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Summersville Lake Fishing Report

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

A 2,790-acre Corps reservoir on the Gauley River near Summersville, known for clear water and rocky shores, with stocked trout in the tailwaters below the dam.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,470 cfs
Air / High
62 / 62 F
Wind
N 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03189600, 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.

Summersville Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 62. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:58 AM-11:58 AM and 10:27 PM-12:27 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

WalleyeGood

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Yellow perchGood

Michigan DNR gives 66-70°F as the water perch prefer, so this band is the heart of the open-water season: drift or slowly work weed edges and flats with small baits near the bottom until a school turns up.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 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 largemouth bass 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 Gauley River below Summersville Dam.

No recent gauge reading

USGS 03189600 has not returned a reading for this chart; it comes back when the gauge reports again. Until then conditions are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Today’s flow against 33 years of October 23

At 1,470 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 03189600 (Gauley River below Summersville Dam) is at the 57th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 33 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,110 cfs; the highest was 11,400 cfs and the lowest 220 cfs.

p10 234median 1,110p90 5,370

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 03189600; 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 / Low62 / 36 F
WindN 5-6 mph
Pressure1023.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:40 / 18:34
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 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 Summersville Lake this week

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

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

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:58 AM-11:58 AM and 10:27 PM-12:27 AM
Minor period
4:20 AM-5:20 AM
Sun
07:40 to 18:34
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 5 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

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. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

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. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

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. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

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. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

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. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

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. Michigan DNR gives 66-70°F as the water perch prefer, so this band is the heart of the open-water season: drift or slowly work weed edges and flats with small baits near the bottom until a school turns up.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

When to come: the Summersville 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Yellow perch
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Summersville 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. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 6 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 fishing license; a trout stamp is needed to fish for trout in the tailwaters. Walleye from Summersville Dam to the mouth of Persinger Creek: 20–30 in. released, 8 per day, only 1 over 30 in. (WVDNR 2026). Other species: statewide limits.

Access

Four boat ramps and handicapped-accessible piers and trail (WVDNR); marina (304-872-1331); lake conditions line 304-872-5809. Gauley tailwater access at Gauley Tailwaters (NPS).

About this water

A 2,790-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Gauley River, three miles south of Summersville, Nicholas County, West Virginia.

Fishing Summersville Lake: the full guide

The lake

WVDNR gives Summersville Lake 2,790 acres inside a 5,982-acre wildlife management area owned by the Corps of Engineers, three miles south of Summersville on U.S. Route 19; the terrain runs from forested rolling hills to vertical rock cliffs. WVDNR's spring guide says its clear water and rocky shoreline make for picturesque fishing.

Fish

WVDNR lists largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, channel and flathead catfish, crappie, walleye, and yellow perch in its spring guide, plus trout stocked seasonally in the tailwaters. Its winter guide suggests fishing for walleye in 25 to 50 feet of water.

Walleye rule and winter drawdown

West Virginia's 2026 regulations apply a special walleye rule from Summersville Dam upstream to the mouth of Persinger Creek: every walleye from 20 to 30 inches must be released, and the daily creel is eight, only one of which may be over 30 inches. WVDNR warns that Corps lakes like Summersville undergo large winter drawdowns, so check the water level before launching.

The Gauley below the dam

WVDNR stocks trout in the Summersville tailwaters twice a month from February through April, once in May, and weekly for two weeks from the third Monday of October. Downstream, the National Park Service lists trout, smallmouth bass, walleye and muskellunge in the Gauley River National Recreation Area, with public access at Gauley Tailwaters, Masons Branch and Woods Ferry. Gauley Season whitewater releases start the first weekend after Labor Day and run for six weekends, so time tailwater trips around the Corps schedule.

Common questions

What is the walleye limit at Summersville Lake?

Eight a day, but every walleye from 20 to 30 inches must be released and only one fish over 30 inches may be kept, from the dam upstream to Persinger Creek.

When are the tailwaters stocked with trout?

WVDNR's 2026 schedule calls for two stockings a month from February through April, one in May, and one a week for two weeks starting the third Monday of October.

What about whitewater releases on the Gauley?

Gauley Season begins the first weekend after Labor Day and lasts six weekends; check the Corps' release schedule before fishing the river below the dam.

Is fishing good at Summersville 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

Kanawha River18 miElk River22 miNew River Gorge24 miWilliams River25 miCranberry River27 miGreenbrier River37 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03189600 — Gauley River below Summersville Dam
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.2200, -80.9000 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 5, 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 5, 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.