The 217-acre O’Brien Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) ranges across the wooded valley of the Tug Fork of Mill Creek, which has been impounded to form O'Brien Lake. Waterfowl are the principal quarry hunted in the management area. O'Brien Lake is equipped with a boat-launch ramp and accomodates fishing for bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, and channel catfish. Camping is not prohibitted in the management area.
Directions: O'Brien Lake Wildlife Management Area is located in southern Jackson County at Staats Mills, WV, 10 miles south of Ripley, WV. To access the launch on O'Brien Lake from expressway I-77, exit at Fairplains onto Old Route 21 north and turn almost immediately right onto Cedar Valley Road (CR-35). At one mile, turn right onto Staats Mill Road (CR-36) and travel south approximately five miles.
The O'Brien Lake WMA is managed by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. It was formerly known as the O'Brien Lake Public Hunting & Fishing Area.
Hotels near O'Brien Lake WMA
Regional Information
Further information on lodging, dining, and recreation near the O'Brien Lake Wildlife Management Area may be found in our guide to travel in the Mid-Ohio Valley Region in western West Virginia, in which O'Brien Lake is located. The area is also often considered part of Metro Valley Region, in which travel information may also be found.
