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Trout Recon – Cacapon State Park (WV)

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The Basswife is addicted to sun and sand.  All you have to do to get on her good side is say “beach”.  For her birthday this summer, I took her up to Berkeley Springs to go to one of the spas.  Since you can’t afford to spend all day in those places, I needed something else to fill the day with.  I discovered the lake at Cacapon State Park.

The lake sports a man-made beach that has reasonably deep sand.  There are lifeguards and a snack bar.  The very cheap entry fee supports the facility.  We were there during the middle of the week and the crowd was minimal. There are also paddle boats and row boats on the other side of the lake.  There are actually two different fishing areas in the park – the lake and the reservoir.  The lake is stocked while the reservior is not.  According the the DNR, they dump trout in here in the spring and you can catch bass and catfish year round.

On the day we were here I observed on guy fishing from a row boat with his small kids.  Other than that, there was no activity at all; suggesting that this is so obvious that everyone assumes that it is heavily fished.  While you will have to dodge paddleboaters while you fish, you might have some luck.

I did not have my gear with me the day we were there, so I could not test out the theory.  In addition, we were not there on the weekend, so the true fishing pressure by the common barometer of a weekend is unknown.

Getting there:  Just turn off of 522 at the marked entrance and follow the signs to the lake.  If you want fish, you will need to loop around to the other side from where the swimming is.  The swimming area is fenced off so you can’t pop your family on the sand and then walk to the other sections to fish.

Looking southwest from the handicapped fishing pier

Looking east from the pier

East end of the lake

Looking across from the beach – the paddleboaters will be all over the place

Shot of the beach itself – not a bad little spot

Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

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