Fishing is red hot for anglers in the Mountain State. On May 7, Jerry Porter of Harts, W.Va, broke the state record with an impressive black crappie he caught at East Lynn Lake in Wayne County. This is the fourth record to fall in West Virginia so far this year, and the season is just getting started.
East Lynn Lake is a 1,005-acre reservoir on the East Fork of Twelvepole Creek, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of a series of flood control projects for the Ohio River basin. It is home to 29 species of fish native to southern W.Va as well as carp and other non-native species, making it a favorite of anglers. To further improve the fishing, the lake is stocked by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Porter was fishing on the big lake using a minnow-tipped jig on a 6-pound test line when he caught the 3.6-pound, 17.7-inch black crappie. He later contacted the West Virginia DNR, which dispatched assistant district fisheries biologist Jake Whalen to confirm the record catch. The state made it official with an announcement on Monday, May 12.
Porter’s fish displaces the previous state record black crappie by about a half a pound. That fish, a 3.15-pound, 17.76-inch specimen, was caught in 2024 by Dwight Priestley at Woodrum Lake in Jackson County. Though the weight has been bested, Priestley’s record for length still stands.
Other Record Fish Caught in West Virginia this Year
Other records set in West Virginia this year include a new length record for largemouth bass, set on May 8 by Seth Spry. He was using a bluegill to try to catch the big bass that had evaded him a couple of weeks prior, and succeeded. If the fish had been landed when he first hooked it, full of roe, it might have been heavy enough to take the weight record as well.
On April 22, John Plott of Oak Hill, W.Va caught a 12.44-inch, 1.60-pound fish at Plum Orchard Lake in Fayette County using an earthworm, breaking his own record for length. His previous record for weight, the 1.75-pound redear caught the year prior, still stands.
Also on April 22, Jason Floyd of Washington, W.Va., set a new state record for redhorse sucker. He caught a 24.57-inch, 5.75-pound fish using a FloBell Bottom Tackle swimbait and jighead on a 10-pound braided line at the Belleville Lock and Dam on the Ohio River.
The WVDNR established state record categories for five new species in 2024, including black crappie. Porter’s catch marks the fourth time a record has been set for the species.
“Establishing new record categories was an important step in honoring the diversity of our fisheries, and we look forward to seeing more milestones like these in the future,” said WVDNR Director Brett McMillion in a statement.
