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Cheat Lake Fishing Report

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

Cheat Lake: a 1,730-acre hydroelectric lake on the Cheat River near Morgantown, with its own walleye slot and yellow perch limit.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,530 cfs
Air / High
62 / 66 F
Wind
N 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03070260, 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.

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

Cheat Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The main inflow is running 1,530 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 66. Water sits around 62 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

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

White bassFair

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Tomorrow: Similar at 65 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

West Virginia requires a fishing licence from age 15, from $24.00 for residents. What a West Virginia licence costs and where to buy it →

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

Water and weather

Live readings from Cheat River at Albright (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03070260.

2,5396,30610,0721,530 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 17 years of October 23

At 1,530 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 03070260 (Cheat River at Albright (inflow)) is at the 63rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 17 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 407 cfs; the highest was 6,000 cfs and the lowest 155 cfs.

p10 195median 407p90 4,568

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 03070260; 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 temp62 F
High / Low66 / 39 F
WindN 4-7 mph
Pressure1025.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:38 / 18:28
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)52 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cheat Lake this week

The best day on Cheat Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:54 AM-11:54 AM and 10:23 PM-12:23 AM
Minor period
4:16 AM-5:16 AM
Sun
07:38 to 18:28
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 12 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

When to come: the Cheat Lake 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
Walleye
Catfish (blue, channel)
Largemouth bass
Crappie
White bass
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Cheat Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 64 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 68 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 8 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

West Virginia license. WVDNR 2026 rules: walleye on Cheat Lake and the Cheat River 20-30 inches released, 8 a day with one over 30 inches; yellow perch 15 a day; channel catfish 30 a day; black bass 6 a day in any combination.

Access

Cheat Lake Park has a winter boat launch the operator can open when the lake is drawn down (FERC notice, 2024). Unlimited horsepower with posted zones.

About this water

1,730-acre hydroelectric reservoir on the Cheat River, Monongalia County, West Virginia; the Lake Lynn project extends into Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Fishing Cheat Lake: the full guide

A licensed hydro lake

Cheat Lake is the reservoir of the Lake Lynn Hydroelectric Project, which Lake Lynn Generation operates on the Cheat River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, and Fayette County, Pennsylvania, under a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license. WVDNR's 2026 lakes chart lists Cheat Lake at 1,730 acres with unlimited horsepower, subject to no-wake and speed zones.

What WVDNR recommends it for

WVDNR's 2026 summary names Cheat Lake among its favorite waters for largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, walleye and channel catfish. Its smallmouth list names the Cheat River rather than the lake, and Cheat Lake is not on its muskellunge list.

Walleye and perch rules

Cheat Lake and the whole length of the Cheat River share a walleye slot: fish from 20 to 30 inches go back, the daily creel is eight, and only one may be over 30 inches. Yellow perch have a Cheat Lake daily limit of 15, half the statewide 30.

Water levels

The lake level is set by the project license. In a July 2024 filing for a temporary variance during low inflows, the operator asked to drop the seasonal minimum from 868 to 865 feet and said it could open the winter boat launch at Cheat Lake Park to keep boat access at lower elevations.

Common questions

What are the walleye rules on Cheat Lake?

Release every walleye from 20 to 30 inches; keep up to eight a day, with no more than one longer than 30 inches. The same rule covers the entire Cheat River.

Does the gauge on this page show the lake level?

No. USGS 03070260, Cheat River at Albright, measures the river well upstream of the lake (inflow); it read 652 cfs on October 8, 2026.

Where can boats launch when the lake is low?

The operator has said it can open the winter boat launch at Cheat Lake Park during low-water periods.

Is fishing good at Cheat Lake 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

Youghiogheny River22 miTygart Lake29 miDeep Creek Lake32 miSavage River41 miTygart Valley River47 miStonewall Jackson Lake61 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03070260 — Cheat River at Albright (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 15:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.7000, -79.8500 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 8, 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 8, 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.