If you love the great outdoors and love to fish, this is the time to be in Richwood, WV.

Early spring is trout fishing season here.

Surrounded by the Monongahela National Forest and the Cranberry Wilderness area, Richwood is known for the best trout fishing in the eastern United States.

Home to two great trout streams -- the Cherry and Cranberry -- Richwood can offer a quiet and fruitful fishing expericence. The Williams River, another favorite, is just a short drive away.

The streams are now well stocked with rainbows, brooks and browns. Stocking the Williams and Cranberry began in January and will continue once each week March thru May. The Cherry will be stocked once every two weeks. Rainbows are the highest percentage of stock, almost 80 percent. The Cranberry also receives one golden trout for every ten trout stocked. A Centennial golden trout is a brilliant gold mutant from the rainbow. Centennials are difficult to catch and many anglers consider them a prize. Native trout abound in several "catch and release" areas.

Fall stocking of the Cranberry and Williams takes place the week of October 12-19.

Trout fishing is year-round in our area. Smallmouth bass are also in the waters.

These rivers surrounding Richwood are tributaries of the Gauley River System. The Gauley winds it way to the southwest to Summersville where it was dammed by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers for flood control and recreation. Summersville Lake is known for smallmouth bass fishing, especially in winter. The Lower Gauley, the area below the dam renowned for its whitewater during the early autumn months, empties into the Kanawha River near Gauley Bridge.

[Fly Fishing Streams] [Fly Fishing School] [Catch and Release Streams] [Lodging & Camping] [Gauley River System] [Outfitters] [Other Fishing Opportunities] [WV State Regulations] [Back to Outdoor Recreation]