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Jackson River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Jackson River below Gathright Dam: a wild trout tailwater with 18 miles of navigable water to Covington and two reaches where riverfront owners have won trespass cases.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
197 cfs
Air / High
66 / 67 F
Wind
NE 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02011800, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Jackson River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 197 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 67. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:54 AM-11:54 AM and 10:23 PM-12:23 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Smallmouth bassGood

Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Virginia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $23.00 for residents. What a Virginia licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Virginia, read off the agency, are on the Virginia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Jackson River below Gathright Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02011800.

200207213197 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 53 years of October 23

At 197 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 02011800 (Jackson River below Gathright Dam) is at the 61st percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 53 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 193 cfs; the highest was 1,640 cfs and the lowest 54 cfs.

p10 104median 193p90 342

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 02011800; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp66 F
High / Low67 / 39 F
WindNE 3-4 mph
Pressure1023.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:36 / 18:31
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)55 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Jackson River this week

The best day on Jackson River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 3 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:54 AM-11:54 AM and 10:23 PM-12:23 AM
Minor period
4:16 AM-5:16 AM
Sun
07:36 to 18:31
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

When to come: the Jackson 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
Smallmouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Jackson River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 7 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Virginia freshwater license. Tailwater (Gathright Dam to Westvaco Dam, Covington): rainbow trout 12–16 in. and brown trout under 20 in. released; 4 trout a day, only 1 brown over 20 in.; bait allowed. Hidden Valley special regulation section (Bath County): trout license required Oct. 1–June 15. Lake Moomaw: trout 16-in. minimum, 2 a day.

Access

Six public access areas on the 18 navigable miles from Gathright Dam to Covington (DWR map). Two marked reaches have successful trespass claims by riverfront owners: ask permission there. National Forest Stamp needed in most George Washington and Jefferson National Forest waters.

About this water

The Jackson River below Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw, Alleghany County, Virginia, with upper reaches in Bath County.

Fishing Jackson River: the full guide

A wild trout tailwater

Virginia DWR says wild rainbow trout, wild brown trout, smallmouth bass, rock bass and redbreast sunfish populate the tailwater below Gathright Dam, and that many consider it the premier wild trout tailwater in Virginia. Wild rainbows are plentiful downstream of the dam, and deep riffles and rock bluffs are common along the river.

Access, and where it is contested

Below Gathright Dam six public areas give access to 18 miles of legally navigable water down to Covington. Riverfront landowners have won civil trespass claims against anglers in two portions of the river, which DWR marks on its map, so DWR suggests asking those owners for permission. Under state law, riverbeds not conveyed by special grant belong to the Commonwealth and are open to fishing; the courts have not ruled on who owns the Jackson's bed, but they have found for riverfront owners against members of the public.

Tailwater rules

From Gathright Dam down to the Westvaco Dam at Covington, all rainbow trout from 12 to 16 inches and all brown trout under 20 inches must be released at once. The daily limit is four trout, rainbow and brown combined, and only one may be a brown trout over 20 inches. Bait is allowed, the 7-inch statewide minimum does not apply to rainbows in this section, and DWR lists no gear restrictions between the dam and the Covington water treatment plant.

Above Lake Moomaw and below Covington

Above Lake Moomaw the Jackson holds smallmouth, rock bass, rainbow and brown trout, and large lake-run rainbows can be caught in winter and spring; much of that stretch is private, so fish National Forest land or get permission. In Bath County, three miles of special regulation water above the Forest Service swinging bridge at Muddy Run, reached only on foot from Hidden Valley or Route 623 and FS Road 481, are stocked several times a year. Downstream of Covington the river offers smallmouth, redbreast sunfish and rock bass.

Common questions

Why is access complicated?

Riverfront landowners have won civil trespass claims against anglers in two portions of the tailwater shown on DWR's map. The courts have not decided who owns the riverbed, so DWR suggests getting the owners' permission in those reaches.

What can I keep in the tailwater?

Four trout a day, rainbow and brown combined. Rainbows from 12 to 16 inches and browns under 20 inches go back, and only one of the four may be a brown trout over 20 inches.

Are the trout wild?

In the tailwater, yes: DWR lists wild rainbow and wild brown trout below Gathright Dam. The Hidden Valley section in Bath County is stocked several times a year.

Is fishing good at Jackson River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Moomaw1 miCranberry River32 miGreenbrier River41 miWilliams River42 miSummersville Lake55 miBluestone Lake57 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02011800 — Jackson River below Gathright Dam
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 37.9485, -79.9492 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.