West Virginia

Shavers Fork

West Virginia·Allegheny Highlands·38.76° N, 79.79° W

Solunar · next 7 days

About Shavers Fork

Shavers Fork is the trout arm of the Cheat — an 88-mile high-country freestone that starts near the 4,500-foot crest of Cheat Mountain and drops to Parsons, where it joins the Black Fork to form the mainstem Cheat. That elevation is the whole story: Shavers Fork runs off the highest large-stream ground in the eastern United States, which is why cold-water trout survive here in a state where most rivers warm past fishing by July. The upper river above Cheat Bridge holds native and wild brook trout in a genuinely remote reach, much of it reachable only by forest road or the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley scenic railroad, which runs the old logging grade past the ghost town of Spruce. WVDNR ran a multi-million-dollar restoration up here specifically to rebuild the native brookies, and the payoff shows in the backcountry water. Lower down, from Bowden through the Stuart Recreation Area, it becomes a bigger, boulder-strewn stocked freestone that fishes rainbows and browns.

It fishes like a classic Appalachian freestone: pocket water and long rocky runs alternating with flat sheets of bedrock and deep plunge pools, all wadeable if you pick your crossings carefully. A 9-foot 5-weight covers most of it; step up to a 6 for streamers and heavy nymph rigs in the lower canyon. Spring and fall are the seasons that matter. Spring brings the hatches and cold, pushy snowmelt-fed water — the Quill Gordon, Hendrickson, and sulphur progression — and fall gives cool temps, low clear flows, BWOs and terrestrials, and eager wild brookies up top. WVDNR stocks the river in three managed sections, rail-stocking the remote water from Bowden up through Bemis toward High Falls and McGee Run, and the January and spring plants include the state's golden rainbows alongside the standard rainbows, browns, and brook trout.

Summer is the honest weak spot, and it comes down to a single scoping fact anglers get wrong: the trout fishing is Shavers Fork specifically, not "the Cheat." The lower Parsons reach warms into the low 80s by midsummer, and below the confluence the mainstem Cheat is a warmwater smallmouth river, not trout water. Warm-season effort belongs up high near Cheat Bridge and above, where elevation keeps the water cold — the upper river held around 73 degrees in mid-July while the lowest reach cooked. Know your regulation reach before you go: the lower river near Bowden carries a delayed-harvest catch-and-release rule from November 1 to May 15, and there's a roughly 5.5-mile catch-and-release backcountry zone up top in the national forest, around Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run on Forest Service Route 92.

Species

Brook Trout
Primary · May-Jun, Sep-Oct · 5-10"
Native and self-sustaining in the high upper river above Cheat Bridge, and the focus of the WVDNR upper-river restoration. Small, wild, and eager in the remote backcountry water, especially in fall when flows drop and clear. The catch-and-release zone up top around Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run protects them.
Rainbow Trout
Primary · Apr-Jun, Oct · 9-14"
Stocked heavily in spring, with some holdover, along roughly 43 miles from Bowden up through Bemis to the High Falls and McGee Run water — including remote rail stocking. The state's golden rainbows (a color-variant rainbow) turn up in the plants and draw attention on the lower river. The most reliable fish in the road-accessible lower reach.
Brown Trout
Common · Apr-Jun, Oct-Nov · 10-16"+
Stocked, with some wild fish and holdovers that run larger in the lower river. The best streamer target on the river, especially in fall through the delayed-harvest reach near Bowden. Fewer up in the cold headwaters, more as the river opens up below Bemis.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Brook Trout	Primary	May-Jun, Sep-Oct	5-10"
Rainbow Trout	Primary	Apr-Jun, Oct	9-14"
Brown Trout	Common	Apr-Jun, Oct-Nov	10-16"+

Sections

4 reaches

Parsons reach — below Bowden to the confluence

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Smallmouth

The lowest, largest, and warmest reach as the river drops toward Parsons and the Black Fork confluence — freestone runs and pools with roadside access near town. It warms into the low 80s by midsummer, so trout are stressed and the fishing is marginal July through August; fish the early-season stocked rainbow trout and brown trout in spring and early summer, and go up high when it's hot. This is the transition from trout river to warmwater — below the confluence the mainstem Cheat is a smallmouth bass river, not trout water, so treat the confluence as the downstream boundary of the fishery.

Best for: Early-season stocked rainbow trout and brown trout, giving way to smallmouth bass in the warm months — a spring-and-fall reach that marks where Shavers Fork ends and the warmwater Cheat begins.

Lower Shavers Fork — Bowden / Stuart Recreation Area (Delayed Harvest)

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Bigger water, boulder-strewn, with deep pools and long runs — the most heavily fished part of the river thanks to easy roadside access off the US 33 corridor east of Elkins, at Bowden, the Stuart Recreation Area, and the Bickle Knob access. This is the Delayed Harvest reach: catch-and-release only November 1 through May 15, then general trout regulations. Stocked rainbow trout and holdover brown trout that run larger; the state's golden rainbows turn up in the plants here.

Best for: Stocked rainbow trout and holdover brown trout — nymph rigs, streamers for the browns, and dries during the spring and fall hatches. The most accessible section, and catch-and-release through the winter and early spring.

Bemis reach — High Falls to Bowden

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The middle river opening up — broader rocky runs, deep pools, and classic freestone character. Prized as the very good remote section below Cheat Bridge, it's primarily railroad-grade access, rail-stocked by WVDNR from Bemis up toward High Falls and McGee Run, with limited road access and low pressure relative to the road-accessible lower river. Stocked rainbow trout and brown trout with some wild fish; there is no live stream gauge in this reach, so read the flow from the Cheat Bridge gauge above and the Bowden gauge below.

Best for: Stocked rainbow trout and brown trout, plus some wild fish — nymphing the deeper runs and fishing dries on the hatch, in remote rail-access water that sees little traffic.

Upper Shavers Fork — Cheat Bridge to High Falls

WadeBrook Trout · Rainbow Trout

Remote, high-elevation freestone around 3,500 feet — small, cold, and intimate, with pocket water and bedrock runs between boulder gardens. US Route 250 crosses at Cheat Bridge, and from there it's forest road (FR 92, FR 210, FR 47) and the old railroad grade, with the Durbin scenic railroad providing the classic hike-in and rail-in access to the remotest water. This is native and wild brook trout water — the focus of the WVDNR restoration — with stocked rainbow trout mixed in, plus the roughly 5.5-mile catch-and-release backcountry zone from about Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run along Forest Service Route 92. High Falls of the Cheat, a 15-foot waterfall at the mouth of Falls Run, is the signature landmark downstream of the bridge.

Best for: Native brook trout and stocked rainbow trout on small attractor dries and light nymph rigs — the highest trout water in the East, and the least-pressured if you're willing to hike or ride the rail in.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 100–300 cfs
Blow-out: >500 cfs
Ideal water temp: 50–62°F

Best seasons

The lower river below Bowden fishes best around 100-300 CFS for wading; the upper river near Cheat Bridge is small water fishable from roughly 30-80 CFS. High, muddy snowmelt and rain spikes in spring (well above 400-500 CFS on the lower river) blow it out, but as a freestone it clears within a day or two. Ideal water temperature is 50-62 degrees. Spring is the top season for hatches and cold flows; fall gives cool water, low clear flows, BWOs and terrestrials, and eager wild brookies up top. Winter fishes when weather cooperates, on midges and through the delayed-harvest catch-and-release reach. Summer is upper-river-only: the lower Parsons water warms into the low 80s and stresses trout, so fish high near Cheat Bridge early and late in the day, where elevation keeps it cold.

Regulations

Shavers Fork carries two special-regulation reaches on top of West Virginia's general stocked-trout rules. The lower river near Bowden is a Delayed Harvest reach — catch-and-release only November 1 through May 15, then general trout regulations May 16 through October 31. A roughly 5.5-mile catch-and-release backcountry zone in the Monongahela National Forest (about Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run, along Forest Service Route 92) protects the native and wild brook trout up top. Everywhere else, statewide stocked-trout regulations apply. A West Virginia fishing license plus a trout stamp is required. Regulations change annually — verify against the current WVDNR summary before fishing.

Lower Shavers Fork (Bowden area) Delayed Harvest: catch-and-release only November 1 through May 15; general trout regulations apply May 16 through October 31
Upper backcountry catch-and-release special regulation: a roughly 5.5-mile reach in the Monongahela National Forest, about Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run along Forest Service Route 92 (confirm exact boundaries against WVDNR regs and forest signage)
General trout: statewide creel and size limits apply outside the special-regulation reaches
A West Virginia fishing license plus a trout stamp is required (WVDNR)
Stocked in three managed sections (Upper, Bemis, Lower), including remote rail stocking from Bowden up through Bemis to High Falls and McGee Run, with rainbow, brown, and brook trout in spring plus January winter stockings

Know which reach you are on before you go — the delayed-harvest catch-and-release window (Nov 1-May 15) and the upper backcountry C&R zone have different rules than the general put-and-take water. The mainstem Cheat below the Parsons confluence is a warmwater smallmouth river, not trout water, and is not covered by these trout regulations. Reflects the 2026 season; confirm annually.

Source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Elkins, WV

~25-35 min from Elkins to the Bowden / Stuart Recreation Area lower river via US 33; ~2.5-3 hr from Morgantown and Pittsburgh; ~3-3.5 hr from Washington, D.C.

Camping: Elkins is the hub with full services for the whole river. The Stuart Recreation Area at Bowden has camping right on the lower river, and Stonecoal and other dispersed sites line the upper Shavers Fork, with Monongahela National Forest dispersed camping throughout the heavily forested, largely public basin.

The upper and Bemis backcountry is forest-road and railroad-grade access — the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley / Cheat Mountain scenic railroad runs the old logging grade along the river past Spruce, and Forest Service roads (FR 92, FR 210, FR 47) reach the rest. US Route 250 crosses at Cheat Bridge. The lower river at Bowden and the Stuart Recreation Area is easy roadside access off the US 33 corridor east of Elkins, which is where the crowds are. No access fees beyond a WV license and trout stamp; national forest camping rules apply.

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About Shavers Fork

Species

Brook Trout

Primary · May-Jun, Sep-Oct · 5-10"

Native and self-sustaining in the high upper river above Cheat Bridge, and the focus of the WVDNR upper-river restoration. Small, wild, and eager in the remote backcountry water, especially in fall when flows drop and clear. The catch-and-release zone up top around Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run protects them.

Rainbow Trout

Primary · Apr-Jun, Oct · 9-14"

Stocked heavily in spring, with some holdover, along roughly 43 miles from Bowden up through Bemis to the High Falls and McGee Run water — including remote rail stocking. The state's golden rainbows (a color-variant rainbow) turn up in the plants and draw attention on the lower river. The most reliable fish in the road-accessible lower reach.

Brown Trout

Common · Apr-Jun, Oct-Nov · 10-16"+

Stocked, with some wild fish and holdovers that run larger in the lower river. The best streamer target on the river, especially in fall through the delayed-harvest reach near Bowden. Fewer up in the cold headwaters, more as the river opens up below Bemis.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Brook Trout	Primary	May-Jun, Sep-Oct	5-10"
Rainbow Trout	Primary	Apr-Jun, Oct	9-14"
Brown Trout	Common	Apr-Jun, Oct-Nov	10-16"+

At a glance

Ideal wading flow

100–300 cfs

Blow-out

>500 cfs

Ideal water temp

50–62°F

Best seasons

Regulations

Lower Shavers Fork (Bowden area) Delayed Harvest: catch-and-release only November 1 through May 15; general trout regulations apply May 16 through October 31
Upper backcountry catch-and-release special regulation: a roughly 5.5-mile reach in the Monongahela National Forest, about Whitmeadow Run to McGee Run along Forest Service Route 92 (confirm exact boundaries against WVDNR regs and forest signage)
General trout: statewide creel and size limits apply outside the special-regulation reaches
A West Virginia fishing license plus a trout stamp is required (WVDNR)
Stocked in three managed sections (Upper, Bemis, Lower), including remote rail stocking from Bowden up through Bemis to High Falls and McGee Run, with rainbow, brown, and brook trout in spring plus January winter stockings

Source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Elkins, WV

~25-35 min from Elkins to the Bowden / Stuart Recreation Area lower river via US 33; ~2.5-3 hr from Morgantown and Pittsburgh; ~3-3.5 hr from Washington, D.C.

Shavers Fork

Solunar · next 7 days

About Shavers Fork

Species