The Best Fishing Spots in West Virginia
West Virginia offers diverse recreational fishing across mountain streams, fast rivers and scenic lakes, with something for every angler. The state is famous for excellent smallmouth bass fishing on rivers like the New and Gauley, while largemouth bass, walleye and both channel and flathead catfish populate larger reservoirs. Coldwater brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout thrive in high-elevation streams, making the state a favorite for fly fishing. Anglers also find plentiful crappie, bluegill and carp, and select lakes hold muskellunge for those targeting trophy fish.
Top Cities For Fishing
River Fishing
S. Branch Potomac River
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Cheat River
From Rowlesburg to the lake, the Cheat River offers rugged scenery and opportunities for smallmouth bass, walleye, and muskellunge, with best results in deeper bends, confluences, and below ledge drops during moderate flows.
New River
Cutting through the New River Gorge near Fayetteville and Hinton , the New River is famous for hard-fighting smallmouth bass, plus walleye, muskellunge, and catfish; anglers work eddies, ledges, and deep pools, while the tailwaters below Bluestone Dam shine in cooler months and summer topwater action can be electric.
Beech Fork Lake
Near Barboursville , Beech Fork Lake is a favorite for family-friendly catches of crappie, largemouth bass, and catfish, with productive stump flats, weed edges, and creek mouths throughout Beech Fork State Park .
Bluestone Lake
Stretching between Hinton and Bluestone State Park , Bluestone Lake serves up largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, and seasonal saugeye, with productive stump fields, creek arms, and tailwater eddies.
Cheat Lake
Minutes from Morgantown , Cheat Lake produces largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, and channel catfish, with coves, docks, and the Cheat River inflow offering spring run action and summer night bites.
Cranberry River
A celebrated mountain trout river near Richwood in the Monongahela National Forest, the Cranberry is prized for rainbow, brown, and native brook trout, with pocket water, plunge pools, and long runs that fish well from spring through fall.
Elk River
Flowing from the highlands near Slatyfork down to Charleston , the Elk offers a mix: upper reaches feature cool-water trout sections, middle stretches shine for smallmouth bass, and the lower river holds catfish and walleye around seams and gravel bars.
Gauley River
From Summersville Dam downstream, the Gauley’s swift runs and deep pockets yield smallmouth bass, walleye, and seasonal trout in the tailwater, with calmer eddies and ledge pools fishing well during shoulder seasons around Swiss and Belva .
Greenbrier River
A scenic float fishery near Marlinton and Lewisburg , the Greenbrier produces smallmouth bass, rock bass, and summertime catfish in boulder gardens and ledge pools, with spring flows ideal for covering water by canoe or kayak.
Kanawha River
Flowing through Charleston to the Ohio, the Kanawha’s lock-and-dam systems concentrate hybrid striped bass, sauger, walleye, and big catfish; anglers target turbulent tailraces at Winfield and London and prowl barge channels and riprap at night.
Shenandoah River
Skirting the WV corner near Harpers Ferry , the Shenandoah is a classic shallow, rocky river for smallmouth bass with seasonal shots at sunfish and channel catfish, best around ledge drops, island seams, and confluences with the Potomac River .
South Branch Potomac River
Winding past the Smoke Hole and Romney , the South Branch is a clear, limestone-influenced stream known for smallmouth bass and seasonal trout in cooler tributary-fed sections, with riffle-run-pool sequences perfect for light tackle presentations.
Summersville Lake
West Virginia’s largest clear-water reservoir near Summersville is known for smallmouth bass, walleye, and deep-water trout in cooler months, with rocky bluffs, submerged timber, and the Gauley River tailwater below the dam providing diverse options.
Sutton Lake
Close to Flatwoods and Gassaway , Sutton Lake features walleye, largemouth bass, and slab crappie, with spring action in the riverine upper end and summer structure fishing around channel bends and standing timber.
Tygart Lake
Near Grafton , clear and deep Tygart Lake offers consistent walleye and smallmouth bass bites, along with trout in the tailwater, with rocky points, inflow current from the Tygart Valley River , and dam riprap being prime spots.
Williams River
Flowing through the highlands near Marlinton and Tea Creek , the Williams River’s cool, clear currents hold brown, rainbow, and native brook trout, with scenic roadside access to riffles, glides, and undercut banks.
Monongahela River
The Monongahela near Morgantown features steady fishing for walleye, hybrid striped bass, channel catfish, and smallmouth bass, with bridge pilings, lock walls, and creek mouths like Deckers Creek offering classic current breaks.