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Youghiogheny River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Yough: Ohiopyle's whitewater carries a cold secret: year-round trout in the Laurel Highlands' deepest gorge.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
3,260 cfs
Air / High
80 / 81 F
Wind
NW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03081000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Youghiogheny River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 3,260 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 81. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 75 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Youghiogheny below Confluence.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03081000.

2,3265,1297,9313,260 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low81 / 67 F
WindNW 6-13 mph
Pressure1013.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain98% cloud, 39%
Sunrise / Sunset06:49 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 81/67 F, wind 9 mph, rain 39%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Youghiogheny River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Youghiogheny River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Youghiogheny River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Pennsylvania requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Pennsylvania license + trout permit. Extended trout seasons on the tailwater: check PFBC.

Access

Confluence and Ohiopyle trailheads via the GAP trail; Ramcat put-in.

About this water

The tailwater gorge below Youghiogheny Dam, Fayette/Somerset counties, PA. Whitewater country's trout river.

Fishing Youghiogheny River: the full guide

The tailwater in the gorge

The Youghiogheny drops through Pennsylvania's deepest gorge: rafting fame above, fishery below: the dam at Confluence releases cold water that sustains trout through 30-plus miles of mountain river: the state's longest tailwater and its wildest-feeling one.

The middle Yough program

Confluence to Ohiopyle runs the classic water: stocked-and-holdover browns and rainbows in the pocket seams (a bike trail parallels every mile: pedal-and-fish is the local method), caddis and sulphur evenings, and streamer winters for browns that grew fat unseen. The 9-mile trail section fishes as remote as Pennsylvania gets without a pack.

Below the falls

Ohiopyle's rapids guard the lower gorge: smallmouth join the trout in the warmer pockets (a two-species drift the state rarely offers), and the walleye of the lower river's slower miles surprise the persistent. Rafters own summer middays: anglers own dawn and the shoulder seasons.

Gorge practicalities

The Great Allegheny Passage trail is the access spine (Confluence, Ohiopyle trailheads): flows follow Youghiogheny Lake's releases (our Confluence gauge: 300-800 CFS fishes prime): and Ohiopyle's outfitter town covers logistics. Fall's foliage-and-brown-trout combination is the Laurel Highlands' quiet masterpiece.

Common questions

Does the Yough really hold trout year-round?

The dam's cold releases sustain them through summer: browns holdover and grow. The middle river's trail miles fish like a wilderness tailwater.

How do I fish the Yough's roadless water?

The bike trail: pedal the GAP between Confluence and Ohiopyle, fishing the seams. It is Pennsylvania's best rod-and-bike fishery.

Is fishing good at Youghiogheny River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Cheat Lake22 miDeep Creek Lake28 miTygart Lake48 miSouth Branch Potomac River52 miAllegheny River53 miTygart Valley River63 mi
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