The West Virginia-Ohio portion of the Ohio River provides good walleye fishing in the winter.

The Ohio River provides excellent winter fishing for popular river species such as sauger and walleyes.

While good action can be enjoyed on Pennsylvania's portion of the river, the stretch just downstream, where the river forms the West Virginia-Ohio border, can be even better.

Anglers can expect good to excellent walleye fishing on the New Cumberland, Pike Island, Hannibal and Willow Island pools of the river. Some walleyes can be found in the river below the Willow Island Locks and Dam, but, because of changes in habitat, things become better suited for the walleye's closely related cousin, the sauger.

The reason big river walleye fishing tends to be best from late fall to early spring relates mostly to water temperatures. Once water temperatures drop below the mid-40-degree range, the fish stack up in highly recognizable locations, i.e. ones with little current. Walleyes won't buck heavy current when the water is cold.

Find slackwater areas, which are commonly formed below current-deflecting structures, and you'll likely have a place that attracts cold water walleyes.

The mouths of larger feeder creeks are also prime walleye holding spots, as the impounding influence of the river extends up in such streams a certain distance. Often, the mouths of these feeder streams are rich with baitfish, adding to the attractiveness of biting walleyes.

The Ohio River is an industrialized one, which means there are plenty of industrial discharges that enter the river. Warm water discharges, which are common below power plants, pull in baitfish and gamefish.

The structure most associated with river walleyes is the tailrace area of dams. It is true that dams block the upstream migration of walleyes and the fish become concentrated. This becomes even more evident as the water begins to warm in the early spring and the spawning run occurs.

Good shoreline access tends to be the rule, rather than the exception. For instance, fishing piers are located below the Hannibal Locks and Dam, along with good parking. Boat anglers need to play heed to the restricted area established below each of the dams.

Boat anglers will fare best drifting jig-n-minnow combos through slackwater pools during the day, then concentrating on the shallow edges of such holes during the evening hours.

Shore anglers will do best by focusing their efforts during the latter part of the day or by picking cloudy, rainy days and fishing the same shallow areas described for late-day boat anglers. Higher water flows tend to push fish closer to the bank, which equates into better fishing for shore anglers.

There is no closed season or minimum length limit on fish. The creel limit is 10 (includes walleyes and sauger, or a combination of both).

There is good access to this portion of the Ohio River on both the Ohio and West Virginia sides. One of my favorite areas is that found below the Hannibal Dam.

A good launch is located in New Martinsville, W.Va, a short distance up Fishing Creek. It's a short boat ride up to the dam. The Fishing Creek mouth is a good spot, with other productive areas found downriver from this location.

A great aid to fishing the Ohio River is U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation charts. A book of the upper pools of the river can be ordered online at the government bookstore's website at bookstore.gpo.gov.

Jeff Knapp is the outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.