Moncove Lake

One of the many salamanders...

So, yesterday we (we being the bulk of the family about 15 people or so) decided to take advantage of the free fishing weekend in WV and headed to Moncove Lake state park.  Moncove is in Monroe County WV near Gap Mills.  It's a beautiful little area, and well worth the visit.  We ended up setting up in a place that didn't really give us the best fishing opportunities; but sometimes successful fishing isn't the most important factor...

Brenda with a nice gill

Well, things did not go according to plan. We did hit Moncove, but we ended up in about the worst possible position for fishing; but a great place for a family outing otherwise. We ended up right near the playground. So we had a great mix of sun, shade, and things for the kids to do. Unfortunately, that did not translate too well for fishing. We were on the inside edge of a huge flat of lilly pads and we had bluebird skies all day. Timing wise, we hit from about 11am through 5pm or so. Prime fishing times huh? lol. The water depth I'm guessing was maybe a few feet at the deepest spots we found. So, suffice it to say, fishing was tough. And no, we didn't even end up renting a boat...however, I think if we had we certainly could have improved our odds even in these conditions.  But we did still catch a few.

Bruce with another perch

 We caught: Bluegill, Bass and Yellow Perch. But the bite was slow and well earned. Most came off well place worms fished or drug along the bottom. I caught a couple off of a beetle spin with a grub on it. Had the skies been overcast I think we would have done much better on the pan fish.

I will say, that unless you knew the lake had been drained, you would have not been able to tell. It looks exactly the same. The lily pads and cattails were all the same and those on boats were all fishing the same areas we used to fish years ago. Given the numbers of fish we caught in horrible fishing conditions and location I think it's safe to say the lake has definitely recovered.

Brandon showing off his "lunker"

The bass were mostly small, I think maybe a total of two were over a foot. But, I think that was more relevant to positioning vs what's in the lake. BUT - every single fish we caught was extremely healthy. I didn't notice any parasites, or any other prominent fish illness. It is still early in the season, so that may change if there are any issues as summer progresses. Given the number of small bass and pan fish in general, the breeding stock must be doing well so there should be plenty of forage.

Christian enjoyed his first cold wet fish on the belly... lol.

I think the lake is doing well, although we didn't get the opportunity to really "test" it; I think what we saw was proof enough that she will be ok. Maybe next time I will get to try for some of those channel cats and see how they are stacking up too!

Tight Lines!