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Hunting & Fishing News Back to Hunting & Fishing News 
Elk River, A Natural WonderBy Diana Kile Green - 6/99 More than two decades ago I wrote an article for this magazine on favorite fishing spots in West Virginia, and when the editor asked me to do it again, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or, if they have changed, it's for the better. For example, New River, Greenbrier River and South Branch of the Potomac River were excellent smallmouth bass streams in the 1970s, and they still are. Elk River, the centerpiece of fishing in the state because of its geographical location, is better now for smallmouth than it was then, for a reason I will explain. 
Stonewall Jackson Lake was only a gleam in the eyes of the Army Corps of Engineers 25 years ago, so it's new to the list. Also, Cranberry River is a much better trout stream now than then because of the presence of two limestone treatment facilities to counteract acidity.
Stonecoal Lake, first stocked with muskies in 1972, didn't become the leader in trophy catches until the 1980s and 1990s. It fully came of age in 1997 when a 49 3/4-pound, 50 3/8-incher was caught there, setting a new state record for weight. That fish was estimated to have been 11 years old, illustrating both the good growth rate at Stonecoal and the time required for stocking to pay off.
So here are the current best fishing spots in the state in relation to time of year, based on what I perceive as their four-star popularity with fishermen. I list two for each prime fishing month, April through October, with a bonus pick at the end, plus a cold-weather suggestion:
April: Stonewall Jackson Lake is excellent for largemouth bass. Fish the coves and standing timber with large spinner baits or rubber worms. A catch-and-release regulation on bass is still in effect. Crappie fishing is outstanding at Stonewall also. The companion pick for April is Summersville Lake and its walleye fishing. Follow the rising water as the lake is being filled for the summer recreation season. The best lure is a jig with a small trailing minnow.
May: Stonecoal Lake has gained prominence as the place to go for large muskies because of its deep, cool water, aquatic vegetation, underwater ledges that provide good cover, and abundance of forage fish. Troll large lures, or use large live minnows. Trout fishing emerges in full bloom in May and a fine place to be is the first four miles of Elk River downstream from its beginning at Slaty Fork. Walk the railroad and fish back, concentrating on the mid-afternoon hatches with flies and nymphs. Don't go so far that you can't get back to your car before dark. The trout will be rainbows and browns. This part of Elk is Bill Byrne's beloved "Upper River" in "Tale of the Elk."
June: If there's an ideal match of time and place, it's late June and smallmouth bass on the Greenbrier River, a picturesque stream that flows from the "Birthplace of Rivers" in Pocahontas County and reaches its zenith in Greenbrier County limestone country. Wade the riffles, which are the creme de la creme of Greenbrier fishing. A boat is needed for the deeper water. Several convenient public access sites for float trips are listed in the DNR fishing regulations pamphlet. Use a floating minnow-imitation lure, and twitch it on the surface. June is also when it all comes together for trout. To be specific, June 5. That's the day, according to West Virginia's unofficial chairman of the board of fly-tiers, Charlie Heartwell, that all of the major hatches are most likely to overlap. Determine which insect the trout are feeding on, and match it with flies or nymphs. The hallowed ground of June trout fishing is Cranberry River, which flows through the 35,864-acre Cranberry Wilderness. As on upper Elk, expect to catch rainbows and browns or native brookies on Dogway Fork. Special regulations exist on various stretches of Cranberry, including catch-and-release, fly-fishing only, and a section for children and Class Q license holders at Woodbine. Consult the regulations pamphlet.
July: This seventh month of the Gregorian calendar, revered for fireworks and picnics, is the busiest overall warmwater fishing month of the year, and New River and its smallmouth are the main attractions. New is a big river, with many ledges, swirling pools, rocks, and swift water, and must be fished with caution. Stay above Thurmond, where the most challenging whitewater begins, but don't take any of New River for granted. A rubber raft is strongly recommended, as are guided trips. Two popular floats are Sandstone to Glade Creek, and Glade Creek to Quinnimont. The latter stretch has whitewater in the class 2-3 range. Soft rubber baits that sink slowly are good on the New. Another July recommendation is South Branch of the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle, where the state record 9 3/4-pound smallmouth was caught in 1971. This fish remains one of the heaviest smallmouth caught anywhere in the world. The Trough section is popular because of its canyon-like setting, but locals prefer the 10 miles from the end of the Trough to Romney, tossing soft plastic lures. Public access sites are scattered along the length of the South Branch, making float trips popular and convenient.
August: The weather is hot and streams are low, so turn to shoreline night fishing on the Greenbrier for smallmouth and rock bass. Use noisy, plopping topwater lures. Night fishing for channel and flathead catfish on Bluestone Lake is another cool change of pace. Bait up with chicken liver or large minnows.
September: Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cubs great, had a saying: "It's so nice, let's play twice." New River is so nice, let's float it twice. This big river has a better water flow than most in late summer. Remember the July words of caution. There's big water up north, too. The Hannibal lock and dam tailwater on the Ohio River at New Martinsville provides good September fishing, as do other locks and dams on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. Use minnows, crayfish or jigs, and expect to catch freshwater drum, catfish, sauger, or walleyes.
October: Arguably, the best smallmouth fishing of this mellow month occurs on Elk River around the opening of squirrel season. Try one or more of these floats: Sugar Creek to Frametown, Duck Creek to Groves Creek, Groves Creek to Ivydale, or Ivydale to Mary Chilton Park, and use a jig in the riffles. Raise the rod tip and reel fast, is the advice of Elk fisherman Jerry Duffield. Smallmouth fishing on Elk is better now than it was in the 1970s because of the high-level outlet at Sutton Dam that has reduced silt and raised water temperatures. Remain on Elk in October for its renowned native muskie fishing, but turn to larger lures. Elk is particularly attractive in the dry fall season because of augmented flows from Sutton Dam.
Bonus pick: Kanawha Falls at Gauley Bridge is a fishing water for all seasons, and one of the premier fishing spots in the state. For one thing, fish can't get over the falls barrier, so they tend to be concentrated. For another, the falls are located just below the meeting of Gauley and New Rivers to form the Kanawha, so the falls area benefits from the convergence of those two fishing streams. To use a real estate term, Kanawha Falls has location, location, location. The DNR maintains an excellent public access site at Kanawha Falls, complete with concrete boat ramp and shoreline fishing access for physically-challenged anglers. Kanawha Falls fishermen catch a variety of fish, including hybrid striped bass, smallmouth, muskie, walleye and catfish.
Finally, if you want to forge ahead into cold weather, hit Sutton Lake in November and December for some good largemouth bass and crappie fishing. The fish are concentrated by the winter drawdown, and they're hungry.
Skip Johnson, although retired from the Charleston Gazette for several years, is still recognized as the state's best and most-respected outdoors writer. He has written frequently for Wonderful West Virginia.
Copyright 2000 by Wonderful West Virginia magazine and the WV Division of Natural Resources. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Photos are the property of the individual photographer(s) and may not be reprinted or reposted to the web without their permission. Click here to view the latest edition of Wonderful West Virginia, the official magazine of the Mountain State. |
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