It’s that time of year again when BASS Nation of West Virginia crowns its State Champion, but this time it will take place on the banks of Summersville Lake in what will be a fall fishing showdown.
Competition days will be October 14-15 with takeoffs from the McKee’s Creek Marina at 7:00 A.M. and weigh-ins each day will be back at the Marina at 4:00 P.M. DockTalkWV.com will be covering the event remotely with an update after Day 1 and wrap up story after Day 2.
Summersville is the typical hub for fall fishing due to the dropping water in the lake as well as the fall weather moving in. Creating a smallmouth haven on West Virginia’s largest lake.
“This one is going to be your standard October Summersville tournament as far as weights go,” says Tyler Webb, who has had his share of success in the past on Summersville. “Winning weight I would say (over two days) will be 14 to 15 pounds and to slide inside the Top 12 it’ll probably be 11 and a half to 12 pounds.”
“I think like most other State Championships in the past it’s going to be a grind. The guy who gets those better-than-average keeper bites and makes the most of them will come out on top.”
With the lake levels just around 16 to 17 feet under Summer pool and dropping water temperatures creates an interesting playing field for the 60+ boat field. Webb thinks a mix of shallow and deep fish are at play for the 2023 State Championship.
“This time of year you can absolutely catch some fish up shallow, but it’s going to be hard to duplicate that bite two days in a row with that many boats on the lake,” Webb said. “I would say the guy that finds a bite in that mid-depth to deep range is going to be a little more consistent.”
Ed Powell feels the same about the chances of shallow fish playing in this year’s State Championship.
“There is going to be a lot of shallow fish to be caught but the problem is there is going to be a lot of people fishing for them,” Powell said. “The guys who do really well are going to be the guys who figure out the deep bite. I feel like you can catch them both deep and shallow but the pressure of that many boats on the lake going to effect the shallow bite more than it will the deeper bite.”
Ed looks to rebound from his 3rd place finish in the State Championship last year held on the Ohio River where Bassmaster Classic Qualifier Wil Dieffenbauch took the win.
The Top 12 (6 boaters and 6 non boaters) will advance to the BASS Nation Championship in 2024 which has yet to be determined.
