GLEN FERRIS -- If West Virginians were to list their favorite fishing holes, Kanawha Falls would likely rank near the top.

"It's a unique fishery because it has so many different species," said Mark Scott, a district fisheries biologist for the state Division of Natural Resources. "Add to that the potential for really big fish, and you end up with a very popular fishing spot."

Generations of anglers have cast into the pool downstream of the falls, a half-mile-wide cascade that plunges nearly 60 feet from the lip of a cofferdam constructed in the 1930s to harness the Kanawha River's power. The hydropower station no longer generates electricity, but the cofferdam has transformed the falls' original narrow cataract into a thundering, river-wide series of chutes.

Gallery

[+] Enlarge

John McCoy

By following the paved path that leads from the parking lot to a public fishing pier, Charleston residents Troy (left) and Doug Vermillion were able to reach the fish-rich area near the base of Kanawha Falls.

At least 18 species of gamefish can be found in the pool - sunfish, bluegills, crappie, largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, sauger, walleye, muskellunge, paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon, freshwater drum, channel catfish, flathead catfish and carp.

"If it swims and lives in West Virginia, you can probably catch it at Kanawha Falls," Scott said.

The fish not only grow well there, they also grow large. In 1976, Fred Cline landed the longest walleye ever caught in the state - a 35-incher - from the falls pool. At one time or another, fish caught at the falls have broken state records for the heaviest striped bass, the heaviest hybrid striper and the heaviest walleye. Muskellunge in the 50-inch class have been caught there, and catfish of gargantuan proportions have been known to prowl the pool's depths.

Boating anglers tend to catch larger fish than shore anglers, mainly because they can reach the deep currents along the river's far bank. Bank fishermen catch their share, though.

"When the water is high, people who fish from shore do pretty well [on larger fish]," Scott said. "Most of them use large minnows or creek chubs for bait."

The falls area, though always popular with fishermen, picnickers and sightseers, got a boost in the early 1990s when Elkem Metals - the company that owned the property - agreed to let the DNR maintain a public fishing access there. The beach just downstream of the falls pool now boasts paved parking areas and a concrete boat-launch ramp. A paved, handicapped-accessible fishing pier runs along the steep bank adjacent to U.S. Route 60. DNR employees mow the grass and keep the trashcans emptied.

GLEN FERRIS -- If West Virginians were to list their favorite fishing holes, Kanawha Falls would likely rank near the top.

"It's a unique fishery because it has so many different species," said Mark Scott, a district fisheries biologist for the state Division of Natural Resources. "Add to that the potential for really big fish, and you end up with a very popular fishing spot."

Generations of anglers have cast into the pool downstream of the falls, a half-mile-wide cascade that plunges nearly 60 feet from the lip of a cofferdam constructed in the 1930s to harness the Kanawha River's power. The hydropower station no longer generates electricity, but the cofferdam has transformed the falls' original narrow cataract into a thundering, river-wide series of chutes.

The falls act as a barrier to keep fish from migrating on upstream and as a catch basin for those that migrate downstream. "Anytime you have a waterfall or a dam across a big river, fish naturally congregate there," Scott explained. "The pool below Kanawha Falls has great fish habitat. The water is loaded with dissolved oxygen, and the water is more than 60 feet deep in places. It's a great place for a fish to make a living."

At least 18 species of gamefish can be found in the pool - sunfish, bluegills, crappie, largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, sauger, walleye, muskellunge, paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon, freshwater drum, channel catfish, flathead catfish and carp.

"If it swims and lives in West Virginia, you can probably catch it at Kanawha Falls," Scott said.

The fish not only grow well there, they also grow large. In 1976, Fred Cline landed the longest walleye ever caught in the state - a 35-incher - from the falls pool. At one time or another, fish caught at the falls have broken state records for the heaviest striped bass, the heaviest hybrid striper and the heaviest walleye. Muskellunge in the 50-inch class have been caught there, and catfish of gargantuan proportions have been known to prowl the pool's depths.

Boating anglers tend to catch larger fish than shore anglers, mainly because they can reach the deep currents along the river's far bank. Bank fishermen catch their share, though.

"When the water is high, people who fish from shore do pretty well [on larger fish]," Scott said. "Most of them use large minnows or creek chubs for bait."

The falls area, though always popular with fishermen, picnickers and sightseers, got a boost in the early 1990s when Elkem Metals - the company that owned the property - agreed to let the DNR maintain a public fishing access there. The beach just downstream of the falls pool now boasts paved parking areas and a concrete boat-launch ramp. A paved, handicapped-accessible fishing pier runs along the steep bank adjacent to U.S. Route 60. DNR employees mow the grass and keep the trashcans emptied.

"We used to close the gates at night, but lately we've been leaving the gates open so that people can fish at night," Scott said.

The pool's swirling, turbulent currents are readily boated, but Scott said boaters should keep a close eye on where they are and what their boats are doing.

"There's a lot of current. If you're out there boating, you need to be aware of what you're doing. You don't want to get too close to the falls and get sucked up into the white water. You have to maintain control. You can't just drift around and forget where you are, because you could end up drifting into a dangerous spot."

The falls' allure seems to stay with anglers. Clayton Meade got used to stopping there in the early 1960s, when he routinely took U.S. 60 to get from his home in Mingo County to a military base in Virginia.

"I'm vacationing up in the Summersville area right now, so I thought I'd come back to see if the fishing was still good," he said.

Doug Vermillion of Charleston drives to the falls a couple of times a year to fish with his son, Troy. "We like it because it's a nice, relaxed drive to get here," he said. "The traffic [on U.S. 60] tends to move a little slower than it does on the Interstate, and that gets you in the right frame of mind to fish."

For Terri Tincher, who lives a few miles down the road in Fayetteville, the falls' aesthetic appeal is as important as its piscatorial pulchritude.

"It's just a very pretty spot to come and spend part of a day," she said, sweeping her hand to encompass the broad front of the falls and the tree-lined slopes of the surrounding mountains. "Even if you don't catch many fish, you can enjoy yourself here."

Reach John McCoy at johnmc...@wvgazette.com or 348-1231.