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Tygart Lake Fishing Report

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

A steep-walled West Virginia reservoir: Tygart holds walleye, bass and trout in clear water below Grafton.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Flow
813 cfs
Air / High
78 / 85 F
Wind
N 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03057000, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Tygart Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 813 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind N around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 85. Water sits around 84 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: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 78 F with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. 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 Tygart Valley River at Colfax (below).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03057000.

3,3588,29913,239813 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low85 / 67 F
WindN 9-16 mph
Pressure1013.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 33%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:46
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 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 · Storms, 85/67 F, wind 9 mph, rain 33%

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 Tygart Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

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. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

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. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Tygart 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)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Tygart Lake 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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 88 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 8 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

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 plus trout stamp when fishing for stocked trout. Bass and walleye limits per current WVDNR regulations.

Access

Tygart Lake State Park ramps, lodge and marina; Corps access areas; tailwater below the dam.

About this water

A 1,750-acre Corps reservoir on the Tygart Valley River near Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia.

Fishing Tygart Lake: the full guide

A narrow mountain lake

Tygart Lake covers 1,750 acres behind Tygart Dam near Grafton, a steep-sided reservoir in the West Virginia hills with clear water and rocky shorelines. It holds a mixed fishery: largemouth and smallmouth bass on the rock, walleye that West Virginia stocks and manages, crappie in the brush, catfish through the deeper water, and stocked trout in the cooler months and the tailwater below.

Bass and walleye

Smallmouth work the rocky points, bluff bases and submerged structure: tubes, jerkbaits and drop-shots in clear water, with dawn and dusk far better than midday. Largemouth hold the brushier coves and any wood. Walleye stage on the points and channel edges: jigs at dusk in spring, trolling through summer, with the tailwater below the dam holding fish in the current.

Trout and crappie

West Virginia stocks trout in the lake and the tailwater during the cool months, adding a winter and spring fishery accessible from shore. Crappie hold the brush and standing timber in the upper end, best in spring. The steep terrain means the lake fishes vertically: structure drops fast, and fish relate to specific depth bands rather than spreading across flats.

Grafton-area logistics

Tygart Lake State Park provides ramps, a lodge, campground and marina, with additional Corps access. Water levels vary with flood-control operations, dropping substantially for winter pool. The tailwater below the dam is a separate fishery worth a stop. Grafton is minutes away, with Morgantown and Clarksburg both within an hour.

Common questions

Is the water clear?

Yes, by West Virginia reservoir standards, which makes finesse presentations and low-light fishing more effective.

Are there trout?

Stocked in the cool months in both the lake and the tailwater below the dam, adding a winter and spring option.

How much does the level change?

Substantially: it is a flood-control reservoir with a notable winter drawdown that shifts structure and ramp access.

Is fishing good at Tygart 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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Tygart Valley River20 miCheat Lake29 miStonewall Jackson Lake34 miDeep Creek Lake41 miYoughiogheny River48 miSouth Branch Potomac River73 mi
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