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Elk River W.V.

Started by Fire-Fly, September 19, 2007, 18:08:46 PM

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Fire-Fly

I went up to west va this weekend and fished the elk river for the first time this past weekend. I got there at light and right off the bat caught a bow around 12 inches, on the next cast hooked up on a 16 inch brown. Fished a while longer and then hooked up on another nice brown that was about 18". And later in the day caught my personal best a 22" brown that guessing was pushing 3-4 lbs. Had a great day and caught around 25 bows around 7- 11 inches.

Fire-Fly

More pics of the Elk River. This river is C&R,  and from what i understand it is not stocked, all the fish are wild. This river is beautiful, and i fully recomend all get a chance to fish this river.

Woolly Bugger

Dem be some nice looking browns.... what were they hitting on.
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

troutphisher

Nice fish and pics of the stream!
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

Fire-Fly

Quote from: Woolly Bugger on September 19, 2007, 18:25:46 PM
Dem be some nice looking browns.... what were they hitting on.
Two on a size 12 orange stimulator, the large one on a yellow soft hackle.

brownhunter

Quote from: Fire-Fly on September 19, 2007, 18:30:44 PM
Quote from: Woolly Bugger on September 19, 2007, 18:25:46 PM
Dem be some nice looking browns.... what were they hitting on.
Two on a size 12 orange stimulator, the large one on a yellow soft hackle.

What do you mean, the large one? They all look LARGE to me ::)

Very nice pics and thanks for sharing. I think you deserve a  0--0
"Why, he wondered, did rich people call it sushi while poor people called it bait?"   -- Same Kind of Different as Me

castaway

#6
Quote from: Fire-Fly on September 19, 2007, 18:18:10 PM
More pics of the Elk River. This river is C&R,  and from what i understand it is not stocked, all the fish are wild. This river is beautiful, and i fully recomend all get a chance to fish this river.

The Elk is a truly great river, but unless things have dramatically changed in the last few years, and change comes SLOW in WV waters, most of it is stocked.  There are two C&R stretches.  The upper one does have wild fish only, but the lower one where the river comes back out from underground, is stocked with fingerlings although it probably has some natural reproduction.  Below the C&R areas is stocked for many miles.

Much of the stream is stocked weekly in the put and take areas, and can be fished to advantage, although most fly fishers tend toward the C&R areas.  They are not necessarily pushovers in the stocked area.  I'm not sure if it is normal, but the only way I caught trout with any consistency was with a Leisingring lift!  Pretty sophisticated for dumb stockers if you ask me.

I fished it during two week long trips a couple of years ago, but never made it to the upper C&R area, so I can't comment on it.  The fishing in the lower stretch was impressive, with hatches everywhere.  The only time I have seen that many bugs hatching has been during the White Fly on the Yellow Breeches.  It was May and the second week was in early June.  Sulphurs were everywhere (Dorotheas in May, Invaria in June).  Many Blue Quills too, and a couple of Green drakes (were just starting).  Trout rose everywhere I could see on the Mill Pool.  My cabin literally hung over the stream, and I could sit on the porch smoking a cigar until the rise started and then fish.  Pretty cool spot.

On Friday though a fly fisher hatch occurred, most coming from the Pittsburgh area.  I just moved down stream a few hundred yards and was once again by myself.  In the Mill Pool I caught browns, but downstream it was rainbows.

There is a LOT of great water near there, and I think it is four major trout streams head up in the area.  The local TU has a guide published on the C&R areas of many streams in the state, including Second Creek which has been discussed elsewhere.  Well worth buying.

Nothing nearby is both a good and bad thing.  You have to bring everything you need.  There is a fly shop on the lower C&R stretch and I suspect on the upper since there is some kind of lodge there, but when the river ate my watch, I was told it was an hour and a half to somewhere to buy another.  There are a few restaurants, real basic ones that close early, or you can spend a fortune in the ski area.  The Brazen Head Inn in Mingo wasn't bad.  The room was $49, and had real, canvas oil paintings on the wall.  Nice enough to have had my wife stay there.  I spent the first two nights there before I moved to the cabin overhanging the stream ($50 back then, I am sure maybe double now--no running water, but it did have electricity).  Brazen Head had a restaurant and some good beers, but they seemed a bit expensive to me.  When I was there, a lodge was being built on or near the lower C&R area, and more may be available there than was true when I went.  It was affiliated with the fly shop which rented my cabin and two nicer new ones that included a hot tub and running water.  At the time I ate several meals, believe it or not, in the fly shop which served a few basics and had beer.

Really watch those roads though.  I took the drive along the lower river, came up over a rise and went straight out into the main highway.  Fortunately nobody was coming.  No stop signs, nothing.  In addition, in most states when a sign shows a winding road and a 15 mile an hour speed to take it, you don't have to slow down that far.  In WV you absolutely DO!  Also, if you are a reader, bring your own books.  I went into Webster Springs on the lower Elk, the county seat, and they didn't have a bookstore other than a drugstore.

Did hear some banjo music in the distance though.

wvyou

Hey Fire-fly...long time no see!

Did you fish the upper section of the river or down below Elk Springs flyshop?  I'm headed that way in mid-October.

Fire-Fly

Quote from: wvyou on September 19, 2007, 20:25:35 PM
Hey Fire-fly...long time no see!

Did you fish the upper section of the river or down below Elk Springs flyshop?  I'm headed that way in mid-October.
Hey, i fished what is called the Slatyfork area, not sure if thats upper, or lower, also, if you are going up there a local told me that the Williams river was fishing good, its about 15 miles from slatyfork. Also take a good selection of nymphs, the browns were deep in the pools. Maybe sometime we can get up there together, i'm hoping to go in spring next year for a few days, there's a campground nearby, Tea Creek campground, we need to get together and fish again.

22midge

fish Tea Creek...fish Tea Creek...fish Tea Creek........while you are at the campground fish Tea Creek ;D ;D ;D
never let a day go by without telling your children how special they are----make a child smile today and gain a friend for life

Oldman

WV is for sure on my future to go exploring/camping fishing trips.

diamonddave7676

Quote from: Oldman on September 21, 2007, 17:22:43 PM
WV is for sure on my future to go exploring/camping fishing trips.

The nonresident license is about $60 I think.  I may be wrong though.  It is just as close to some of the streams in WV as it is to the mountain here in NC too.  I think you can get to Second Creek, which is C & R, in about 2 - 3 hours.  The Elk is a little further.

wvyou

#12
I've fished the Williams for a long, long time, although I prefer the Cranberry.  My buddies and I camp on the Cranberry River every Fall and Spring...going on almost 16 years now.  Love the place.

I'll hit the Elk while I'm there though...down by Monterville. 

Ben and I want to fish the James in the spring.  We'll touch base and see if we can't all make it a trip.

As for the license, I buy the trout, conservation, and national forest stamp, which last all year, then buy the $3.00 day passes.  For six days of fishing per year it costs about $48.00...about $17.00 less than an annual license.