Tygart a Top-100 Bass Lake
Magazine ranks fisheries in U.S.
Morgantown Dominion Post
30 April 2012
Submitted to The Dominion Post
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Bassmaster magazine, the official publication
for members of BASS, rated Tygart Lake among the 100 best bass
fishing lakes in the United States.
Tygart Lake was No. 86 on the list, compiled in a months-long
process that included research from state fisheries agencies,
nominations from BASS Federation Nation tournament organizers and
a panel of widely traveled professional anglers, fishing writers
and others.
Despite its reputation as a dangerous place to fish, Texas’ Falcon
Lake ranked in first place. The 58-year-old impoundment straddles
the Rio Grande and is shared by Texas and Mexico. The 83,000-acre
reservoir has been in the news as much for drug cartelrelated
crime as for its enormous catches of largemouth bass.
Falcon produced the record winning catch for the Bassmaster Elite
Series circuit when Paul Elias caught 132.5 pounds of bass during
four days in 2008.
Texas tops the list of states with eight lakes or rivers in the
Top 100, followed by Florida, which has seven, including No.
2-ranked Lake Okeechobee.
The lakes were ranked using a variety of qualifiers. Department of
Natural Resource representatives provided the five most productive
lakes in each state based on electroshock surveys and angler catch
rates. BASS Federation Nation presidents offered top lake
recommendations based on tournament catches, while conservation
directors supplied details on lake accessibility and best fish
stocking practices.
A panel of outdoors writers, editors, Bassmaster Elite Series
professional anglers and fishing industry veterans ranked the
final list based on current fishability of each lake, considering
its history, big fish and overall quantity potential and aesthetic
surroundings of the area.
The list is slated to appear annually. For full details about each
of the lakes ranked, as well as more details about each one: http://bassmaster.com/news/100-bestbass-lakes.
The list:
1. Falcon Lake, Texas 2. Lake Okeechobee, Florida 3. Lake
Guntersville, Alabama 4. Lake Erie, Michigan/Ohio/New
York/Pennsylvania 5. Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont 6. Lake
Amistad, Texas 7. Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota 8. San Joaquin Delta,
California 9. Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 10. Clear Lake, California
11. Rainy Lake, Minnesota 12. Pickwick Lake,
Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee 13. Lake St. Clair, Michigan 14.
Oneida Lake, New York 15. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana 16.
Kentucky Lake/Barkley Lake, Kentucky/Tennessee 17. Grand Lake,
Oklahoma 18. Kezar Lake, Maine 19. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
20. Columbia River, Washington/Oregon 21. Kissimmee Chain Of
Lakes, Florida 22. Candlewood Lake, Connecticut 23. Santee Cooper
lakes, South Carolina 24. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona 25. Lake
Winnebago, Wisconsin 26. Lake Fork, Texas 27. Louisiana Delta,
Louisiana 28. Lake Ouachita, Arkansas 29. Lake Konawa, Oklahoma
30. Lake Of The Ozarks, Missouri 31. Potomac River,
Maryland/Virginia 32. Shasta Lake, California 33. Lake Havasu,
Arizona 34. Lake Michigan, Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana/Michigan 35.
Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota 36. Florida Everglades, Florida 37.
Lake Charlevoix, Michigan 38. Lake Mead, Nevada 39. Choke Canyon
Lake, Texas 40. Lake Seminole, Georgia/Florida 41. Congamond
Lakes, Massachusetts 42. Table Rock Lake, Missouri 43. Lake
Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire 44. Falls Lake, North Carolina 45.
Umpqua River, Oregon 46. Okoboji Lake, Iowa 47. Red River,
Louisiana 48. Pueblo Reservoir, Colorado 49. DeGray Lake, Arkansas
50. Trap Pond, Delaware 51. Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas/Missouri
52. Spirit Lake, Iowa 53. St. Lawrence River, New York 54. Squam
Lake, New Hampshire 55. High Rock Lake, North Carolina 56.
Arbuckle Lake, Oklahoma 57. Lake Tarpon, Florida 58. Apache Lake,
Arizona 59. Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona 60. Perry Reservoir, Kansas
61. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee 62. Lake Wawasee, Indiana 63.
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia 64. Lake Conroe, Texas 65. Noxon
Rapids, Montana 66. Diamond Valley Lake, California 67. Summit
Reservoir, Nebraska 68. Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey 69. Rend Lake,
Illinois 70. Lake Pleasant, Arizona 71. Lake Audubon, North Dakota
72. Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming 73. Harris Chain Of Lakes,
Florida 74. Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine 75. Ute Lake, New Mexico
76. Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania 77. Wilson Reservoir, Kansas
78. Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico 79. Lake Oahe, South Dakota
80. Gull Lake, Minnesota 81. Kerr Reservoir/Buggs Island,
N.C./Virginia 82. Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky 83. Lake
Gaston, North Carolina 84. Bullards Bar Reservoir, California 85.
Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho 86. Tygart Lake, West Virginia 87. Keith
Sebelius Reservoir, Kansas 88. O.H. Ivie, Texas 89. Lake
Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania 90. Lake Murray, South Carolina 91.
Lake Sammamish, Washington 92. Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia 93.
Enid Reservoir, Mississippi 94. Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee 95.
Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana 96. Manasquan Reservoir, New Jersey
97. Lake Mohave, Nevada 98. Lake Lanier, Georgia 99. Sebago Lake,
Maine 100. McPhee Lake, Colorado