West Virginia Fly Fishing Guides

Fly Fishing In West Virginia

The whole state of West Virginia lies within the Appalachian Mountains, with an average elevation of around 1,500 feet. This makes the “Mountain State” the highest of any state located east of the Mississippi River. West Virginia is covered with forests, wilderness areas, canyons, gorges, and wildlife refuges. Of interest to anglers are the numerous lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

Fly Fishing For Trout In West Virginia

With West Virginia fly fishermen, the trout is king. Trout species in the state include the rainbow, the brown, the brook, the golden rainbow, and the tiger. The largest ‘bow ever recorded in the state came from a Monroe County pond and weighed 15.65 pounds, while the 16-pound record brown came from South Branch. The record brookie weighed 7.64 pounds and was pulled from Shavers Fork, and the record golden rainbow trout 9.31 pounds and was landed in Brushy Fork Lake. The tiger trout with the state honors was produced by the Greenbrier River and weighed in at 6.68 pounds.

The best place to find trout in the state are in the numerous clear, cold streams. These include the Cranberry River, Wolf Creek, Trout Run, Sugar Creek, Big Sandy Creek, Fall Run, Big Clear Creek, the Elk River, the Cherry River, Tuscarora Creek, Clover Run, Mill Creek, Deer Creek, Dry Run, the Potomac River, New Creek, Mill Run, the Lost River, the Little River, and the Williams River. To get to some remote trout streams, use the services of West Virginia flyfishing guides.

A few West Virginia lake tailwaters are also stocked regularly with trout. These include Burnsville Lake, Beech Fork Lake, East Lynn Lake, R.D. Bailey Lake, Stonewall Jackson Lake, Summersville Lake, and Sutton Lake.

Fly Fishing In West Virginia

Fly Fishing For Bass In West Virginia

Bass can be found all over the state, including smallmouth, largemouth, rock bass, and spotted bass. The state record smallie weighed 9.75 pounds and was caught in South Branch. The record bucketmouth was pulled from a Grant County pond and tipped the scales at 12.28 pounds. The record spotted bass weighed 4.77 pounds and was landed in R.D. Bailey Lake, while the largest rock bass came from Big Sandy Creek and weighed 1.75 pounds.

Some of the best fly fishing for smallies in the state is done in streams and rivers. These include the Greenbrier River, the New River, the Coal River, the Gauley River, the Kanawha River, the Cacapon River, and the South Branch of the Potomac River. Lakes with healthy smallmouth numbers include Seneca Lake, Cheat Lake, Stonecoal Lake, Burnsville Lake, Mount Storm Lake, and Summersville Lake.

For largemouth bass angling, fishermen have numerous choices. Some of the most consistent include Keefer’s Pond, Elk Fork Lake, the New River, Krodel Lake, Upper Mud Lake, Burnsville Lake, East Lynn Lake, Stonecoal Lake, the Mud River, Seneca Lake, R.C. Byrd Locks, Cheat Lake, Mount Storm Lake, and Stonewall Jackson Lake.

For spotted bass, try Thirteen Mile Creek, the Guyandotte River, and the Ohio River. Many fly fishing guides in West Virginia specialize in bass, so you’ll have lots of expert help.