Fishes Elk River (West Virginia)
River · Central West Virginia · West Virginia
Elk River (West Virginia) Fishing Guides
West Virginia's premier smallmouth and musky float, running 172 miles off the Allegheny front to the Kanawha at Charleston, with the Queen Shoals reach the classic lower-river drift.
Map of the Elk River (West Virginia)
21 numbered points: 1 access point, 1 campsite, 13 bridges, 3 parks and conservation areas, 1 regulation section limit, 1 USGS gauge, 1 point of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Oct 23, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (1)
- Campsite (1)
- Bridge crossing (13)
- Park / conservation area (3)
- Regulation section limit (1)
- USGS gauge (1)
- Point of interest (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.
Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
Open the printable mapAll 21 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutton Dam US Army Corps of Engineers | Point of interest | 38.66199, -80.69285 | Head of this sheet; the float is the reach below the dam. |
| 2 | Bee Run Recreation Area USACE, Sutton Lake | Park / conservation area | 38.65525, -80.68221 | At the dam, on the lake above the float reach. |
| 3 | Sutton Bridge Sutton | Bridge crossing | 38.66428, -80.73079 | |
| 4 | Senator Jennings Randolph Highway US 19, Sutton | Bridge crossing | 38.65641, -80.74022 | |
| 5 | Elk River special regulation section (Sutton) WVDNR special regulation area | Regulation section limit | 38.65641, -80.74022 | Sutton Dam downstream to the U.S. Route 19 bridge at Sutton. |
| 6 | Elk River Camp and RV Private | Campsite | 38.65527, -80.76685 | Caravan and tent site below Sutton. |
| 7 | Perry Street Gassaway reach | Bridge crossing | 38.66515, -80.78006 | |
| 8 | Frametown-Herold Road Frametown | Bridge crossing | 38.63533, -80.86444 | |
| 9 | Strange Creek Road Strange Creek | Bridge crossing | 38.56698, -80.89795 | |
| 10 | Duck Public slipway | Access / boat ramp | 38.58514, -80.92720 | Slipway at the community of Duck. |
| 11 | Duck Post Office Road Duck | Bridge crossing | 38.58298, -80.93782 | |
| 12 | Ivydale Ridge Road Ivydale | Bridge crossing | 38.53620, -81.03448 | |
| 13 | Pisgah Bridge Pisgah | Bridge crossing | 38.46023, -81.08827 | |
| 14 | Clay Highway Clay | Bridge crossing | 38.43116, -81.11374 | |
| 15 | Camp Creek Road Camp Creek | Bridge crossing | 38.49241, -81.21738 | |
| 16 | Wallback Wildlife Management Area WVDNR Wildlife Management Area | Park / conservation area | 38.51760, -81.22484 | |
| 17 | Queen Road Queen Shoals | Bridge crossing | 38.47176, -81.28366 | |
| 18 | USGS 03197000 Elk River at Queen Shoals USGS streamgauge | USGS gauge | 38.47200, -81.28420 | Roster gauge coordinate. |
| 19 | Blue Creek Road Blue Creek | Bridge crossing | 38.44916, -81.45587 | |
| 20 | Coonskin Park Kanawha County Parks and Recreation | Park / conservation area | 38.39818, -81.57934 | Lower river at Charleston; OSM misspells the county 'Kanawah'. |
| 21 | Henry C. "Hoppy" Shores Drive Charleston, near the mouth | Bridge crossing | 38.39938, -81.57917 |
Guides on the Elk River (West Virginia)
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works
About the Elk River (West Virginia)
The Elk rises in the high country of Pocahontas and Randolph counties, disappears underground through a limestone reach near Slaty Fork, and then runs west and southwest for well over a hundred and fifty miles through Webster Springs, Sutton, Clay and Clendenin to meet the Kanawha in downtown Charleston. It is one of the longest free-flowing stretches of river in the eastern United States below the Sutton Dam, and it is the water most West Virginia float guides build their season around. The lower half, from Sutton down, is a wide, shallow, ledge-bottomed smallmouth river that drifts well in a raft or a jet boat.
Smallmouth bass are the mainstay and the Elk grows them well: long, clean gravel and ledge structure, abundant crayfish, and enough gradient to keep the water oxygenated through the summer. Muskellunge are the river’s signature fish, though, and the Elk is widely regarded as one of the best musky rivers in the region. They hold in the deeper pools and along the log jams, and guides run dedicated musky trips through the cooler months. Rock bass are everywhere, walleye show up in the deeper water, and channel catfish are abundant through the lower reaches near Queen Shoals and Clendenin.
Access is workable but not lavish. Public landings and low-water bridges serve the river at intervals from Sutton downstream, and float segments are typically planned as full days between them. The upper river above Sutton is smaller, colder, trout-stocked in places, and fished on foot rather than floated. Private land dominates the banks between landings. The Queen Shoals gauge on the lower river reads discharge and stage – there is no temperature series – and is the standard flow reference for planning a drift on the reach below Clay.
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Access
Queen Shoals - river access near the gauge and the reference point for flow on the lower float reach.
Clendenin - public access and the usual downstream takeout for floats coming off the Clay reach.
Clay - a landing serving the middle of the classic lower-river smallmouth and musky water.
Sutton, below the dam - the top of the long free-flowing reach and the coldest water on the lower river in summer.
Webster Springs and the upper river are smaller, stocked with trout in season, and fished by wading rather than floating.
Low-water bridges function as informal access at several points but flood out and are impassable after rain.
Banks between landings are largely private; plan floats landing to landing and take out where you said you would.
Seasons
Spring: high and stained into May. Musky fishing is at its best in the cooler water and smallmouth begin moving onto the gravel late in the season.
Summer: the core smallmouth float season, with low clear water, good topwater fishing and long floats between landings.
Fall: prime for both species. Cooling water brings the largest smallmouth of the year and starts the best musky window on the river.
Winter: floats largely stop, but dedicated musky anglers keep fishing the deep pools on mild days when the river is not blown out.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Elk River (West Virginia)?
As of Nov 2, 6:00 am, the USGS gauge ELK RIVER AT QUEEN SHOALS, WV reads 768 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Elk River (West Virginia)?
Anglers target Channel Catfish, Muskellunge, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye on the Elk River (West Virginia) in West Virginia.
Are there fishing guides on the Elk River (West Virginia)?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Elk River (West Virginia). Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Elk River (West Virginia)?
Queen Shoals - river access near the gauge and the reference point for flow on the lower float reach. Clendenin - public access and the usual downstream takeout for floats coming off the Clay reach. Clay - a landing serving the middle of the classic lower-river smallmouth and musky water. Sutton, below the dam - the top of the long free-flowing reach and the coldest water on the lower river in summer. Webster Springs and the upper river are smaller, stocked with trout in season, and fished by wading rather than floating. Low-water bridges function as informal access at several points but flood...
When is the best time to fish the Elk River (West Virginia)?
Spring: high and stained into May. Musky fishing is at its best in the cooler water and smallmouth begin moving onto the gravel late in the season. Summer: the core smallmouth float season, with low clear water, good topwater fishing and long floats between landings. Fall: prime for both species. Cooling water brings the largest smallmouth of the year and starts the best musky window on the river. Winter: floats largely stop, but dedicated musky anglers keep fishing the deep pools on mild days when the river is not blown out.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Elk River (West Virginia)?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the West Virginia agency site: https://wvdnr.gov/fishing/fishing-regulations/