Wander Luxe Lodgings
Shavers Lake shoreline and forest from above at Snowshoe

Fly fishing

Fly fishing near Snowshoe

six trout rivers, one base camp

Fly fishing near Snowshoe means the wild-trout Elk River fifteen minutes below the mountain, then Shavers Fork, the Greenbrier, the Williams, the Cranberry, and the Cherry, all within ninety minutes. Spring and October fish best, both inside the resort's closures when our rates are lowest. This is the guide we wish we had on our first trip: the six rivers by month, live gauges, licenses, guides, and where to sleep.

The six riversWhen to comeLicense and stampGuides and outfittersRiver conditions

Why Snowshoe

A hidden gem for trout, hiding in plain sight

Pocahontas County is where eight rivers begin. The water leaves the mountain cold, clean, and fast, and the state stocks the easy sections while the wild fish hold the hard ones. From our homes you can fish a limestone spring creek before breakfast, a freestone forest river after lunch, and a smallmouth float the next day, without repacking the car.

This region is not just a ski destination. It is a real mountain adventure destination, and fishing is the quietest part of it.

As seen on

Fly Rod Chronicles

Curtis Fleming and the Fly Rod Chronicles crew have based themselves at Timbers 3 more than once while filming these rivers. If a television fly-fishing show keeps coming back to our place for the Elk, you can trust the drive time.

The story

Guest spotlight

Fly Rod Chronicles stayed with us. More than once.

Fly Rod Chronicles is the television show built around Curtis Fleming, a West Virginia native who left his day job to chase trout on camera and calls the format “reality fly fishing.” The show has aired on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel and now runs on the Discovery Channel, the Pursuit Channel, and the WILD hunting and fishing network, and Curtis was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2021, the first fly-fishing personality to get in.

When the crew came to film the rivers around Snowshoe, they found Wander Luxe Lodgings the same way most guests do, on Google, and booked Timbers 3. They spent their days on the water and their nights at the house, and they have come back to do it again. A crew that fishes for a living can stay anywhere in the state. They chose a cabin fifteen minutes from the Elk with a hot tub, a real kitchen, and a place to hang the waders.

That matters for you in one plain way: the drive times, the river notes, and the “which home for a fishing trip” advice on this page have been tested by people who are very hard to impress.

Stay at Timbers 3Watch the show
Curtis Fleming of Fly Rod Chronicles holding a brown trout
Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Fleming logo

Curtis Fleming and the Fly Rod Chronicles logo, courtesy of the show. They base at Timbers 3 when they film here.

The water

Six rivers within 90 minutes

Pick the month you are coming and the table sorts the rivers by how they fish then. Drive times are from the Village and depend on which access point you pick. Map buttons open a plain Google search for the river so you can pick your own pull-off.

2 of the six rivers are at their best in September.

RiverSeptemberDriveThe waterBestMap
Shavers Fork of the CheatPrime20 to 45 minOne of the highest trout rivers in the East. Stocked spring and fall on top of wild fish, with a delayed-harvest stretch near Cheat Bridge.May to early July, September and OctoberFind on map ↗
Greenbrier RiverPrime25 to 45 minBigger, slower water. Smallmouth bass all summer, trout in the tributaries, and the rail trail runs beside it for a bike-and-fish day.June to September for bassFind on map ↗
Upper Elk River, Slaty ForkGood10 to 25 minWild rainbows and browns in a spring-fed limestone stream. The Slaty Fork section is permanent catch-and-release, artificial only.April to June, then OctoberFind on map ↗
Williams RiverGood45 to 70 minA freestone stream in the national forest below the Highland Scenic Highway, stocked weekly in spring with a year-round catch-and-release stretch below Tea Creek.March to May, OctoberFind on map ↗
Cranberry RiverGood60 to 90 minThe one serious anglers ask about. Back-country water through the Cranberry Wilderness, with long catch-and-release sections and native brookies up the feeders.April to JuneFind on map ↗
Cherry RiverOff month60 to 90 minTwo forks above Richwood, stocked heavily and easy to reach from the road. A good first river for beginners.March to MayFind on map ↗

Access points and regulations

Where to park and what the rules are

Elk River, Slaty Fork Catch-and-Release

Wild rainbow & brown trout · 10-15 min

Wild rainbow and brown trout water right at Snowshoe's doorstep, one of the best wild-trout fisheries in the eastern US. The Slaty Fork section (4.6 miles, from the Big Spring Fork/Old Field Fork confluence down to the mouth of Dry Branch) is permanent catch-and-release, artificial lures and flies only.

Regulation: Catch-and-release, artificial lures/flies only

Address
Parking near the old Beckwith Sawmill site, County Route 219-12, Slaty Fork, WV
Our tip
Every angler 15+ needs a WV fishing license AND a trout stamp, both take a few minutes at WVfish.com, worth doing before you leave the house.
Shavers Fork (Cheat River)

Shavers Fork (Cheat River)

Rainbow, golden rainbow, brown & brook trout · 15-20 min to Cheat Bridge

One of the highest-elevation trout rivers in the eastern US, rainbow, golden rainbow, brown, and brook trout, stocked each spring and fall on top of a genuine wild population. A delayed-harvest section in Randolph County runs catch-and-release Nov 1-May 15, general regulations May 16-Oct 31.

Regulation: Delayed harvest, catch-and-release Nov 1-May 15

Address
Closest access: Cheat Bridge on US-250
Williams River, Tea Creek

Williams River, Tea Creek

Rainbow, brown & native brook trout · 20-25 min

Rainbow, brown, and native brook trout, stocked weekly March-May. The year-round catch-and-release stretch starts about 2 miles below the Tea Creek confluence and runs 2 miles downstream; a broader delayed-harvest section (catch-and-release Nov 1-May 15) covers the rest.

Regulation: Delayed harvest, plus a year-round catch-and-release stretch below Tea Creek

Address
Tea Creek Campground, off Rt 219/WV-150

Regulations change. Confirm the current section boundaries and the stocking schedule at wvdnr.gov before you go.

When to come

The best time to fish Snowshoe

spring first, fall a close second

Two of the four fishing windows land inside the resort's closures, when our rates are lowest and the rivers are empty. That is not a coincidence we mind.

Shavers Lake and the Boathouse from above in fall

  • Spring

    March to May

    The best window. Weekly stocking on the Williams and Cherry, wild fish feeding hard on the Elk, and the mountain at its quietest. Bring waders and a rain shell.

  • Early summer

    June to early July

    Evening hatches on the Elk and Shavers Fork. Fish early and late, and spend the middle of the day at Shavers Lake or on the Bike Park.

  • Fall

    September to October

    Fall stocking, low clear water, and leaf color on every river. The resort is closed from mid-October, so rates on our homes drop right as the fishing peaks.

  • Winter

    November to February

    Delayed-harvest sections on Shavers Fork and the Williams stay catch-and-release. Cold, quiet, and worth it for the committed. Ski in the morning, fish the warm hour after lunch.

Before you go

License and trout stamp

Everyone 15 and older needs a West Virginia fishing license and a trout stamp to fish for trout. Buy both online in five minutes. There is no reliable place to buy one once you are on the mountain. A few groups skip the trout stamp itself (though the base license is still required): residents who turned 65 before January 1, 2012, WV veterans with a 100% permanent service-connected disability, and former POWs.

Buy a WV license ↗Trout stocking schedule ↗

  • Nonresident options

    Short-term nonresident licenses cover a long weekend. Annual makes sense if you will be back in the fall.

  • Carry it

    A screenshot on your phone is accepted. Signal is poor on most of these rivers, so save it before you leave the house.

  • Catch-and-release sections

    The Slaty Fork section of the Elk and parts of the Williams and Cranberry are artificial-only, no harvest. Pinch your barbs.

  • Cleaning fish

    If you keep fish from a general-regulation section, clean them outside at the home, not in the kitchen sink, and bag the remains for the trash.

Before you drive to the water

River conditions, live

The USGS gauges for each river, the state stocking schedule, and the summit forecast. Our rule: a river that is rising and off-color after rain is a day for the tributaries or the lake; falling and clearing is when the main stems fish. Ask us what it looked like this morning, we answer within the hour.

Stocking schedule ↗Summit forecast

  • Elk River

    Elk River below Webster Springs

    Far downstream of Slaty Fork. Use it for the trend after rain, not the level at the catch-and-release water.

    USGS gauge 03194700 ↗

  • Shavers Fork

    Shavers Fork at Parsons

    Downstream of Cheat Bridge. Rising here means the upper river rose first.

    USGS gauge 03069000 ↗

  • Greenbrier River

    Greenbrier River at Buckeye

    Right on the water we float. The bass fish best on a falling, clearing river.

    USGS gauge 03182500 ↗

  • Williams River

    Williams River at Dyer

    Below the Tea Creek water. A good read on the whole river.

    USGS gauge 03186500 ↗

  • Cranberry River

    Cranberry River near Richwood

    Below the wilderness section. If it is blown out here, give the back country a day.

    USGS gauge 03187500 ↗

Gauges are the U.S. Geological Survey's and open on their site. Rain that closes the rivers usually leaves the Bike Park and the Village wide open, and the day trips cross most of this water anyway.

Guides and outfitters

Hire a local for the first morning

Both of these are licensed, both rent gear and waders, and both will save you a day of guessing. Book ahead for spring weekends.

Elk River Inn & Cabins, Guided Trips & Fly School

Elk River Inn & Cabins, Guided Trips & Fly School

10-15 min

Full-service, licensed fly-fishing outfitter guiding the Elk River headwaters, Williams River, Cranberry River, and Greenbrier River. Guided wade trips, a two-day fly-fishing school with lodging, wild-brook-trout backcountry trips, and gear/wader rental.

Address
34037 Seneca Trail, Slaty Fork, WV 26291
Our tip
Formerly known as Elk River Touring Center, same business, some directories still list the old name. Also guides mountain biking and skiing trips out of the same Slaty Fork base.

304-572-3771elkriverwv.com ↗

Knapps Creek Trout Lodge, Guided Trips & Lessons

Knapps Creek Trout Lodge, Guided Trips & Lessons

~45 min

Guided fly-fishing trips and beginner lessons on Knapps Creek, the Greenbrier River, and backcountry trips into the Cranberry/Greenbrier headwaters. No lodging stay required to book, half-day, full-day, and beginner package options.

Address
1101 9th Avenue, Marlinton, WV

After the river

Built for a fishing trip

A day in 50-degree water ends better in a hot tub. Every home has a full kitchen for the early breakfast, most have a grill for dinner, and a mud room or gear space for waders and rods (gear stays out of the living areas, please). Plan a full outdoor weekend: fish the morning, then ride or hike the afternoon, and never move the car more than once.

Timbers 3Timbers 5All seven homes
  • Private hot tubs at the Timbers homes
  • Full kitchens at every home, grills at five
  • Mud rooms and gear space
  • Fifteen minutes to the Elk
  • Quiet streets for a 5am start
  • Lower rates in spring and fall
  • Hiking and the Bike Park for the non-anglers
  • Text us for river conditions

Questions

Fly-fishing FAQ

Anything else, .

Do I need a fishing license to fly fish near Snowshoe?

Yes. Anyone 15 or older needs a West Virginia fishing license plus a trout stamp to fish for trout, with a few exemptions from the stamp itself: residents who turned 65 before January 1, 2012, WV veterans with a 100% permanent service-connected disability, and former POWs. Everyone still needs the base license. Both take a few minutes to buy online from the WV Division of Natural Resources.

Do it before you leave home. Nonresident short-term licenses are available if you are only here for a few days.

What is the closest trout water to Snowshoe?

The Upper Elk River at Slaty Fork, about 15 minutes below the mountain.

The Slaty Fork section is permanent catch-and-release with artificial lures and flies only, and it holds wild rainbow and brown trout year-round.

When is the best time of year to fly fish near Snowshoe?

Spring, from late March through June, is the best combination of stocking, water, and wild fish. Early summer evenings and October are close behind.

Fall is our favorite: the rivers are clear, the leaves are turning, and our rates are lower because the resort is closed.

Should we hire a guide?

For a first trip, yes. The Elk's wild fish are not easy, and a local guide will put you on water that matches your skill in a morning instead of a weekend.

Two licensed outfitters are listed on this page, and both rent gear and waders.

Which of your homes is best for a fishing trip?

Timbers 3 and Timbers 5. Both have a private hot tub, a full kitchen, a grill, and space outside for waders and rods.

They are ten minutes closer to the Elk than the Village, and quiet enough to sleep in before an early start. Fly Rod Chronicles stayed at Timbers 3 when they filmed here.

Keep exploring

More of the Snowshoe guide

First-timersThings to doWhere to eatOff the mountainMountain reportMapsGetting hereGroceries and gasPrivate chefsLift tickets & gearSki & snowboard lessonsHikingBikingShavers LakeSplit Rock PoolsDogsEvent calendarGuide overview

Where to stay

Stay fifteen minutes from the Elk

The Timbers homes are the closest of ours to the river, with private hot tubs for the end of the day.

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