Labor Day weekend might be the unofficial end of summer, but there are plenty of opportunities in the coming months for fishing adventures in the Mountain State. And with the long weekend coming up, we’d also like to remind anglers and boaters to be safe on the water by wearing a personal flotation device and practicing social distance guidelines at public access sites.
“Summer might be winding down, but it’s a great time to take a trip, enjoy our natural resources and maybe see what’s a half hour or an hour away,” said Mark Scott, assistant chief of fish management for the WVDNR. “A lot of folks travel to the beach for vacation so they can get away, but you’d be surprised by what you can find close to home.”
WVDNR’s Online Map Lists State’s Fishing Lakes and Streams
With thousands of miles of streams trickling through the mountains and hundreds of lakes dotting the landscape, there’s no shortage of quiet and scenic places to cast a line in West Virginia.
To find information about fishable rivers, streams and lakes, check out our online mapping tool, available at mapwv.gov/huntfish. The map features a searchable database of West Virginia’s public lakes, streams, rivers and other fishable waters and includes information about accessibility and amenities. It’s an excellent tool if you’re a beginner or if you’ve been fishing for years but want to try a float trip on a certain river.
Anglers who have questions about stream gauge levels and fishing conditions in a specific location should contact the WVDNR office in that area. All anglers 15 and older are required to have a fishing license and valid form of identification while fishing. To learn more about West Virginia’s fishing regulations, visit wvdnr.gov. To purchase a fishing license, visit wvfish.com.