West Virginia

20 posts

West Virgina Trout Stocking Schedule Mar 16 2012

Fishing News
West Virginia

Stocked trout streams in West Virginia this past week… The South Branch of the Potomac continues to get DNR love. I’m having trouble finding recent fishing reports but it’s been stocked multiple times in the past three months and the weather has warmed up — it should be fishing very well!

 

March 15, 2012

  • Bullskin Run
  • Camp Creek
  • Curtisville Lake
  • Deer Creek (Nicholas)
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • East River
  • Evitts Run
  • Glade Creek of New River
  • Huey Lake
  • Laurel Creek of Cherry River
  • Little Beaver Lake
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Long Marsh Run
  • Mash Fork
  • Mash Fork of Camp Creek (Children & Class Q)
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • North Fork of South Branch
  • Raleigh Co. Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • West Fork Greenbrier River

March 14, 2012

  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Dillons Run
  • Fort Ashby Reservoir
  • Glady Fork
  • Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
  • Mill Creek of South Branch
  • Opequon Creek
  • Panther Creek
  • Paw Paw Creek
  • Poorhouse Pond
  • R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
  • Rhine Creek
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Shavers Fork C&R (Stuarts Park)
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • Tuckahoe Lake
  • Whiteday Creek
  • Williams River
  • Wolf Creek

March 13, 2012

  • Anderson Lake
  • Anthony Creek
  • Big Sandy Creek
  • Buckhannon River
  • Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
  • Castleman Run Lake
  • Cedar Creek Lake
  • Coopers Rock Lake
  • Edwards Run
  • Gandy Creek
  • Knapps Creek
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • North Fork of Cherry River
  • Middle Wheeling Lake
  • Miletree Lake
  • Paint Creek
  • Paint Creek (C&R)
  • Pond Fork
  • Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • South Fork of Cherry River   

March 12, 2012

  • Brandywine Lake
  • Brushy Fork lake
  • Buffalo Fork Lake
  • Cherry River
  • Cranberry River
  • Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
  • Greenbrier River
  • Jimmy Lewis Lake
  • Krodel Lake
  • Pipestem Lake
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • South Fork of Cranberry River
  • Summersville Tailwaters
  • Wallback Lake

March 9, 2012

  • Gandy Creek
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Mill Creek Reservoir
  • Moores Lake
  • Potts Creek
  • Rich Creek (Monroe)
  • Right Fork of Middle Fork River
  • South Fork of Potts Creek
  • Teter Creek Lake
  • Warden Lake
  • Williams River

March 8, 2012

  • Berwind Lake
  • Burnsville Tailwaters
  • Cranberry River
  • Dry Fork (McDowell)
  • Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
  • Glady Fork
  • James P. Bailey Lake
  • Larenim Park Lake
  • Seneca Lake
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis section)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • South Mill Creek Lake
  • Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
  • Summit Lake
  • Sutton Tailwaters
  • Watoga Lake

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule Mar 9 2012

Fishing News
West Virginia

Here are the trout streams that were stocked in West Virginia this past week… Gotta get to the North Branch of the South Fork of the Potomac. They stock it frequently.

 

 

March 8, 2012

  • Berwind Lake
  • Burnsville Tailwaters
  • Cranberry River
  • Dry Fork (McDowell)
  • Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
  • Glady Fork
  • James P. Bailey Lake
  • Larenim Park Lake
  • Seneca Lake
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis section)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • South Mill Creek Lake
  • Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
  • Summit Lake
  • Sutton Tailwaters
  • Watoga Lake

March 7, 2012

  • Big Clear Creek
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Conaway Run Lake
  • Coonskin Park Lake (Children & Class Q)
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Elk River
  • Horseshoe Run
  • Kanawha State Forest Pond (Children & Class Q)
  • Kimsey Run Lake
  • Little Clear Creek
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Logan County Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
  • Meadow Creek of New River
  • Miller Fork Pond (Children & Class Q)
  • Milligan Creek
  • Opequon Creek
  • Red Creek
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • Thomas Park Lake
  • Tilhance Creek
  • Tygart Headwaters
  • Underwood Lake (Children & Class Q)
  • West Fork Greenbrier River

March 6, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Barboursville Lake
  • Bullskin Run
  • Dog Run Lake
  • Evitts Run
  • French Creek Pond
  • Horse Creek Lake
  • Knapps Creek
  • Laurel Fork of Holly River
  • Left Fork of Holly River
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Lunice
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • North Fork of South Branch
  • Ridenour Lake
  • Rockhouse Lake
  • Spruce Laurel Fork
  • Tuscarora Creek
  • Tygart Tailwaters

March 5, 2012

  • Bear Rocks Lake
  • Blackwater River (not stocked in Canaan Valley State Park due to construction)
  • Lost River
  • North River
  • Rollins Lake
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run
  • Wheeling Creek
  • Wood Pond (Children & Class Q)

March 2, 2012

  • Clover Run
  • Newburg Lake
  • Paw Paw Creek
  • Whiteday Creek

 

Early Springtime and Earlier Fishing This Year

Fishing Reports

I’m filing this under Fishing Reports. This is not a fishing report per se, but it’s relevant…

Due to a winter that never really arrived, the Mid Atlantic states are experiencing an early spring. Everything has been happening sooner this year. In my yard, the crocuses started blooming over two weeks ago and they’re fading now. That is at least two weeks early. Daffodils are flowering all over, again, two weeks earlier than usual. Following these botanical cues are the bugs, the hatches, and of course the fish. Fishing season is coming sooner this year for sure.

Reports are confirming all of this. Douglas Dear from Rose River Farm in Syria Virginia reported this past week that Quill Gordons have started hatching — two weeks early. Murray’s Fly Shop reported Quill Gordons coming off the water yesterday afternoon in Shenandoah National Park as well. Bryan Kelly at Kelly’s White Fly Shop in Shepherdstown, West Virginia sent an email yesterday about smallmouth bass fishing around Harper’s Ferry on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers: “We are starting to guide this month. The fish are moving out of their winter patterns towards pre-spawn behavior.  Spawn will be early, and summer patterns will be early… You need to be early…” If this pre-spawn behavior is starting now, that’s closer to three weeks earlier than last year in my neck of the woods along the main stem of the Shenandoah. Incidentally, he goes on to mention that the cicadas will be emerging along the northern section of the Blue Ridge this year, so tie up some big cicada patterns.

So this could be shaping up as a phenomenal early season for us. Hopefully it’s not going to mean that the hot, low clear water conditions come early and stay longer, too. Perhaps we’ll see a nice stretch of cool rains in mid to late spring to break us out of this warm dry pattern we’ve gone through this winter.

 

West Virgina Trout Stocking Schedule Mar 2 2012

Fishing News
West Virginia

The latest trout stocking info from West Virginia. Includes Opequon Creek, not far from my neck of the woods. The West Virginia DNR has more info about where and when Opequon Creek is stocked. I wouldn’t call it the pristine trout fishing experience compared to the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac or others listed below, but it may be a lot closer depending on where you coming from…

 

March 1, 2012

  • Boley Lake
  • Buckhannon River
  • Glade Creek of Mann
  • Laurel Creek of New River
  • Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • Mason Lake
  • Mill Creek of New River

NOTE:   Westover Park Lake is closed to fishing until April due to construction .

February 29, 2012

  • Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
  • Cranberry River
  • Pinnacle Creek (upper and lower sections)
  • R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
  • South Fork of Cranberry River

February 28, 2012

  • Burnsville Tailwaters
  • Camp Creek
  • East River
  • Mash Fork
  • Mash Fork of Camp Creek (Children & Class Q)
  • Paint Creek
  • Pond Fork
  • Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
  • Sutton Tailwaters
  • Williams River

February 27, 2012

  • Clear Fork of Tug
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Horse Creek Lake
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • South Fork of Cherry River
  • West Fork Greenbrier River

February 24, 2012

  • Blackwater River
  • Bullskin Run
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Chief Logan Pond
  • Evitts Run
  • Fitzpatrick Lake
  • Glade Creek of New River
  • Glady Fork
  • Laurel Lake
  • Little Beaver Lake
  • Marsh Fork
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • North Fork South Branch
  • Opequon Creek
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Shavers Fork C&R (Stuarts Park)

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule Feb 24 2012

Fishing News
West Virginia

West Virginia stocked trout all over this past week, including the South Branch of the Potomac at Smoke Hole, Elk River, the Greenbrier and Lost River.

 

 

 

February 23, 2012

  • Anawalt Lake
  • Back Fork of Elk River
  • Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
  • Desert Fork
  • Gandy Creek
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • Sugar Creek
  • Summit Lake
  • Williams River

February 22, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Beech Fork Tailwaters
  • Big Clear Creek
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • East Lynn Tailwaters
  • Elk River
  • Lick Creek Pond
  • Little Clear Creek
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Lost River
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run
  • Wallback Lake
  • Watoga Lake
  • Wayne Dam
  • West Fork Greenbrier River
  • West Fork Twelvepole

February 21, 2012

  • Hills Creek
  • Kings Creek
  • Knapps Creek
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • Tomlinson Run
  • Tomlinson Run Lake

February 17, 2012

  • Berwind Lake
  • Buffalo Creek (Logan)
  • Clover Run
  • Dry Fork (McDowell)
  • Fall Run
  • French Creek Pond
  • Indian Rocks Lake
  • Laurel Fork of Holly River
  • Left Fork of Holly River
  • Middle Wheeling Creek (delayed harvest)
  • Newburg Lake
  • Summersville Tailwaters

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule Feb 17 2012

Fishing News
West Virginia

More stocked trout swimming happily in West Virginia, as usual, including the Elk River (via the Orvis Fishing Reports site) and a whole bunch of other places I’ve never fished.

 

 

 

February 16, 2012

  • Big Sandy Creek
  • Cherry River
  • Conaway Run Lake
  • Coopers Rock Lake
  • Little Kanawha Headwaters
  • Middle Fork River
  • North Fork of Cherry River
  • North Fork of Fishing Creek
  • Rhine Creek
  • Right Fork of Little Kanawha
  • South Fork of Fishing Creek
  • Wolf Creek

February 15, 2012

  • Indian Creek
  • Meadow Creek of New River
  • Milligan Creek
  • Potts Creek
  • Rich Creek (Monroe)
  • South Fork Potts Creek
  • Tygart Headwaters

February 14, 2012

  • Dunkard Fork Lake
  • Horseshoe Run
  • Jimmy Lewis Lake
  • Pipestem Lake
  • Rockhouse Lake
  • Spruce Laurel Fork
  • Tygart Tailwaters

February 13, 2012

  • Curtisville Lake
  • Deer Creek (Nicholas)
  • Laurel Creek of Cherry River

February 10, 2011

  • Camp Creek
  • Dog Run Lake
  • East River
  • Elk River
  • Long Marsh Run
  • Mash Fork
  • Mill Run of Back Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Lunice Creek
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Poorhouse Pond
  • Summit Lake
  • Tilhance Creek
  • Tuscarora Creek
  • Watoga Lake

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule Feb 10 2012

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Fishing News
West Virginia

Officials in the Mountaineer State have been busy stocking trout this week. With temps expected to be in the low to mid thirties and scattered snow showers in most places throughout the state, dress warmly, bring some deep running nymphs… or just stay home and tie some flies.

 

 

February 9, 2012

  • Blackwater River
  • Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
  • Castleman Run Lake
  • Hopkins Fork
  • Lower Cove Run
  • Middle Wheeling Lake
  • Moores Run
  • North Fork South Branch
  • Paw Paw Creek
  • Pond Fork
  • Tuckahoe Lake
  • Warden Lake
  • Whiteday Creek

February 8, 2012

  • Bear Rocks Lake
  • Dillons Run
  • Edwards Run
  • Fort Ashby Reservoir
  • Glady Fork
  • Mason Lake
  • Mill Creek of South Branch
  • Red Creek
  • Rollins Lake
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis section)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Thomas Park Lake
  • Wheeling Creek

February 7, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Brandywine Lake
  • Brushy Fork Lake
  • Buckhannon River
  • Cranberry River
  • Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
  • Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
  • Kimsey Run Lake
  • Knapps Creek
  • Left Fork of Right Fork Buckhannon River
  • Lost River
  • North River
  • Panther Creek
  • R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
  • Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • Right Fork of Middle Fork
  • Seneca Lake
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • South Mill Creek Lake
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run

February 6, 2012

  • Buffalo Fork Lake
  • Bullskin Run
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
  • Dunloup Creek
  • Evitts Run
  • Gandy Creek
  • Greenbrier River
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Meadow Creek of Anthony Creek
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek Reservoir
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • North Fork of Anthony Creek
  • Opequon Creek
  • Paint Creek
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • Teter Creek Lake

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule January 2012

1 comment
Fishing News
West Virginia

As a new feature of the Brook Trout Fishing Guide, I am going to try to post the West Virginia trout stocking schedule regularly. I live close enough to the Mountaineer State so that this is overdue from my point of view.

There are a lot of renowned stocked streams in the state, notably the North Branch of the South Fork of the Potomac. Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia together contain the area comprising what Trout Unlimited calls the headwaters of the Potomac, a region significant for just what the moniker implies — this is where the Potomac watershed begins and is a sensitive area targeted for protection. It is important not just for the waters that flow into the Potomac River but also is notable due to the extensive populations of brook trout that exist here.

So without further delay, here is the latest for West Virginia (for the past month):

January 27, 2012

  • No waters stocked today.

January 26, 2012

  • No waters stocked today.

January 25, 2012

  • Cranberry River
  • South Branch (C&R section)
  • Williams River

January 24, 2012

  • No waters stocked today.

January 23, 2012

  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River

January 20, 2012

  • No waters stocked today.

January 19, 2012

  • South Branch (Franklin)

January 18, 2012

       Due to weather, no waters stocked today.

January 17, 2012

  • James P. Bailey Lake
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • Watoga Lake

January 13, 2012

           Due to weather, no waters stocked today.

January 12, 2012

  • Hurricane Reservoir
  • Spruce Knob Lake

January 11, 2012

  • Blackwater River
  • Glady Fork
  • Krodel Lake
  • Lick Creek Pond
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis)
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • Wayne Dam

January 10, 2012

  • Anderson Lake
  • Bullskin Run
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Cedar Creek Lake
  • Elk River
  • Evitts Run
  • Fitzpatrick Lake
  • Gandy Creek
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Little Beaver Lake
  • Middle Creek
  • Miletree Lake
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Opequon Creek
  • Rocky Marsh Run

January 9, 2011

  • Tomlinson Run

January 6, 2012

  • Summit Lake

January 5, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Barboursville Lake
  • Chief Cornstalk Lake
  • Chief Logan Lake
  • Curtisville Lake
  • Huey Lake
  • Knapps Creek
  • Laurel Lake
  • Lost River
  • Ridenour Lake
  • Rollins Lake
  • Trout Run
  • Turkey Run Lake
  • Waites Run

January 4, 2012

  • North Fork of South Branch
  • North Fork of South Branch (C&R)
  • Pennsboro Reservoir
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Tracy Lake

January 3, 2012

  • Larenim Park Lake

TU Directive to West Virginia: Don’t Stock Brook Trout Streams

Fishing News

Fingerling Brown TroutSome controversy is brewing in West Virginia over Trout Unlimited’s recent directive. You can read it here and it basically instructs members not to participate in stocking hatchery-raised trout in streams that are inhabited by native brook trout or fed by other streams containing brook trout. This is causing a stir in the Mountaineer State. Local TU leaders as well as the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources are not keen on being told how to manage their fisheries and are feeling little urge to comply.

“Regardless of what National TU does, we’ll continue managing our fisheries in the way we think benefits our anglers the most,” said Mike Shingleton, leader of the DNR’s Trout Program. “They aren’t going to tell us how to run our trout program.”

My own opinion — that of an outsider with a soft spot for conservation of brook trout — is in agreement in principle with TU’s directive. However, I am not familiar with the specifics of trout stocking programs in West Virginia, the overall health of brook trout populations in the state, the history of fisheries management there, and I’m not a biologist, environmental policy person or a freaking politician. This may in fact be a blunder by TU and the concerns it addresses may or may not merit this policy. The article linked above brings up a lot of good points and certainly brings to light the perspective of the folks in the state.

I have written about my own views regarding stocking trout downstream of brook trout populations in Virginia, specifically in Shenandoah National Park and specifically about the obligation to kill any brown trout caught there. The science behind these practices shows that brook trout populations are definitely affected (even more details found at TU’s conservation success index site).

I know people want to take fish home, and stocked trout are a great resource for those folks. Likewise, there are trout streams containing brook trout that will not support them further downstream, year-round, etc. and most of us certainly enjoy going after browns and rainbows in the winter while the brookies spawn. If the details of TU’s edict are overly broad it may be overkill. Like I said I don’t know all the details but striking the right balance to accomodate all the interests involved is getting messy and I fear this kind of conflict is going to become more common around the country.