West Virginia fishing rules
License, gear, and the statewide limits WVDNR publishes for major species. Water-specific rules replace these numbers. Last checked October 2026.
License
- Who needs one
- All anglers 15 and older must have a West Virginia fishing license and a valid form of identification while fishing. Licenses are good for the calendar year and must be bought again at the start of each year. A trout stamp is required to fish for trout, whether or not the trout is kept, except for the license classes the summary exempts. Children under 15 do not need a fishing license.
- Residents
- The 2026 summary lists a resident fishing license (Class B) at $19, a five-day fishing license (Class L) at $8, and a junior sportsman license (Class XJ) at $16 for ages 15 through 17. A resident trout stamp (Class O) is $10 and is required of licensed anglers fishing for trout, except holders of Class XS, XP, and XP3. A conservation stamp (Class CS) is $5 and is required with Class B, L, A, and AH licenses. The summary does not print a waiting period that defines residency. A senior hunting, trapping, and fishing license (Class XS) is $25 for residents who qualify under the lifetime section.
- Nonresidents
- The summary lists a nonresident fishing license (Class F) at $37, a one-day fishing license (Class LL) at $3, and a nonresident trout stamp (Class OO) at $16. A conservation and law-enforcement stamp (Class CS/LE) is $13 and is required with Class F and the other classes named in the fee list. A national forest hunting, trapping, and fishing stamp (Class I) is $2 if fishing on a national forest, in addition to Class F, LL, or F-L. The junior sportsman license for ages 8 through 17 is $16, and the summary says it is not required for fishing under age 15.
- Free fishing days
- Free Fishing Days in 2026 are June 13–14. Residents and nonresidents may fish public waters without buying a fishing license. The summary says no license is required on these days. Creel, size, and method rules are not waived in the text that was checked.
Seasons and closures
General fishing and trout stockings
The statewide creel table does not close ordinary rod-and-line fishing for bass, trout, or walleye to a short open season. Trout stockings return to selected streams, rivers, and lakes starting in January. From January 1 through May 31, no more than two lines or poles may be used in an impoundment stocked with trout by WVDNR. Potomac and North Branch regulations, including Jennings Randolph Lake, match the Maryland regulations that WVDNR enforces.
Alternate methods and hand-fishing
Nongame snagging and gigging are closed from May 16 through July 14, then open again July 15 through December 31, and also open January 1 through May 15. Bowfishing for nongame fish other than the named carp is closed in May and June. Spearfishing for nongame fish is July 1 through September 30 in daylight. Hand-fishing for catfish is legal from June 15 through August 31, sunrise to sunset. Frog season opens at 9 p.m. on the Saturday nearest June 15 and closes at midnight on July 31.
Legal gear
Hooks and barbless rules
Except as authorized in the methods section, fish may be taken only by rod, line, and hooks. The summary does not set a statewide barbless-hook rule. Dixon Lake on the Pedlar Wildlife Management Area is catch-and-release for all species, live minnows are prohibited, and barbed hooks are prohibited. Trotlines and droplines may not use hooks with more than one point, and wire or cable lines are prohibited.
Rods per angler
The summary does not set a general statewide rod limit. It is illegal to fish with more than two lines or poles in an impoundment stocked with trout by WVDNR from January 1 through May 31. Trotlines and droplines must be attached to the bank or a tree on the bank, tagged with the owner's name and address or WVDNR identification number, and attended every 24 hours. Free-floating jug devices are illegal. Ice-fishing holes may be no larger than 10 inches in diameter.
Nets
Dipping for nongame fish is legal year-round with a valid fishing license. A dip net may not exceed 36 square feet, and the mesh may not be smaller than one-fourth inch. A seine for minnows may not be longer than 8 feet or deeper than 4 feet. A throw net may have a radius no larger than 12 feet and mesh no larger than 1 inch. Minnow-trap openings may not be larger than 1 inch. Game fish may not be seined or trapped. A person may possess no more than 50 minnows, and no more than 100 aquatic animals in total, unless they came from a licensed dealer with a bill of sale.
Snagging
Snagging of game fish is prohibited. Nongame fish, certain turtles, and eels may be taken by gigging, snagging, or snaring from January 1 through May 15 and from July 15 through December 31. Snagging and gigging are prohibited within 100 feet of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers locks and dams and their appurtenances. Suckers, carp, fallfish, and creek chubs may be taken by snaring year-round.
Spearing and bow
Bowfishing for game fish is not permitted. Only common carp, bighead carp, silver carp, and grass carp may be taken by bow year-round. Other nongame fish may be taken by bow in every month except May and June. A valid fishing license is required. Fish taken by bow may not be returned to the water or left on the bank. Explosive or poisoned arrows are illegal. Nongame fish may be taken by spearfishing from July 1 through September 30, daylight only. Game fish may not be taken while spearfishing. Spearguns may be discharged only beneath the surface. Spearfishing is prohibited on the Elk River from Sutton Dam downstream to the U.S. Route 19 bridge at Sutton, and on the New River from Bluestone Dam downstream to the lower bridge at Hinton.
Bait and live transport
It is illegal to stock fish in West Virginia waters, and unused bait should not be released. Game fish may be used as bait only if legally caught with rod, line, and hooks or bought from a licensed bait dealer. It is illegal to possess any darter or to use darters as bait. A person needs a fishing license to collect minnows and other aquatic life. Minnow traps must be tagged and checked once every 24 hours. Several listed waters, including the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier, have a zero possession limit for nongame fishes and ban all fish, including dead or packaged minnows, as bait. The full zero-possession water list is in the baitfish section of the booklet.
Bag and size limits
These are the statewide or default limits. A named lake, river, or marine area can replace every figure below.
Black bass
Smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass are 6 a day in combination, with no statewide minimum, and the possession limit is 12 in combination. Special areas add catch-and-release, a 12-inch minimum, an 18-inch rule at Stonewall Jackson Lake, or a slot. On the New River from the Gauley confluence upstream to the Virginia line, excluding Bluestone Lake and a 12-mile catch-and-release section, bass from 14 to 22 inches must be released, and the daily creel is 6 with only one over 22 inches. Jennings Randolph Lake follows Maryland regulations.
Trout and muskellunge
Rainbow, golden rainbow, brook, tiger, and brown trout are 6 a day in combination, with no statewide minimum, and 12 in possession. Muskellunge and tiger musky are 1 a day with a 30-inch minimum and 2 in possession. Northern pike is 1 a day with a 30-inch minimum and 2 in possession. A trout stamp is required when fishing for trout. Stocked lakes and streams in the summary can differ from the statewide trout creel.
Walleye, sauger, and catfish
Walleye are 8 a day, no statewide minimum, and 16 in possession. Sauger and saugeye share that walleye row's special-regulation notes. On the Ohio River the daily creel is 6 fish in aggregate for walleye, sauger, and saugeye, and only 2 of the 6 may be walleye, which must be at least 18 inches. Blue catfish are 2 a day with a 25-inch minimum. Channel catfish are 4 a day and 8 in possession in state-managed impoundments, and 30 a day and 60 in possession on Mt. Storm, Stonecoal, Cheat, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes, and all rivers and streams. Flathead catfish are 30 a day and 60 in possession.
Other game fish and protected fish
Black and white crappie in aggregate, bluegill and other sunfish in aggregate, and any other game fish not listed separately are 30 a day and 60 in possession. Yellow perch are 30 a day and 60 in possession, except 15 a day at Cheat Lake. Paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon, and lake sturgeon must be returned immediately. All mussel species are illegal to possess. It is illegal to waste the edible fillet of a game fish.