Few things in life capture the attention of an audience like a big fish story. Somehow, no matter how many times you tell it, your friends and family will always hear it through. It's the creation and retelling of those memories that really brings people together. And maybe we're a little bias, but the 40-acre lake at Bear Creek Lake State Park is a great place to make some memories, whether they're tales that keep getting taller, or seeing a child's face light up when they hook their first catch--you really can't beat a day on lake.

This holds especially true for 11-year-old Wyatt Gregory, who snagged a monster largemouth bass August 10, 2018. This was Gregory's third trip to the park with his family, but the first-time fishing from his kayak. In the past, the family has had the luck to catch many of the common fish species that call the lake home such as black crappie, largemouth bass, blue gill, sunfish, and channel catfish, but never one as memorable as this.

This trophy largemouth bass was 23-inch-long largemouth bass and 17 inches around the middle

Gregory has been fishing with his grandfather since he was knee high to a grasshopper and he's learned a lot of fishing techniques from him. On Friday, August 10, everything came together for Gregory when he paddled out in his kayak with rod and reel.

Gregory said he paddled into one of the many coves around the lake and was casting around a tree that had fallen into the water. He felt a tug on his line, hooked the fish, and reeled in a 23-inch-long largemouth bass that was 17 inches around the middle. Minimum trophy size for large mouth of 22 inches long making this year’s fishing trip--literally--one for the books.

Measuring the trophy bass

Fishing around the park can be as rewarding for you as it was for the Gregorys. There are plenty of fish in the lake; the population is managed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Catching the big ones takes a combination of time, patience and skill. Knowing which fish you are angling for makes a great deal of difference too.

Take some time to research and plan your next fishing trip to Bear Creek Lake State Park to see if you can bring in your own citation-size catch. We'll see you on the water.

Learn more about fishing at Virginia State Parks here. 

• Visit this page for details on each park’s fishing.
• Learn about the Fish Virginia First Trail.

For more information on fishing at a particular park, select the park of interest then pick “Recreation” in the left menu. Fishing licenses are required at all parks for Virginia residents age 16 and older, except at the Kiptopeke and York River piers where a fee is charged to fish.