The marquee water
Elk River
The Elk's catch-and-release section below Sutton. Wild browns, technical fishing, and a sulphur hatch that draws anglers from several states.
Full guide to Elk River →Fly Fishing
Limestone spring creeks in the east, freestone mountain streams in the highlands, and outstanding smallmouth water on the Greenbrier, South Branch, Cacapon and New. Trout Unlimited's Mountaineer and Blennerhassett chapters do the conservation and access work.
West Virginia is known for its trout water, but the summer smallmouth fishing on the Greenbrier, South Branch, Cacapon and New rivers is of comparable quality and receives far less pressure.
Freestone mountain streams, one exceptional tailwater, native brook trout in the high country, and hundreds of miles of underfished smallmouth water.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
For native fish
Seneca Creek Backcountry
Seneca Creek below Spruce Knob. Small water, native brook trout, and a walk in to get to them.
Full guide to Seneca Creek Backcountry →Lightly fished
The Greenbrier for smallmouth
Summer smallmouth on the Greenbrier or the South Branch. Warm, clear, wadeable, aggressive fish and almost no other anglers.
Full guide to Greenbrier River Trail →Practical note
Check the Sutton Dam release schedule before you wade the Elk. Flows rise quickly once a release begins, and anglers wading the tailwater can be caught out mid-river.
What to know before you go
- The Elk River's catch-and-release water holds wild browns and a legendary sulphur hatch
- Summer smallmouth on the Greenbrier and Cacapon is excellent and lightly fished
- USGS river levels tell you whether a freestone stream is fishable before you drive
Regions that do it best
Highest terrain, ski areas, wilderness backpacking
Potomac Highlands
All terrain in West Virginia above 4,000 feet lies in this region, including Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet.
Rail-trails, limestone caves, gentle river paddlingGreenbrier Valley
The Greenbrier Valley sits on Greenbrier limestone, producing karst topography: sinkholes, springs, sinking streams and extensive cave systems, several with more than forty miles of surveyed passage.
Appalachian Trail, warm rivers, limestone streamsEastern Panhandle
The Appalachian Trail crosses the Potomac at Harpers Ferry and runs roughly 24 miles through this region.
Reservoirs, trout water, developing rail-trailMountain Lakes
The geographic center of the state and its least-visited region.
Every place we cover for fly fishing
Wilderness · Greenbrier Valley
Cranberry Wilderness
47,815 acres of second-growth northern hardwood and red spruce on the high plateau — the largest wilderness in West Virginia.
47,815 ac wilderness70+ mi maintained trail
National Forest · Greenbrier Valley
Blue Bend Recreation Area
A CCC-built swimming area on Anthony Creek in the Monongahela National Forest, with a deep green pool below a stone-walled beach, a campground and a loop trail up onto the ridge.
1930s ccc-builtAnthony Creek water
National Forest · Potomac Highlands
Seneca Creek Backcountry
A network of trails below Spruce Knob following Seneca Creek through spruce and northern hardwood to a series of waterfalls, the largest around 20 feet.
Native brookies fishery~20 ft seneca falls
Wilderness · Potomac Highlands
Otter Creek Wilderness
About 20,000 acres of dense second-growth forest in a bowl between Shavers Mountain and McGowan Mountain, drained by Otter Creek.
20,698 ac wilderness45 mi trails
River · Potomac Highlands
Smoke Hole Canyon
A steep, narrow limestone canyon where the South Branch of the Potomac cuts through Cave Mountain — excellent smallmouth fishing, quiet canoe water at the right levels, dispersed camping, caves in the walls and a nineteenth-century chapel at the upper end.
Limestone canyonSmallmouth fishery
State Forest · Potomac Highlands
Kumbrabow State Forest
The highest state forest in West Virginia, 9,474 acres of red spruce and northern hardwood on Rich Mountain, with rustic cabins, native brook trout in Mill Creek and almost no one there.
Local knowledge
9,474 ac forestHighest state forest
Wilderness · Potomac Highlands
Laurel Fork Wilderness
Two adjacent wilderness units, North and South, totaling around 12,000 acres along Laurel Fork — a beaver-worked stream valley with meadows, spruce and one of the quietest backpacking experiences in the state.
Local knowledge
11,839 ac two units18.5 mi trails
National Forest · Potomac Highlands
Stuart Recreation Area
A CCC-built recreation area on the Shavers Fork near Elkins with a campground, picnic shelters and river access — the practical basecamp for the central Monongahela National Forest and the Otter Creek and Cheat Mountain country.
Local knowledge
1930s ccc-builtShavers Fork river
River · Mountain Lakes
Elk River
One of the finest and least-known trout fisheries in the Appalachians.
Tailwater cold year-roundWild browns fishery
State Park · Mountain Lakes
Holly River State Park
West Virginia's second-largest state park at 8,101 acres, in a narrow valley of hemlock and hardwood with waterfalls, cabins and a rugged trail network.
8,101 ac park2nd largest state park
River · Eastern Panhandle
Cacapon River
One of the finest gentle canoe rivers in the East — clear, shallow, warm and slow, winding through farmland and forest with reliable smallmouth fishing and easy multi-day trips.
Class I–II difficultySmallmouth fishery
Trail · Greenbrier Valley
Tea Creek Trail System
Forty-four miles of interlocking trail off the Highland Scenic Highway, and the best-known mixed hiking and mountain-biking network on the Marlinton district of the Monongahela National Forest.
44 mi trail systemRt 150 access
Trips built around it
2–3 days · Apr–Oct
Greenbrier Valley Weekend
The most approachable region in the state: a rail-trail at under one percent grade, warm river paddling, a preserved eighteenth-century town, and limestone country with commercial show caves.
2–3 days · Apr–Jun, Sep–OctElk River Fly Fishing Weekend
Cold tailwater below Sutton Dam holding wild browns, a sulphur hatch worth planning around, and smallmouth downstream when the trout water gets busy.
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for fly fishing
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. The listings above and below it are unpaid.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Where is the best fly fishing in West Virginia?
The Elk River catch-and-release section for wild trout, the Cranberry and Williams rivers in the Monongahela National Forest, Seneca Creek for native brook trout, and the Greenbrier and South Branch for summer smallmouth.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 16
Groups that handle access, maintenance, licensing and conditions data for this activity. Starred entries publish updates worth following.
Friends of the Cacapon River
River access, kayaking, fishing, cleanups, recreation and watershed protection on one of the East's finest gentle rivers.
Sleepy Creek Watershed Association
Rivers
Sleepy Creek watershed protection in Berkeley and Morgan counties.
Visit Opequon Creek Project Team
Rivers
Opequon Creek watershed restoration, monitoring and stream access in the Eastern Panhandle.
Visit USGS West Virginia Stream Gauges
Paddling
Critical for current river levels and flow information — the single most-checked page by West Virginia paddlers and anglers.
Visit WVDNR Fishing
Fishing
Licensing, regulations, stocked waters, species information and public fishing access statewide.
Visit WVDNR Fish Stocking
Fishing
Continuously updated stocking list — one of the highest-traffic seasonal pages in West Virginia outdoor recreation.
Visit Trout Unlimited
Fishing
National coldwater conservation organization with active West Virginia chapters and restoration projects.
Visit Mountaineer Chapter Trout Unlimited
Fishing
North-central West Virginia TU chapter — stream restoration, education and youth programs.
Blennerhassett Chapter Trout Unlimited
Fishing
Mid-Ohio Valley TU chapter working on coldwater conservation and angler education.
Fishbrain
Fishing
Community fishing maps, catch logs and reports with West Virginia coverage.
Visit U.S. Forest Service — Monongahela National Forest
Hunting
919,000 acres of public land open to hunting, dispersed camping, hiking and backcountry use.
Visit Monongahela National Forest
Federal lands
919,000 acres including Dolly Sods, Otter Creek, Cranberry and Roaring Plains wilderness areas, Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob.
Visit Greenbrier County CVB / Greenbrier Valley
Tourism
Lewisburg, the Greenbrier River Trail, cave country and valley lodging.
Visit Nature's Mountain Playground — Pocahontas County
Tourism
Snowshoe, Cass, the Greenbrier River Trail, Cranberry Glades and the National Radio Quiet Zone.
Visit Elkins–Randolph County Tourism
Tourism
Gateway to the central Monongahela National Forest, Otter Creek and the Cheat Mountain corridor.
Visit Hardy County Tourism
Tourism
South Branch Valley, Lost River State Park and the Trough — paddling, fishing and eagle watching.
Visit Related activities
Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.