Of all the bass lakes in West Virginia, there are five that the avid angler must add to his or her bucket list. Stonewalll Jackson is West Virginia's premiere bass fishery. Only a short drive southeast of I-79 at Weston, West Virginia, this U.S. Army Corps of Engineer impoundment encompasses some 2,500 surface acres. Unlike other corps projects, it was built for recreation as well as water retention. The deepest channels in the lake were left timbered during construction to provide the habitat critical to producing trophy bass. A quarter century later, Stonewall Jackson has proved a bass hot spot. The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources maintains a catch-and-release-only program at the lake, ensuring a large population that produces many 4-6 pound largemouths. The lake's pre- and post-spawn periods provides great fishing for trophy-sizes, however, early summer produces many daily creels by late morning. Late-season opportunities are not to be dismissed. They simply require savvy.