Fishing in West Virginia

No size limit. Possession limit = 12 trout (rainbow, golden rainbow, tiger, brown, brook) in any combination.SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS:1 - For the waters listed below: (1) Fishing permitted during daylight hours only, except that on the three North Branch of the Potomac River Catch-and-Release Trout Fishing Areas fishing is permitted between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. only. (2) Only artificial flies and lures made of metal, wood, feathers, hair, or synthetic material may be used or possessed on catch-and-release trout streams. No lure or fly with any scent, oil, or edible enticement added onto, or impregnated into (regardless if the scent is added in the manufacturing process or applied afterward), may be used or possessed on any catch-and-release trout stream. (3) Multiple hook lures must have barbless hooks (except on the North Branch of the Potomac River Catch & Release areas). (4) Single hook lures may have barbed hooks. (5) All trout caught must be returned to the water at once. (6) No trout shall be in the angler's possession while on stream sections designated as catch-and-release streams. (7) Powerbait, Gulp and other manufactured scented baits are considered illegal under this section and may not be used or possessed on catch-and-release streams.Back Fork of Elk River – Webster County (4-mile section beginning 2 miles upstream from Webster Springs and extending upstream. Access by county Routes 24 and 24/3).Barkers Creek of Guyandotte River – Wyoming County (from the mouth of Barkers Creek upstream to include the entire drainage area for a total of 88 stream miles).Blackwater River – Tucker County (3.5-mile section from the county Route 29/1 bridge in Blackwater Falls State Park downstream to the mouth of the North Fork).Bluestone River – Summers County (1-mile section from the mouth of Mountain Creek downstream to a stream gauge station within Pipestem State Park).Cranberry River – Webster, Pocahontas and Nicholas counties (4.3-mile section from the junction of the North and South forks downstream to the low water bridge at Dogway Fork. Access by foot on National Forest Route 76 from the Cranberry Glades parking area).Elkhorn Creek – McDowell County (from the mouth of Elkhorn Creek upstream to include the entire drainage area for a total of 171 stream miles).Elk River – Randolph County (2-mile section from the Elk Springs Campground downstream to Rose Run bridge. Access by county Route 49 off state Route 15 about 4 miles west of Valley Head).Glade Creek of New River – Raleigh County (3-mile section from the mouth upstream to the National Park Service foot bridge. Access by Glade Creek Road off state Route 41).Guyandotte River – Wyoming and Raleigh counties (entire drainage upstream of railroad bridge in Mullens, including all tributaries and totaling 101 miles).Middle Fork of Williams River and tributaries – Webster/Pocahontas counties.Mill Creek – Randolph County (entire length of Mill Creek and its tributaries within Kumbrabow State Forest).North Branch of Potomac River – Grant and Mineral counties (see the current Maryland Fishing Regulations for special regulations on the North Branch of the Potomac and Potomac rivers).North Fork of Cherry River – Nicholas County (1.8-mile section extending upstream from Richwood's water supply dam to first state Route 39 bridge. Access by state Route 39).North Fork of Cranberry River – Pocahontas County (0.25-mile section from the mouth upstream to the limestone treatment dam. Access by foot on National Forest Route 76).North Fork of the South Branch – Pendleton County (0.75-mile section at the mouth of Seneca Creek near Seneca Rocks Visitors Center. Access by county Route 28/3 at junction of state Route 28 and U.S. Route 33 at Seneca Rocks).Otter Creek and tributaries – Randolph/Tucker counties.Red Creek and tributaries – Tucker County (upstream of county Route 45 bridge).Seneca Creek – Pendleton County (0.20-mile section from the mouth extending upstream to the Route 28 bridge):Slatyfork section of Elk River – Pocahontas County (4.6-mile section from the junction of Big Spring and Old Field forks downstream to the mouth of Dry Branch, including Props Run and Big Run. Access by foot from county Routes 219/2 on the north and 219/12 on the south).South Branch of the Potomac River – Pendleton County (1-mile section beginning 2 miles below U.S. Route 220 at Eagle Rock and extending downstream. Access by county Route 2).Tea Creek and tributaries – Pocahontas County (Upstream of Tea Creek Campground).2 - For waters listed below: (1) Catch-and-release regulations apply: November 1 – May 15. (2) General regulations apply: May 16 – October 31.Clear Fork of the Guyandotte River – Wyoming County (1-mile section from the R.D. Bailey WMA manager's residence downstream to the state Route 6 bridge).Middle Wheeling Creek – Ohio County (1.2-mile section from just above the upper limits of Middle Wheeling Creek Lake upstream to mouth of Gillespie Run. Access by county Route 39/6).Paint Creek - Fayette and Kanawha counties (from Ash Branch upstream 12.5 miles to the mouth of Milburn Creek).Shavers Fork River - Randolph County (the 5.5-mile section extending from the mouth of Whitmeadow Run downstream to the mouth of McGee Run).Williams River - Pocahontas County (from a signed location approximately 2 miles downstream of Tea Creek extending 2 miles downstream. Access by National Forest Route 86).3 - For waters listed below: (1) Fishing permitted during daylight hours only. (2) Only artificial flies and streamers may be used or in possession on any of the fly fishing-only streams. (3) Only conventional fly fishing tackle may be used. (4) Open-face and closed-face spinning or spincast reels are prohibited. (5) All fish caught must be returned to water at once. (6) No trout shall be in the angler's possession while on stream sections designated as fly-fishing-only streams. (7) No lure or fly with any scent, oil, or edible enticement added onto, or impregnated into (regardless if the scent is added in the manufacturing process or applied afterward), may be used or possessed on any fly-fishing-only trout stream. (8) Powerbait, Gulp and other manufactured scented baits are considered illegal under this section and may not be used or possessed on catch-and-release streams.Dogway Fork of the Cranberry – Webster, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties (Main stream and all tributaries of Dogway Fork. Access by foot on National Forest Route 78).Edwards Run – Hampshire County (upstream of the Edwards Run Pond 1.25 miles to the upstream boundary of Edwards Run WMA).Milligan Creek – Greenbrier County (marked area about 1 mile north of U.S. Route 60 from the county Route 60/15 bridge extending downstream about .33-mile to a fence crossing).Red Run of Dry Fork – Tucker County (main stream and all tributaries of Red Run. Access by foot from state Route 72 and National Forest Route 13).Second Creek – Greenbrier and Monroe counties (marked 2.4-mile section on the Monroe/Greenbrier county line at Rodgers Mill).Spring Run – Grant County (marked one mile section along Spring Run Road near Dorcas).Thorn Creek – Pendleton County (marked .5-mile section beginning approximately 3 miles above the mouth. Access is by county Route 20).4 - For waters listed below: daily creel limit = 2 trout (rainbow, golden rainbow, tiger, brown, brook) in any combination.Stephens Lake - Raleigh County5 - Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations.