W. Va. Code R. § 58-60-6 - Size Limits

6.1. Black Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted Bass). -- There are no size limits for black bass, except as provided in Sections 6.1.1. through 6.1.6. of these regulations.

6.1.1. There is a 12-inch minimum size limit for black bass on the following:

6.1.1.a. Barboursville Lake (Cabell County).

6.1.1.b. Beech Fork Lake (Wayne County).

6.1.1.c. Chief Logan Lake (Logan County).

6.1.1.d. Conaway Run Lake (Tyler County).

6.1.1.e. Wheeling Creek (Marshall and Ohio counties).

6.1.1.f. The section of the Ohio River from the mouth of Mill Creek (Hancock County) downstream to the mouth of the Big Sandy River (Wayne County), including all waters within West Virginia covered by the Ohio River Reciprocal Agreement with the State of Ohio.

6.1.2. There is a 12 to 16-inch slot limit in effect at South Mill Creek Lake (Grant County) (i.e., all black bass 12 to 16 inches in length that are caught at South Mill Creek Lake must be released immediately).

6.1.3. There is a 12 to 16-inch slot limit in effect at Parker Hollow Lake (Hardy County) (i.e., all black bass 12 to 16 inches in length that are caught at Parker Hollow Lake must be released Immediately)

6.1.4. There is a 12 to 20-inch (12" to 20") slot limit on black bass in effect on the Greenbrier River on the section between the Route 60 bridge near Caldwell and the Route 219 bridge at Ronceverte. Only one black bass over 20 inches may be part of the daily creel limit within the slot limit area. The remainder of the creel limit must be less than 12 inches in length. All black bass 12 to 20 inches in length that are caught on the Greenbrier in this designated area must be released immediately.

6.1.5. Only one black bass 18 inches or longer may be part of the daily creel limit on Stonewall Jackson Lake. The remainder of the creel limit must be less than 18 inches in length.

6.1.5.a. There are no size limits for black bass on Stonewall Jackson Lake for bass tournament anglers registered and participating in a division permitted bass tournament, provided black bass exceeding the creel limit in 6.1.5. are released following the tournament weight in.

6.1.6. There is a 14 to 22-inch slot limit for black bass in effect on the New River from the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers upstream to the West Virginia/Virginia state line, excluding Bluestone Lake (from the dam upstream to the mouth of Indian Creek. Only one black bass over 22 inches may be part of the daily creel limit within the slot limit area.

6.1.7. Only one black bass 16 inches or longer may be part of the daily creel limit on Elk Fork Lake (Jackson County), North Bend Lake (Ritchie County), O'Brien Lake (Jackson County), and Woodrum Lake (Jackson County). The remainder of the creel limit must be less than 16 inches in length.

6.2. Trout (Brook, Brown, Rainbow, Tiger, and Golden Rainbow Trout). -- There are no size limits for trout.

6.3. Muskellunge. -- There is a 30-inch minimum size limit for muskellunge except as provided in Section 6.3.1. through 6.3.3. of these regulations.

6.3.1. There is a 40-inch minimum size limit for muskellunge on North Bend Lake (Ritchie County).

6.3.2. There is a 40-inch minimum size limit for muskellunge on North Fork Hughes River (Ritchie County) on a 1.3-mile section extending from North Bend Lake Dam downstream to the CR 809 bridge near the North Bend State Park River Run campground.

6.3.3. There is a 52-inch minimum size limit on Stonewall Jackson Lake, including all tributaries (Lewis County).

6.4. Tiger Musky. -- There is a 30-inch minimum size limit for tiger musky.

6.5. Northern Pike. -- There is a 30-inch minimum size limit for northern pike.

6.6. Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass and White Bass. -- There is a 15-inch minimum size limit for hybrid striped bass, striped bass, and white bass on the following:

6.6.1. Beech Fork Lake (Wayne County).

6.6.2. Bluestone Lake (Summers County).

6.6.3. Mount Storm Lake (Grant County).

6.6.4. R. D. Bailey Lake (Mingo and Wyoming Counties).

6.6.5. Kanawha River from the confluence of the Gauley and New Rivers downstream to the Buffalo Bridge.

6.7. Walleye. -- There are no size limits for walleye, except as provided in Sections 6.7.1 through 6.7.3. of these regulations.

6.7.1. There is a 15-inch minimum size limit for walleye on the following:

6.7.1.a. Monongahela River extending from the West Virginia and Pennsylvania state border in Monongalia County upstream to the confluence of the West Fork and Tygart rivers in Marion County.

6.7.1.b. Tygart River extending from the mouth of the Tygart in Marion County upstream to Valley Falls.

6.7.1.c. West Fork River extending from the mouth of the West Fork River in Marion County upstream to Stonewall Jackson Lake Dam in Lewis County.

6.7.1.d. Burnsville Lake (Braxton County).

6.7.1.e. Stephens Lake (Raleigh County).

6.7.1.f. Stonecoal Lake (Upshur County).

6.7.2. There is an 18-inch minimum size limit for walleye on the Ohio River between the states of Ohio and West Virginia and the Kanawha River extending from the mouth in Mason County upstream to the Winfield Lock and Dam.

6.7.3. There is a 20 to 30-inch slot limit on walleye in effect on the following waters. Only one walleye over 30 inches may be part of the daily creel limit within the slot limit area as provided in Sections 5.7.1. The remainder of the creel limit must be less than 20 inches in length. All walleye 20 to 30-inches in length that are caught in these designated areas must be released immediately.

6.7.3.a. Bluestone River extending downstream the Virginia state line to its confluence with the New River, including all tributaries.

6.7.3.b. Coal River extending from the mouth of the Coal River upstream to the confluence of the Little Coal and Big Coal rivers in Lincoln County, including all tributaries.

6.7.3.c. Elk River extending from the mouth of the Elk River upstream, including Sutton Lake and all tributaries.

6.7.3.d. Gauley River extending from the mouth of the Gauley upstream, including all tributaries, including the area between Summersville Dam and Persinger Creek.

6.7.3.e. Greenbrier River extending from the mouth of the Greenbrier River upstream including the East Fork and West Fork of the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, and all tributaries.

6.7.3.f. Kanawha River extending from the Winfield Dam upstream to the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers in Fayette County, including all tributaries.

6.7.3.g. New River extending from the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers upstream to the West Virginia/Virginia state line in Summers County, including all tributaries, excluding the catch-and-release area from Meadow Creek upstream to the base of Sandstone Falls.

6.7.3.h. Cheat River extending from the mouth of the Cheat River upstream, including Cheat Lake and all tributaries.

6.8. Sauger. -- There are no size limits for sauger.

6.9. Saugeye. -- There are no size limits for saugeye.

6.10. Channel Catfish. -- There are no size limits for channel catfish, except as provided in Section 11.

6.11. Striped Bass and White Bass. -- Except as provided in Section 6.6. of these regulations, there are no size limits for striped bass or white bass.

6.12. Other Game and Nongame Fish. -- There are no size limits for game and nongame fish species not listed in Section 4 of these regulations.

6.13. Bullfrogs and Green Frogs. -- There are no size limits for frogs.

6.14. Blue Catfish. There is a 25" minimum size limit for blue catfish on all waters.

Notes

W. Va. Code R. § 58-60-6