West Virginia
West Virginia governor announces Monster Trout Contest winners
Governor Jim Justice recently announced the winners of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ third annual Monster Trout Contest.
“Congratulations to these lucky anglers for reeling in some truly incredible catches,” Justice said. “As a lifelong angler I also want to thank everyone for sharing their monster trout photos during our fall trout stockings and showing the world that West Virginia is a premier fishing destination.”
The five lucky anglers each caught a tagged monster trout, which were stocked during the weeks of Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. Those stockings included 35,000 pounds of trophy-size trout and 6,500 pounds of monster trout, 100 of which received a pink tag. Anglers who caught a tagged monster trout had until November 22 to submit a photo of their catch with the tag number to win a prize.
2024 West Virginia Monster Trout Contest Winners
- Steve Davis (Lashmeet, W.Va.) – State Park Cabin Stay
- Donavan Miller (Saulsville, W.Va.) – Cabela’s Prize Package
- Katie Rice (Morgantown, W.Va.) – Cabela’s Prize Package
- Caleb Shelek (Dallas, W.Va.) – Cabela’s Prize Package
- Kenneth McIntosh (Crown Point, Ind.) – Cabela’s Prize Package
Click here to view winning photos.
In addition to these five winners, 38 verified anglers who caught tagged monster trout and uploaded a photo will also receive a WVDNR water bottle and tackle box.
Special Elk River Fall Trout Stockings
Governor Justice also reminded anglers that the WVDNR stocked trout on the Elk River in Webster County in November as part of a pilot program to evaluate the economic impact of trout stocking in the area. The stocking occurred at the usual stocking locations and included 750 rainbow trout. A second stocking will take place later in December and include another 750 rainbow trout.
2025 Fishing Licenses Now Available
All anglers 15 years and older are required to have a West Virginia fishing license, trout stamp and a valid form of identification while fishing for trout. Anglers who want to get a head start on planning their 2025 fishing adventures are encouraged to renew their license early online at WVfish.com.
Every game is extremely important from here on out for West Virginia, but tonight’s matchup with Cincinnati is one they cannot afford to drop. The Bearcats are one of the weaker teams in the league, and with Kansas on deck, it’s one Ross Hodge and Co. have to get.
Do they get the job done? Here are our picks for tonight’s contest.
Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 64, Cincinnati 59
With or without Brenen Lorient (concussion protocol), I believe West Virginia is the better team, especially at home. Sure, they looked overwhelmed last Friday in Ames against Iowa State, but they won’t be the last team that gets the belt to the backside from the Cyclones.
The one area that has been problematic this season defensively for the Mountaineers has been on the perimeter. We saw Milan Momcilovic knock down eight triples on just eight attempts a handful of days ago. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great shooter and made some highly contested shots, but it’s been a recurring issue for WVU all year.
The good news? Cincinnati isn’t built to beat you shooting from range. Coming into this game, they ranked 263rd nationally in three-point shooting, hitting just 31.6% of their shots. Couple that with the fact that Cincinnati is somehow a worse free-throw shooting team than West Virginia by a full five percentage points, and you get a fairly confident pick from me in the Old Gold and Blue.
Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Cincinnati 66
West Virginia has remained perfect inside Hope Coliseum, and the unblemished home record will likely be intact when the Mountaineers host Kansas on Saturday.
West Virginia has struggled and is enduring a five-game losing streak against Power Four opponents after falling to Iowa State to open the Big 12 Conference. Although the Mountaineers did notch a win against Pitt at home, for the lone win against P4 competition.
Cincinnati is in a similar situation, although the Bearcats’ start to the season can be summed up in a 64-56 loss to Eastern Michigan. The absence of senior guard Jizzle James for the first ten games for personal reasons, coupled with Brazilian perimeter shooter Lucas Atauri and returning forward Jalen Haynes absent from the line up have caused early issues.
The Bearcats proved they could compete with one of the best teams in the country after a seven-point loss to Houston on Saturday.
West Virginia will need to tighten up its perimeter defense against James and Day Day Thomas – both are shooting over 40% from three, while WVU senior guard Honor Huff will have to work a little harder to find his spot from deep against one of the best three-point defenses in the league.
The game will be a defensive battle, which favors the Mountaineers at home. WVU may be without senior starting forward Brenen Lorient, but the comfy confines of the Coliseum and the crowd will lift the Mountaineers down the stretch for the 67-66 win.
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Former Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has committed to West Virginia, ESPN reported.
Hawkins and his brother Maliek Hawkins, a cornerback, are both expected to play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown next season.
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Hawkins played in nine games across two seasons for the Sooners. He threw for 950 yards and nine touchdowns. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Maliek Hawkins has four seasons of eligibility left. He had previously been a top recruit himself.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — This week, West Virginia hunters will get a chance to try hunting the way the original Mountaineers did it. The Mountaineer Heritage season is open from Thursday through Sunday.
The season allows hunters to use only primitive implements. Sidelock or flintlock muzzleloading rifles or pistols are the only firearms allowed. In-line muzzleloaders are not legal for the Heritage Season nor are scopes. Archery enthusiasts are allowed only long bows or recurve bows. You’re compound bow will have to hang on its hook for this time.
“It’s a special season and it’s kind of an all encompassing big game season,” said Vinnie Johnson, Biologist with the West Virginia DNR.
The season enables hunters to kill a deer, bear, or turkey provided they hunt with one of those primitive firearms or bows. The season started several years ago and has become a big hit with sportsmen for a variety of reasons. For some it cuts the monotony of cabin fever and gives them a chance to get back into the woods well after hunting season. The season also enables hunters to go after big game with snow on the ground which doesn’t always happen during the regular fall seasons.
The snowfall could potentially make killing a bear less likely, but not always.
“It really depends on where you’re at,” Johnson explained in a recent edition of West Virginia Outdoors. “Some of our areas that are heavy bear country, there’s still a good opportunity you’re going to see a bear.”
The bumper crops of mast across the West Virginia landscape this year will also keep bears out of hibernation longer. The sunshine and warm weather forecasted into the weekend may also be a plus for keeping bears active and moving in the upcoming season.
“If there’s food on the landscape, they’re gong to be out moving around. They go into their dens when there’s no food left and they need to reserve for the remainder of the winter season,” he added.
Killing a big buck may be tricky. Some have already started to drop antlers. The season allows for either sex, but for those who have already killed two bucks from this past fall’s hunting seasons, you cannot kill another buck. If a hunter shoots an antlerless buck, which turns out to be a buck that already dropped antlers, hunters can check that as an antlerless deer.
Turkeys are also legal. Unlike deer, turkeys and bears, do not count against the bag limit from last year. However, hunters to need to have their 2026 hunting license. Although a lot of the purists like to not only hunt with an old time rifle, they also like to dress the part and will go into the woods wearing buckskins. Primitive garb or not, modern safety is still the rule and since it’s a firearms season for deer, you’ll need to wear blaze orange.
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