Creel and Possession Limits
Species | Daily Creel Limit | Minimum Size | PossessionLimit | *Special Regulations |
BLACK BASS Smallmouth, Largemouth, and Spotted | 6* (in any combination) | None* | 12* (in any combination) | Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
TROUT Rainbow, Golden Rainbow, Brook, Tiger and Brown | 6* (in any combination) | None | 12* (in any combination) | Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
MUSKELLUNGE | 1* | 30 inches* | 2* | See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
TIGER MUSKY | 1* | 30 inches* | 2* | |
NORTHERN PIKE | 1 | 30 inches* | 2* | Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. |
CHAIN PICKEREL | 1 | None | 2 | |
HYBRID STRIPED BASS | 30* (inany combination) | no more than four fish greater than 15 inches | 30 | Statewide, except in designated special regulations waters. |
STRIPED BASS WHITE BASS | 4* | 15 inches* | 4* | Beech Fork, Bluestone, Mt. Storm and R.D. Bailey lakes and the Kanawha River (from confluence of New and Gauley rivers downstream to the Buffalo Bridge) |
0 | 0 | 0 | Rollins Lake: all hybrid striped bass, striped bass and white bass must be returned to the water immediately. | |
PADDLEFISH | 0 | 0 | 0 | All fish must be returned to the water immediately. |
SHOVELNOSE STURGEON | ||||
LAKE STURGEON | ||||
SAUGER | 8* | None* | 16* | Ohio River: 6-fish daily creel in aggregate for walleye, sauger, and saugeye. Only 2 of the 6 fish can be walleye and must be a minimum of 18 inches in length. |
SAUGEYE | ||||
WALLEYE | 8* | None* | 16* | Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
BLUE CATFISH | 2* | 25 inches* | No limit* | See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
CHANNEL CATFISH | 4* | None | 8* | In state-managed impoundments (See Public Fishing Lakes and Ponds Chart): Daily creel limit 4, possession limit 8.On Mt. Storm, Stonecoal, Cheat, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes and all rivers and streams the daily limit is 30 and possession limit is 60. Potomac River: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. |
FLATHEAD CATFISH | 30* | * | 60* | See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations. |
YELLOW PERCH | 30* | None | 60 | Cheat Lake: Daily creel limit 15 |
ALL OTHER GAME FISH (A complete list of gamefish is on the back cover of the regulations.) | 30* | None* | 60 | This limit is for black and white crappie in aggregate, bluegill and all other sunfish in aggregate, and any other game fish not listed separately on this page. See Special Area Regulations for additional regulations on sunfish. Jennings Randolph Lake: See Maryland Fishing Regulations. |
Fishing regulations relating to opening and closing dates, creel and possession limits and size limits on the Potomac and North Branch of the Potomac, including Jennings Randolph Lake, and enforced by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources will correspond with the same regulations published by the State of Maryland.
This program receives Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The U.S.Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility, or if you need more information, please write to: Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.
