All waters · West Virginia · Summersville Lake

Summersville Lake, WV

Reservoir in Nicholas County, West Virginia. West Virginia's largest lake, a roughly 2,700-acre deep, clear reservoir on the Gauley River in Nicholas County, impounded by Summersville Dam. The clear, cold water supports a strong walleye and smallmouth bass fishery along with largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, and stocked rainbow and brown trout. Maximum depth approaches 327 feet, keeping fish deep and active through summer. Famous for clarity, it draws anglers and divers alike. The Gauley tailwater below the dam is a noted trout and whitewater stretch.

67

Overall bite score

Scored 7 min ago · recomputed every 30 minutes

Water tempModeled100
Pressure trendNOAAfalling80
SolunarComputedmoon 46% lit43
Recent stockingState data50
Time of dayComputed50
WindNOAA50
Cloud coverNOAA35
PrecipitationNOAA70

Each instrument reads 0 to 100. The score is their weighted blend, tuned for lakes and reservoirs. No black box: every reading names its source.

What swims here

8 tracked species in Summersville Lake, with the months each fishes best.

Smallmouth Bassabundant · best May-Jun, Sep-Oct
Walleyeabundant · best Mar-May, Oct-Nov
Black Crappiecommon · best Apr-May
Bluegillcommon · best May-Jul
Channel Catfishcommon · best Jun-Aug
Largemouth Basscommon · best May-Jun
Rainbow Troutcommon · best Apr-May, Nov-Dec
Brown Troutrare · best Apr-May, Nov

Water facts

TypeReservoir
CountyNicholas
StateWest Virginia
WaterFreshwater
USGS gauge03189600

Multiple ramps managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Salmon Run, Battle Run, Long Point). No in-lake temperature gauge; nearby USGS 03189600 Gauley River below Summersville Dam reads cold tailwater discharge and gage height, not lake surface temperature, so lake water temperature uses a seasonal baseline. WV fishing license required.

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