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Williams River Fishing Report

Updated Sat, Sep 12, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A Monongahela trout stream: the Williams runs stocked and native trout through high country.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
55 cfs
Air / High
71 / 80 F
Wind
SSE 10 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03186500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Saturday
12
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.

Williams River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 55 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 10 mph, falling pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 80. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:30 PM-1:30 AM and 11:30 AM-1:30 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Brook troutExcellent

Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Brown troutExcellent

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

Rainbow troutExcellent

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

Tomorrow: Similar at 76 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sun, Sep 13, 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 brook trout here? Check the size and bag limits with WVDNR before you keep anything.

Water and weather

Live readings from WILLIAMS RIVER AT DYER, WV.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03186500.

3057881,27055 cfs08/1308/2309/0209/12

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low80 / 69 F
WindSSE 10-23 mph
Pressure1014.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 64%
Sunrise / Sunset07:01 / 19:34
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 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.

Sat Sep 12 · Rain, 80/69 F, wind 11 mph, rain 64%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

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

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Best: May-Jun and Sep-Oct

North America’s native char: a small-stream specialist that demands cold, clean water and repays it with the prettiest fish in the woods. Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

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 Williams River 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
Brook trout
Brown trout
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Williams River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Fri, Sep 11

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Brook trout led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 8 mph.

Thu, Sep 10

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Brook trout led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Brook trout led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 10 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 for stocked water. Catch-and-release sections apply: check current WVDNR regulations.

Access

Forest road pullouts paralleling the river, Tea Creek campground and dispersed camping in the Monongahela National Forest.

About this water

A trout river in the Monongahela National Forest, Webster and Pocahontas counties, West Virginia.

Fishing Williams River: the full guide

A river off the Highland Scenic

The Williams River rises high in the Monongahela National Forest of eastern West Virginia and runs west to the Gauley, paralleled for miles by forest road with the Highland Scenic Highway crossing its headwaters. It holds stocked rainbow and brown trout through the accessible reaches and native brook trout in the cold headwaters and tributaries.

Stocked water and catch-and-release

West Virginia stocks the river through the spring, and a catch-and-release section provides the better fishing for anglers who want quality over quantity. Nymphs, dries and small streamers work through the pocket water, pools and runs. Spring and fall are the seasons; summer warms the lower reaches while the headwaters stay cold.

Native brook trout upstream

The headwaters and small tributaries above the stocked water hold native brook trout in tight, rhododendron-lined pocket water reached on foot from the forest roads. It is small-stream fishing at its most classic: short casts, careful approaches and a willingness to walk. The Cranberry Wilderness lies just to the north.

Webster and Pocahontas county logistics

Access is excellent along the forest road paralleling the river, with dispersed camping, the Tea Creek campground and pullouts through the corridor. Marlinton and Richwood are the nearest towns. This is remote high country: services are scarce, cell coverage is patchy and the weather changes fast.

Common questions

Are there native brook trout?

Yes, in the headwaters and tributaries above the stocked water: tight pocket water reached on foot.

Is access easy?

Unusually so: a forest road parallels the river for miles with pullouts and camping along the corridor.

What is nearby?

The Cranberry Wilderness and Cranberry River lie just north, and the Highland Scenic Highway crosses the headwaters.

Is fishing good at Williams River 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

Cranberry River10 miSummersville Lake25 miElk River36 miStonewall Jackson Lake42 miLake Moomaw42 miKanawha River43 mi
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