Fishing West Virginia

One aspect of the state that makes West Virginia such a beautiful place is the distinctly different seasons that unfold over the course of a year. The tropics are nice but one big complaint about those balmy breezes is that they are nonstop all year long, with no seasonal changes to break the monotony. The seasons are alive and wild in West Virginia and so are its insects.

Having four distinct seasons to enjoy adds an element of mystery to fishing West Virginia waters that keeps avid anglers returning year after year. Part of the sport is knowing which bait to use each time and the intrepid angler knows that it takes a variety of flies to bring the most fish all year-round.

Some fishermen rely on just one or two flies and they use them all year long,every time they go fishing. If this works, that’s great, but other anglers find it makes more sense to pay attention to what the bugs are doing and choose their bait flies accordingly.

The life cycle of an insect is driven by the seasons but fish want to eat every day.Their diets have become adapted to feed on each stage of the developing insect but the fish know when its time to eat larvae and when it’s time for the mature,flying insect to emerge and become dinner. Choose lures that resemble the natural stage of life cycle the native insects are in for the best chance of success.

Before opening the tackle box, spend some time looking around the fishing hole, paying close attention to the insects in, on, and near the water. Expect to find insects in their crawly, larval state in the spring and early summer. Flying insects emerge a bit later, once those larvae and nymphs have matured to the flying stage. Use nymphs and streamers at this time of the year.

When the fishing hole is alive with flying things, forget about the nymphs and streamers in the tackle box. The fish are dining of flying insects during this time of year. To catch them, feed them dry flies.

A successful catch depends on what the fish are eating at the moment, in the season. You may have a favorite fly or nymph but if your choice of lure is not what the fish are eating, even the most perfectly crafted lure won’t be good enough to draw the fish’s interest. The flies you scored with last August won’t do you any good at all next March, when the fish are gorging on insects swimming in, not on top of, the water.

Some anglers go a step further than merely reading the water before getting settled down to some serious fishing. Some go as far as pumping the stomach of the first fish or two caught, just to see what he’s REALLY been eating, then they bait their fly lines accordingly.

The spectacular scenery changes with every season but success when fishing West Virginia waters is seasonal, too. The seasons determine what the fish are eating and the wise angler knows how to read the seasons as well as the waters.