Many veteran Elk River anglers prefer fishing with live bait, and there’s little doubt that this tactic is effective. Creek chubs and small suckers in sizes up to 12 inches in length remain the preferred baits. For anglers fishing with artificials, jigs (4-inch twistertails) and small crankbaits seem to work well during the early season.

Other than intersections with sizeable tributaries, just about any pool or tributary along the 82-mile stretch of the Elk (from Sutton dam to the mouth) is capable of holding walleyes. For example, the tailrace just below the Sutton Dam has traditionally been a fine location to encounter walleyes. Since the dam acts as a barrier to fish movement, walleyes tend to bunch up in the tailwater. January through April is touted as the best time to fish for walleyes on the Elk, although anglers might have to share shoreline access with tailwater trout anglers during this time frame.

Trout fishermen regularly encounter walleyes while fishing in the tailrace, particularly those anglers fishing with spinners and spoons early in the morning or late in the evening.

The Sutton tailwater is located off exit 62 of Interstate 79, near the town of Sutton. Travel through Sutton and follow signs to the dam. Other areas of the Elk River can be located by traveling along state Route (SR) 4. State Route 4 follows a significant portion of the Elk River from Sutton Dam all the way to Clendenin. Near Clendenin, SR 4 flows into U.S. Route 119 as this route takes over as the primary access to the Elk until it reaches the mouth near Charleston. OHIO RIVER
When Mountain State anglers mention the granddaddy of them all, they’re not talking about the Rose Bowl, they’re referring to the Ohio River. One might think that it would be hard to find walleyes on the largest river in West Virginia, but locating them on the Ohio is rather simple. Just go to one of the river’s locks.

DNR data collected on the river has shown that more than 90 percent of the fish caught from the Ohio River are hooked in the tailraces below the river’s locks. By integrating fish and restricting upstream movement, dams form a natural catch basin for anglers to target.

Fish alter their position in relation to the water flow coming through the dam, and by analyzing currents, it becomes easier to determine where walleyes will likely be. Water flow coming through the dam will be the overriding factor in determining where the fish will be holding. If high flows are coming through the locks, then fish will move farther downstream in areas of less flow. If minimal current is coming through the locks, then fish will be right around the moving water.

Trophy walleyes can show up anytime on the Ohio, but for sauger and walleye anglers, fishing the tailraces has become more of a numbers game than a trophy hunt. Plenty of fish limits are taken each year below the Ohio River locks and that isn’t likely to change, at least not in the near future.

Any of the lock systems on the river are capable of supplying good walleye action. Notable locks include Hannibal, Willow Island, New Cumberland, RC Byrd and Pike Island. Over the past few years, fishing on the upper locks seems to have been better than that on the lower locks. However, it is difficult to determine where the best action will occur as walleye and sauger fishing on the river has been good throughout.