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Lake Moomaw Fishing Report

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

Virginia’s mountain lake: Moomaw holds trout, smallmouth and landlocked memories in national forest water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
92 / 92 F
Wind
WNW 8 mph

Sources: 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.

Lake Moomaw sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 92. Water sits around 73 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

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 85 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp92 F
High / Low92 / 73 F
WindWNW 8-12 mph
Pressure1013.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset06:52 / 19:45
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 · Storms, 92/73 F, wind 14 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Lake Moomaw 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Lake Moomaw today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 92 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 for trout. Check current DWR rules, and understand the Jackson River access situation before fishing the tailwater.

Access

Bolar Flats, Fortney Branch and Coles Point ramps with Forest Service campgrounds; Jackson River access below Gathright Dam.

About this water

A 2,530-acre Corps reservoir on the Jackson River in Bath and Alleghany counties, Virginia, within national forest.

Fishing Lake Moomaw: the full guide

A lake in the mountains

Lake Moomaw covers 2,530 acres on the Jackson River in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia, surrounded almost entirely by the George Washington National Forest. Cold, clear and deep, it supports an unusual Virginia mix: stocked trout including some that grow large, smallmouth and largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie and yellow perch, in a setting with almost no development.

Trout and bass

Trout are stocked and hold in the deeper, colder water: trolling spoons and stickbaits produces in spring and fall, with summer requiring depth. Smallmouth work the rocky points and shorelines, largemouth the coves and wood. The clear water and mountain setting make this feel more like a northern lake than a southern reservoir.

The Jackson River below

Below Gathright Dam, the Jackson River tailwater is one of Virginia’s premier trout streams: cold releases, wild browns and rainbows, and a long-running access dispute that anglers should understand before fishing certain reaches. The upper river above the lake also holds trout in national forest water, giving three distinct fisheries in one valley.

Alleghany County logistics

Forest Service and Corps ramps serve the lake at Bolar Flats, Fortney Branch and Coles Point, with campgrounds nearby. Covington is 30 minutes south. The lake is remote enough that services are limited: bring supplies. Water clarity and the mountain backdrop make it one of the prettier fisheries in the state.

Common questions

Is it good for trout?

Yes: stocked trout hold in the deep, cold water and some grow large, with spring and fall the best trolling windows.

What is the Jackson River access issue?

Longstanding disputes over riverbed ownership affect certain reaches: know the current situation and posted boundaries before wading.

How developed is the shoreline?

Barely: national forest surrounds most of the lake, which keeps it quiet and scenic.

Is fishing good at Lake Moomaw 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

Jackson River6 miCranberry River33 miGreenbrier River41 miSummersville Lake55 miBluestone Lake56 miSmith Mountain Lake61 mi
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