Sutton, WV 26601
RiverBend Fly Shop serves the Elk River corridor in Upshur and Webster counties — one of West Virginia's most productive and underappreciated trout fisheries, and a river whose cold headwaters in the Monongahela National Forest transition through a series of distinct characters as it descends toward Sutton Lake. The Elk River supports exceptional wild brown and rainbow trout throughout its upper reaches, and the clarity of the water in summer low-flow conditions creates sight-fishing opportunities that can rival any technical freestone stream in the region. RiverBend has built its identity around this river system with guides who have waded and floated it through every season and water level, accumulating the kind of granular knowledge that only years of sustained attention can produce.
Based in central West Virginia, the shop provides an accessible anchor point for anglers exploring not only the Elk but the broader web of cold-water streams that define this part of the state — the Gauley River headwaters, Cranberry River, and the numerous national forest tributaries that feed these systems with cold, pure water from the Allegheny highlands. Retail inventory covers the essentials for Appalachian mountain stream fishing, with particular attention to the stonefly, caddis, and sulphur patterns that dominate the Elk's hatch calendar through spring, summer, and early fall. The shop also organizes multi-day float trips on the Elk's most productive sections, pairing drift boat transportation with wade fishing at the river's most productive mid-river pools — an efficient format for visiting anglers who want to maximize their time on water they're encountering for the first time.
“The Elk River surprised me completely — I'd expected a solid mountain stream and found a genuinely excellent wild trout fishery. The float trip was the perfect introduction: guide Chris rowed us through six miles of gorgeous river and we fished every type of water the Elk offers. Caught wild browns in nearly every productive run we stopped at. The late afternoon caddis hatch brought fish up everywhere. RiverBend is a sharp little operation run by people who clearly love this river.”
“I'd never heard of the Elk River before finding RiverBend online, and now it's one of my favorite streams in the East. Waded a gorgeous stretch with guide Brian through a summer afternoon — water crystal clear, wild rainbows and browns holding in every seam and riffle. He matched me with a size 14 elk hair caddis that produced fish after fish during a long evening hatch. Central WV is remote but very much worth the drive. This shop is a gem.”
“Solid local shop with friendly, knowledgeable staff and a good sense of current conditions on the Elk and surrounding streams. Picked up flies, grabbed a fishing report, and had a productive afternoon based entirely on their recommendations. They know what's working and share it freely. The Elk doesn't get the attention it deserves — RiverBend is doing good work promoting quality fishing in central WV.”
