Lake, which are out [W.Va.[ 7,” he said. “They’re really close to each other; Dixon Lake is a small lake that’s only maybe 56 acres, but there is a fishing trail around the entire lake so you can walk the entire lake and fish.”
Smith added Dixon Lake is strictly catch-and-release and it also prohibits the use of barbed hooks to keep the fish population healthy.
“There’s lots of fish in there — bass, bluegill and channel catfish,” he said. “So it’s a good opportunity for people to go in and catch a lot of fish in addition to being a catch-and-release lake.”
Dixon Lake’s other half, Mason Lake, is not a catch-and-release lake and is stocked with different species of fish by the DNR.
“There are special regulations for our bluegill and sunfish,” Smith said. “We kind of manage our bigger sunfish in there. They grow fast, and there’s the opportunity to catch sunfish 10 inches or bigger. We also stock that lake with channel catfish.”
Smith added people who have fished at Mason Lake for catfish have done rather well.
One of the other more elusive fish that anglers are after is the muskellunge.
Dunkard Creek, located alongside W.Va. 7 is a prime spot to catch muskie in the Morgantown area, Smith said.
“One of the classic places is Dunkard Creek out Route 7,” he said. “The other big place for muskie is the Monongahela River. We stock it with muskie pretty regularly, and there’s the opportunity to catch trophy fish there, as well. We get muskie there around 48 to 49 inches.”
Smith added he has gotten some reports of people catching muskie out of the Monongahela River upwards of 50 inches.
Water temperatures play a huge factor in fishing during the summer months, Smith said.
“Once we get into these hot water temperatures, fish don’t like to feed as much during the day,” he said. Anglers “are better off to focus on the early morning hours or the late evening hours, when the sun is first coming up or right as it begins to set.”
