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Jackson River Fishing Report

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

Virginia’s trophy tailwater: the Jackson runs big browns below Gathright, with an access history worth knowing.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
5 cfs
Air / High
85 / 86 F
Wind
WNW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02011460, 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.

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

Jackson River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 5 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 86. 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: Similar at 82 F. 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 Back Creek near Sunrise (tributary).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02011460.

2360965 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp85 F
High / Low86 / 72 F
WindWNW 9-16 mph
Pressure1012.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 9%
Sunrise / Sunset06:52 / 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 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 86/72 F, wind 18 mph, rain 9%

Fair or better. A 18 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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

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 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
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 Jackson 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 11 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 86 F, wind to 11 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 82 F, wind to 11 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 license plus trout license. Special regulation reaches apply, and riverbed ownership limits wading in places: verify current DWR guidance and access boundaries before fishing.

Access

Gathright Dam area and designated public access points; float sections with marked put-ins and take-outs.

About this water

A cold tailwater below Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw, Alleghany and Bath counties, Virginia.

Fishing Jackson River: the full guide

A tailwater with complications

The Jackson River flows below Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw through the mountains of western Virginia, a cold tailwater that grows wild brown and rainbow trout to genuine size. It is also the subject of a long-running legal dispute over riverbed ownership and public access, rooted in colonial-era land grants: anglers must understand the situation before wading.

Trout in cold releases

The tailwater below the dam holds wild fish alongside stocked ones, with a special-regulation reach providing the best fishing. Nymphs, streamers and hatch-matching dries all produce, and the cold releases keep the river fishable through Virginia summers. Fish average well and large browns are a realistic target.

Access, honestly

Certain reaches are subject to Crown grant claims that courts have upheld, meaning the riverbed itself is privately owned in places and wading can constitute trespass. Public access exists at designated points and through the Gathright and Johnson Springs areas. Know exactly where you stand: this is not a river to improvise on.

Alleghany County logistics

Access is via the Gathright Dam area, designated Virginia access points and float sections with clear put-ins and take-outs. Covington is the nearest town. Guides know the boundaries and are worth hiring on a first visit purely to avoid the access problem while learning the water.

Common questions

Why is access complicated?

Colonial-era Crown grants give private riverbed ownership in places, upheld in court: wading can be trespass. Know the boundaries.

Where can I fish safely?

Designated public access points and float sections with legal put-ins. A guide on a first visit is genuinely worthwhile.

How big do the browns get?

Genuinely large: the cold releases and forage grow wild brown trout to trophy size.

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 Moomaw6 miCranberry River39 miGreenbrier River42 miSmith Mountain Lake55 miBluestone Lake57 miSummersville Lake60 mi
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