The Williams does have some big trout, but this river's strength would be trout quantity and the variety of species that the river features. Anglers can expect to encounter rainbow, golden rainbow, brook and brown trout in the Williams' diverse habitat. The Williams houses a variety of habitat, such as undercut banks, deep pools, ledges and large boulders.

Anglers coming to fish the Williams will travel across the scenic highway or come up SR 20 from Cowen and turn on FS 86. Roadside access is available along FS 86 nearly all the way from Cowen to Route 150. To fish the Williams near Day Run, turn off 150 onto FS 86 and look for signs to Day Run Campground. The Williams is stocked all the way to a low-water bridge about 2.5 miles up FS 216.

The Williams features one special regulation trout area extending two miles below where Tea Creek empties into the Williams. The area is along FS 86.

PAINT CREEK
Trout anglers in the southern half of West Virginia are probably already familiar with Paint Creek. After all, few trout streams are located within a short drive from Charleston. In fact, this trout water is one of the closest trout-fishing streams for anglers from Beckley, Charleston or even Huntington.

"Because of Paint Creek's location along the turnpike between Charleston and Beckley, the stream receives a lot of fishing pressure," Shingleton said.

While Paint Creek seldom provides year-round fishing like the Mountain State streams mentioned earlier in this article, it does provide a quality trout-fishing experience for anglers, and there certainly are plenty of trout to fish for within the banks of Paint Creek.

Paint Creek is stocked once in February, and every two weeks from March through May. The stream receives hearty stockings of rainbow and brown trout during the spring stocking period, and Paint Creek's habitat makes for a satisfying small-stream trout-fishing experience.

The strength of Paint Creek is its location. Providing convenient trout fishing from the metro areas of Charleston and Beckley is a difficult task, but Paint Creek remains a good answer. Supplying anglers with trout-fishing opportunities without requiring a long drive makes Paint Creek a popular trout-fishing destination for southern anglers.

Stretching along interstates 64 and 77 from Maynor to Standard, Paint Creek wasn't always such a pretty site. Once the site of numerous litter dumps and discarded garbage, the stream has undergone revitalization during the past 10 years, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers and an active watershed group.

Highlighting the turnaround, Paint Creek now encompasses a two-mile catch-and-release area, which runs from the mouth of Skitter Creek upstream to the mouth of Milburn Creek. Anglers can access this reach of Paint Creek by traveling on CR 15.

There are numerous access routes to Paint Creek, but CR 83 is perhaps the most convenient.

Shingleton also indicates that quality fishing can be found on the southern West Virginia streams of Dunloup and Pinnacle creeks, as well as on Paint Creek.

Yes, it's time to rev up the trout-fishing machine and get ready to invade Mountain State streams everywhere. Anglers have a wide variety of waters to choose from. We've got various streams, large rivers and small impoundments that hold trout. Whatever your choice, 2006 looks to be another fine year to wet a line for Mountain State trout. Are you ready? Then get set -- and go!