West Virginia fishing reports
65 reports for West Virginia — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Pre-spawn smallmouth prime up on New River as WV's May window opens
USGS gauge 03051000 logged 358 cfs on the morning of May 10, placing WV's monitored watershed in moderate, fishable condition. Water temperature was not returned by the gauge, but mid-May in the New River corridor typically brings surface readings in the upper-50s to mid-60s°F — the sweet spot for smallmouth bass moving onto spawning flats and shoals. Tactical Bassin reports the bluegill spawn is fully underway in nearby bass fisheries, a known trigger that draws aggressive smallmouth into shallow structure; topwater frogs and poppers over heavy cover are the go-to presentations right now. On the catfish front, Wired 2 Fish documents a strong catfish bite on Santee rigs and cut bait drifted along channel ledges — a technique that translates directly to the Ohio River's deep-ledge zones. Fishing the Midwest notes jig and slip-sinker rigs remain reliable for walleye on deeper river structure, a pattern worth exploring on the Ohio's main channel. The Last Quarter moon this weekend tends to favor midday feeding windows.
WV Pickerel Record Set in Preston County; Bass Hit Post-Spawn
A new West Virginia state length record for chain pickerel arrived April 21, when Matt Born of Reedsville landed a 27.95-inch, 5.65-pound fish from a private pond in Preston County, narrowly besting his own prior mark of 27.87 inches — per Outdoor Hub. Flow at USGS gauge 03051000 sits at 364 cfs as of early May 7; no water temperature reading was available from the gauge. That moderate flow points to fishable conditions heading into the weekend. Bass are deep in the early-May post-spawn shuffle: Tactical Bassin reports fish splitting between residual shallow-spawn areas and the first open-water transition zones, with topwater poppers, swimbaits, and finesse rigs all drawing strikes simultaneously. The waning gibbous moon currently favors pre-dawn and late-evening windows over midday activity. With no gauge temperature data on hand, historically the New River runs in the low-to-mid 60s °F by the first week of May — prime range for aggressive smallmouth feeding.
Chain Pickerel Record Falls in WV; New River Bass Go Pre-Spawn
Matt Born of Reedsville snapped his own West Virginia chain pickerel state record on April 21—a 27.95-inch, 5.65-pound fish taken on a homemade spinner and 4-pound-test line from a Preston County pond, per Wired 2 Fish. That benchmark catch signals what early May typically delivers across WV freshwater: predators in full feed mode. USGS gauge 03051000 logs flows at 387 cfs as of 2:30 AM this morning—moderate, fishable levels that should yield decent water clarity. Temperature data is unavailable from that gauge. With bass activity ramping up statewide, Wired 2 Fish contributor Brandon Coulter recommends a swimbait-to-finesse combination for targeting fish near beds and shallow structure: cover ground with a larger profile lure to trigger reactionary strikes, then drop a finesse plastic to close the deal. The waning gibbous moon phase typically cools topwater urgency—subsurface and mid-column presentations are the call right now.
Chain Pickerel State Record Falls Again in WV as Full-Moon Spring Peak Arrives
West Virginia's spring freshwater season is delivering record-caliber results. On April 21, Matt Born of Reedsville caught a 27.95-inch, 5.65-pound chain pickerel from a private Preston County pond — using a homemade spinner on 4-pound-test — edging out the state record he set in 2019, per Wired 2 Fish. That follows a golden trout state record on April 2, when 15-year-old Hunter Rohr landed a trophy on the South Branch Potomac at Smoke Hole using light spinning tackle and floats, per Outdoor Hub. USGS gauge 03051000 shows flow at 469 cfs this morning — moderate, wader-friendly levels indicating manageable conditions across WV's river system. With a full moon today, expect peak feeding windows around dawn and dusk, particularly for New River smallmouth bass entering the pre-spawn transition. The overall picture heading into this weekend is one of the more active early-May freshwater bites WV has seen in recent memory.
New River holds 194 cfs as spring transition accelerates
The New River was flowing at 194 cubic feet per second on April 28, according to USGS gauge 03051000, with no water-temperature reading available at the time. Flow stage remains stable and typical for late April, offering steady wading and access conditions across the region. Water temperatures this time of year typically climb toward the 60–65°F range, which should trigger active feeding windows across catfish, bass, and walleye populations. Current conditions suggest a reliable window for seasonal species targeting through early May, with flows stable enough to support planned trips.