Greenbrier County contains another stream in this category, Milligan Creek. The special regulation section is very short and runs .33 mile from about one mile north of U.S. Route 60 from the CR 60/15 bridge downstream to a fence crossing. Milligan is quite narrow in width, so fooling these trout often requires an “on your hands and knees” type of casting performance. My first glimpse of a trout on Milligan is often of it fleeing from my shadow or me.

Although I would rate Second Creek as the most popular fly-fishing-only stream, I would speculate that the Dogway Fork of the Cranberry is the most well known in the Mountain State. The main stream and all its tributaries are fly-fishing only. Access is by foot off Monongahela National Forest Route 78. Greenbrier County claims Dogway Fork as well, but the stream also flows through Webster and Pocahontas.

A good friend once told me that the New River is so associated with smallmouth bass fishing that many anglers fail to recognize that some of its tributaries host marvelous trout fisheries. One such case is the fly- fishing-only action that exists on Buffalo Creek in Fayette County. That section includes the entire length of Buffalo Creek and all its tributaries.

Like Greenbrier County, Tucker County has several special regulation waters. Tucker contains the Red Run of Dry Fork with the main stream and all its tributaries coming under that classification. Access is by SR 72 and National Forest Route 13. A final option is Thorn Creek in Pendleton County, which I would rate as the least known fly-fishing water in the state. Thorn has a .5-mile section beginning approximately three miles above its mouth. Access is by CR 20.

PUT-AND-TAKE STREAMS
Of course, for sheer popularity, our state’s put-and-take streams often attract the most attention from anglers. Moreover, the Dry Fork, mentioned earlier, is definitely not the only possible destination. Mike Shingleton surmises that Shavers Fork, the West Fork of the Greenbrier River, Gandy Creek, Glady Fork and Anthony Creek are some of the most visited waters in West Virginia.

Of that group, I would guess that Shavers Fork has the greatest claim to fame, not only for it being promoted in various kinds of media, but also as a traditional place for West Virginians to go trout fishing. Both the lower and upper sections of Shavers Fork lie in Randolph County and come under the W-F category. That means Shavers receives infusions of trout once in January, twice in February, weekly March through May and once each week for a fortnight in October.

I have fished Shavers early in the spring, in the dog days of summer, and when the leaves were golden and red in autumn and found the river a delight in all three seasons. Really, there is no bad time, except the dead of winter, to plan a sojourn to Shavers.

The West Fork of the Greenbrier in Pocahontas County, likewise, falls under the W-F category. A well-marked trail parallels the river, making for easy access, and is popular with hikers and horseback riders as well. The West Fork is probably best visited in April and May, as the stream can become quite low during the summer months. Then fishermen are as likely in many places to catch rock bass as trout.