Under a reciprocal fishing regulation adopted by both West Virginia and Ohio, anglers with fishing licenses valid in one state may legally fish from the opposite shoreline. When the hybrids are running, it’s not unusual to find several cars with Mountain State licenses parked in the Ohio side’s fisherman-access area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials built a fishing pier there a few years back, but a flood washed it away. Whether the pier will be rebuilt in time for this year’s peak hybrid season is anyone’s guess.

Fortunately for anglers, the fishing-access area at the Ohio River’s Belleville Locks and Dam is in much better shape. In fact, said district fisheries biologist Scott Morrison, it’s one of the best anywhere.

“There are actually two metal catwalks for people to fish from. The first one extends directly over the outflow of the power plant, and the second one extends upstream 90 degrees from that and allows access along the plant’s riverward side. In addition, there’s a paved walkway that extends downstream along the riprap, with wing deflectors to attract baitfish and game fish.”

Hybrids at Belleville average 4 to 5 pounds apiece. Morrison said that when the big-shouldered fish turn sideways in the swift currents, they put up an impressive fight.

“The best fishing arguably is in the summer, when the hybrids come to the surface and attack schools of gizzard shad,” he added. “A lot of people go there with large surf-casting gear and wait until they see surface action. Just about any silvery lure that looks like a shad will draw a strike. A lot of guys also like to dead-drift 6- or 7-inch shad through the flows downstream of the hydro units.”

Though it’s located a fair distance from the state’s major river fisheries, Wyoming County’s R.D. Bailey Dam also merits mention as a top hybrid producer.

“The fishery tends to fluctuate with the gizzard shad population,” said biologist Mark Scott, who lives nearby. “In years when we have a lot of shad, we tend to catch a lot of hybrids.”

He said the lake holds many 13- to 16-inch fish, and a fair number that will go 10 to 12 pounds.

Fortunately for West Virginians, there are plenty of places where the “tigers of the deep” are known to prowl.