Fishing near Charleston, WV

Sitting in Kanawha County at the confluence of the Kanawha and Elk rivers, Charleston puts anglers on West Virginia's largest inland waterway. The Kanawha runs roughly 97 miles to the Ohio River and produces state-record-class flathead and blue catfish, while the Elk River joins town after carrying coldwater trout above Sutton Lake. The New River and Summersville Lake lie a short drive southeast.

Top waters to fish near Charleston

Species & education

Learn what type of fish are in Charleston, West Virginia and what's needed to catch them.

Find which waters have the species you want to catch

Black Bullhead

Ameiurus melas

Black Crappie

Pomoxis nigromaculatus

Blue Catfish

Ictalurus furcatus

Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus

Bluegill Sunfish

Lepomis macrochirus

Brown Bullhead

Ameiurus nebulosus

Channel Catfish

Ictalurus punctatus

Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

Flathead Catfish

Pylodictis olivaris

Freshwater Drum

Aplodinotus grunniens

Golden Redhorse

Moxostoma erythrurum

Green Sunfish

Lepomis cyanellus

Largemouth Bass

Longear Sunfish

Lepomis megalotis

Longnose Gar

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