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Cheat Lake Fishing Report

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

Morgantown’s river lake: Cheat’s steep walls and current hold smallmouth, walleye and muskie in thirteen miles of gorge.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
641 cfs
Air / High
84 / 85 F
Wind
NW 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03070260, 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Cheat Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 641 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 85. 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 bassExcellent

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

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 79 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 Cheat River at Albright (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03070260.

4,17211,07717,982641 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low85 / 70 F
WindNW 7-14 mph
Pressure1013.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain79% cloud, 31%
Sunrise / Sunset06:50 / 19:46
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 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 85/70 F, wind 9 mph, rain 31%

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 Cheat Lake: 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.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
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 Cheat Lake 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 90 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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 92 F, wind to 8 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 88 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

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. Bass, walleye and muskie limits per current WVDNR regulations.

Access

Cheat Lake Park, Sunset Beach and marina ramps near Morgantown; upper lake access toward the river.

About this water

A 1,730-acre reservoir on the Cheat River east of Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia.

Fishing Cheat Lake: the full guide

A river impounded

Cheat Lake stretches thirteen miles up the Cheat River gorge east of Morgantown, a narrow, steep-sided reservoir that fishes more like a river than a lake. Smallmouth bass are the signature species on the rock and current seams, joined by walleye that hold the deeper channel, muskellunge in the upper reaches, largemouth in the coves, and crappie and catfish through the system. The lake has recovered strongly from historic acid mine drainage.

Smallmouth on the walls

The geometry is simple: steep rock shorelines dropping fast into the old river channel, with points and creek mouths as the structure. Work tubes, Ned rigs and jerkbaits along the walls and ledges, moving deeper as summer sets: 15-30 feet on the main-lake points. Spring pushes fish into the coves and creek arms to spawn. Current from upstream rain events concentrates fish on the seams.

Walleye and muskie

Walleye hold the channel edges and deeper flats: jigs and crawler harnesses in the classic depths, best at dawn and after dark in summer. The upper lake toward the river holds muskellunge: big rubber and bucktails along the weed and wood edges, best in fall. Crappie stack in the marina areas and around any submerged brush, especially in spring.

Morgantown logistics

Cheat Lake Park, Sunset Beach and the marina areas provide ramps and shoreline access, all minutes from Morgantown and West Virginia University. Summer brings heavy recreational traffic to the lower lake: the upper reaches toward the river stay quieter and hold the better structure fishing. Water clarity varies with upstream rain.

Common questions

Is the water quality good now?

Greatly improved: acid mine drainage remediation restored the fishery, and the lake now supports healthy bass, walleye and muskie populations.

Where do the smallmouth hold?

Along the steep rock walls and ledges, and on the main-lake points as summer deepens. Current after rain concentrates them on seams.

Is it crowded?

The lower lake near Morgantown is busy in summer; the upper reaches toward the river stay quiet and fish better.

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: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Youghiogheny River22 miTygart Lake29 miDeep Creek Lake32 miTygart Valley River47 miStonewall Jackson Lake61 miAllegheny River64 mi
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