When it comes to muskie fishing, West Virginia lakes take a backseat to no place. Indeed, our state features some of the finest stream fishing for muskellunge in the world, and each year our reservoirs prove that 50-inch muskies are real possibilities.

West Virginia has two distinct types of muskie fisheries: those maintained through an aggressive stocking program and those sustained through natural reproduction. Each type of fishery offers unique benefits as well as limitations, but both strategies have created magnificent muskie fisheries in the Mountain State.

For the serious muskie angler, West Virginia provides miles and miles of streams where muskellunge reproduce naturally. Such natural streams consist of the "native" Ohio River strain of muskellunge, which have existed in our state for perhaps hundreds of years. Many of these native streams remain exceptional muskie fisheries, and a few are producing trophy fish. Middle Island Creek, for example, has turned out 50-inch specimens, and over the past few years, several other waters have contributed numerous 40-inch-plus fish.

However, it's West Virginia's lakes that offer the best trophy muskie opportunities. All of the state's reservoirs and a number of its streams continue to be maintained through the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) stocking program. These stocked fingerlings are descendants of the New York (Chautauqua) strain and get stocked exclusively in non-native muskellunge waters.

Until recently, muskies were stocked as 4- to 8-inch fingerlings, but now certain muskie fisheries are slated to receive 10- to 14-inch advanced muskie fingerlings. Larger fingerlings generate a much higher survival rate than normal size fingerlings, but the cost of producing them can be prohibitive.

West Virginia anglers are reminded that muskies must be at least 30 inches for legal harvest, and although growth rates vary among rivers and lakes, it generally takes these game fish four or five years to attain this legal size. The daily muskie possession limit remains at two.

MUD RIVER
When it comes to muskie fishing in the southern part of West Virginia, the Mud River certainly comes to mind. The Mud River is a small to medium-sized stream with oft-discolored water (hence the name), but muskies sure find it appealing.

Over the last decade, catch rates in the Mud River have increased to a point where most Mountain State anglers now classify the river as a premier West Virginia muskie fishery. Intensive stocking efforts, as well as modern catch-and-release practices, have contributed to the thriving fishery.

Like many West Virginia streams, the muskie fishery in Mud River has been successfully established and maintained through fingerling stockings. Each year, the DNR stocks around 300 to 500 muskie fingerlings into the Mud River. But the magic doesn't occur overnight, as it takes three to five years for these fingerlings to reach legal size.

The Mud River is defined by a narrow channel that winds through a continuum of lengthy pools and potholes. The pools are separated by a series of water-control dams, making uninterrupted navigation a challenge. Under normal conditions, anglers will launch into a particular pool and concentrate their fishing efforts in that area.

Anglers who are looking to fish the upper reaches of the Mud River will find that the Milton Pool is a hotspot. Starting behind the water plant in Milton and continuing upstream about two miles, this pool remains one of the most consistent muskie-producing areas on the river.

But don't expect to launch a mega bass boat into this pool, because the area is best suited for small johnboats or canoes with trolling motors. A carry-down boat ramp beside the Milton water plant provides access to the pool, but sometimes it requires getting a key from nearby water plant personnel.