Pocahontas County - a fisher's dream!

When driving along the roadways in Pocahontas County it is a usual occurrence any time of the year to catch a glimpse of someone fishing along the banks of one of the many rivers that stretch throughout the region. It certainly could be because Pocahontas County, West Virginia is known as the “Birthplace of the Rivers” since it is home of the headwaters for each of the eight wild and wonderful rivers that flow through it. These eight rivers are the Cranberry, Cherry, Elk, Gauley, Williams, Tygart, Greenbrier and Shaver Fork of the Cheat River. A fisherman’s dream, these rivers originate high in the icy peaks of the West Virginia mountains and the resulting cool water makes for the perfect environment for local trout to thrive. In addition to these eight rivers, our county has many great streams and lakes that are suitable for everyone’s fishing enjoyment. Several of these rivers, streams and lakes are part of West Virginia’s DNR state trout stocking program, which occurs at several points throughout the year.

The area is frequented by both trout and fly fishers and there are several fishing guides available in the area that can help you navigate the local rivers and streams to locate the best fishing experience for your needs. New this year – the West Virginia DNR, in partnership with the West Virginia State GIS Technical Center, has created an interactive map on the web for trout anglers, allowing them to have the most up to date information on trout stockings in the area. Once on the Web site, you can search the state by specific stream or lake, by county, or by city. You can narrow down the search if you just want to find catch-and-release or fly-fishing-only areas. Once you locate the stream you will find information on stocking frequency, description of the stocked section of stream, and driving directions from major highways.

Check out the map here!

I couldn't have said it any better myself.....

I wanted to share with everyone a great article I found while out surfing the web. I found this article on Associated Content. The article gives a great overview of the many outdoor activities that can be found in this part of West Virginia. What a great summary - while reading I quickly realized that I couldn't have said (or written...) it any better myself so I wanted to share with all.

Enjoy!

Things to do in Pocahontas County, WV by Jeffrey Moats

Astronomy in West Virginia!

Astronomy in the mountains of West Virginia --- go figure!! As strange as it may seem the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) hosts one of it's many research centers right in the middle of Pocahontas County. Located in Green Bank, West Virginia this particular NRAO center is home to many ginourmous (is this a word yet?) telescopes including the Robert C. Byrd telescope which is the world's largest fully steerable single aperature antenna. This larger than life creature is certainly a sight to see as it stretches it's neck out across the vast West Virginia sky. As a neighbor of the Observatory we are located in what is commonly known in the area as the "quiet zone". This basically means that communications in the area such as cell phones are non-existent in order to reduce harmful interference at the facility. But have no fear - this area of West Virginia is not totally in communications stoneage - both of our cabins are equipped with phones, WiFi and satellite TV.

Along with serving as an important research facility in West Virginia, NRAO Green Bank hosts several events throughout the year for visitors including free guided tours of the facility. From November 1st through the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend the center is open Thursday - Monday from 10am - 5pm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the center is open daily from 8:30am - 7pm and during the months of September and October the center is open Thursday - Monday from 8:30am - 7pm. Once a month there are also special events such as star parties where guests can check out the night sky, High-tech Thursdays featuring special tours of the facility normally off limits to visitors, and star-lab Fridays also featuring great views of the nighttime sky. These three special events do charge a nominal fee of $3 per person and do require reservations. There is also the Starlight Cafe on site for cafeteria-style meals. When planning your trip to Pocahontas County, West Virginia be sure to plan some time to visit NRAO Green Bank where you'll be sure to find that technology and nature can co-exist!