Blackwater Canyon

        A Day in Blackwater Canyon

      By Philip J. Heald

      Our book on trout fishing in West Virginia described the hike to the bottom of
Blackwater Canyon as “strenuous”, and advised that only those in peak physical
condition should attempt it, but by Saturday morning we were getting a little anxious
to find some fishable water.
      So, over the last of our morning pancakes and coffee, we came to the consensus that our
collective physical condition was probably “peak” enough to make the trek, and besides, we
reasoned, they generally overstate those kinds of things anyway.
    The “we” I’m talking about is I, along with my fishing pals Freddy and Rick. Those two had
fished Thursday on Shaver’s Fork and Friday in Smoke Hole Canyon, and, while they had caught
a few fish, they were still a little discouraged by the low water and edgy fish. I came in on
Friday, fished the North Fork all day (with a similar experience), and then met them at our
splendid accommodations at Yokum’s Vacationland in Seneca Rocks that evening.
    The U.S. Geological Survey stream flow data indicated that the Blackwater River had plenty
of water running through it, so that was enough to make us abandon our original plan to fish
Seneca Creek, and instead head north through Canaan Valley to Davis, and into the Blackwater
Falls State Park.
    The trail on which
we descended into
the canyon originates
at a place in the park
called “Gentle Trail”.
The thought crossed
my mind as I hoisted
on my backpack loaded
with waders, wading
boots, jacket, fishing
gear, lunch, etc., that
maybe this wasn’t going
to be so perilous after all.
   But it turned out that
the only gentle trail was the
asphalt one leading a short
distance out to a promontory
overlooking the gorge. Our
trail, the strenuous one, started on the other end of the parking lot.
Despite my hefty pack, and my even heftier 280 lb. self, I managed to make it down the canyon
trail OK. My much skinnier pals did the same. The trail itself is really just a long series of
footholds down a very steep embankment. But it seemed that there was always a root, a tree,
or a rock, just where you needed it to be. I never felt as if I didn’t know where to step, but then
again, I proceeded with caution.
The bottom of the canyon was a different story. Below the falls, the river plunges through the
narrow, boulder-jammed gorge, rushing from pool to pool down a steep grade. An angler can
fish the many pools from on top of, or behind, the boulders, but getting from pool to pool can be
tricky or even dangerous. It is not possible to move around without doing a lot of climbing, and
there are lots of places where a careless angler could lose his footing and wind up injured or
worse.
   I made the best of the day by fishing the water I could comfortably reach. My pals made their
way a little further downstream than I wanted to venture, but, it turns out, each of us kept the
climb out of the canyon on the back of our minds, and after a couple of hours, they made their
way back to me and we decided it was time to leave.
    Once we located the trail, the climb out was not terrible. Anyone in half decent condition
can do it. But I was happy make it back to the top, and to see my vehicle waiting for me in the
parking lot. I was glad I made the trip, but I was also glad it was over.
A quarter mile down the road and a few minutes later, we were fishing a gentle stretch of the
Blackwater above the canyon. This is also catch and release water, but it is much, much
easier to access. From the fish-catching perspective, we saved of our day with several nice
browns and rainbows during the remainder of the afternoon.
If you are adventurous enough to make the journey into Blackwater Canyon, you will be
rewarded with the opportunity to fish a catch and release stretch of prime trout water that sees
very little fishing pressure. And, I might add, if you are young and in shape, you might not be
daunted at all by the challenge of fishing in the canyon. The canyon is indeed magnificent in
its beauty, and well worth the trip for anyone not scared away by the phrase, “The terrain is
severe in nature.”