Gauley River below Summersville Dam
River flow & level · USGS gauge 03189600 · West Virginia · drains 805 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 5:45 PM · gage height
The Gauley River at Summersville Dam is at 7.76 ft gage height.
Whitewater: Gauley River
for rafters & kayakersUpper Gauley (Summersville Dam to Woods Ferry)
Class IV–V · 12 mi · 36 ft/mi gradient · Put-in: Tailwaters Access, Summersville Dam Put-In · Take-out: Wood's Ferry Access
No runnable range shown for this gauge: it runs on scheduled dam releases. Reach details: American Whitewater.
The 2026 Gauley Season is over: the Corps released 2,800 cfs on 6 weekends from Fri Sep 11 to Sun Oct 18. The 2027 schedule has not been published yet — check Summersville Dam (USACE Huntington District).
This gauge does not report water temperature. Dress for the water, not the air: below 70°F a wetsuit or drysuit is recommended.
Gauley Season begins the first weekend after Labor Day and runs six weekends (National Park Service). The Army Corps targets 2,800 cfs from Summersville Dam on release days; 2026 releases ran September 11 to October 18. The Corps has not published 2027 dates yet. Source.
Below dams the river can rise suddenly and turn violent when releases start; stay out of tailrace areas and off the river outside scheduled windows unless you know the flow. Ranges are for experienced paddlers at the gauge shown; rapids change after floods, so scout and check for new wood. Wear a PFD, never boat alone, and follow the American Whitewater Safety Code. New to whitewater? Go with a licensed outfitter: guided trips on this river ↓
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumReading
Guided Gauley River rafting trips
Affiliate linksOutfitters run these on the scheduled releases and runnable levels shown above. Check the trip’s minimum age and class before booking.
Places to stay near the Gauley River → via Stay22
Affiliate links: if you book through Stay22, GetYourGuide or Viator we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t affect the data on this page. How this works
Gauley River below Summersville Dam fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETRiver steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:49 AM–8:49 AM (moonset near sunrise).
River steady, calm wind, pressure falling — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 6:46 PM–7:46 PM (moonrise near sunset).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 71°F / low 38°FSunny
- WindCalm1–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 6
- Level7.76 ftRiver steady (−0.09 ft in 24 h)
Official West Virginia fishing report: West Virginia DNR — Lake & stream fishing conditions
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:43 AM · Sunset 6:30 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:03 AM–2:03 AM
- Moon underfoot12:30 PM–2:30 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:49 AM–8:49 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:03 PM–7:03 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:03 AM–2:03 AM · 12:30 PM–2:30 PM Minor 7:49 AM–8:49 AM · 6:03 PM–7:03 PM Calm wind 1–2 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 6/10Good | Major 12:59 AM–2:59 AM · 1:28 PM–3:28 PM Minor 9:05 AM–10:05 AM · 6:46 PM–7:46 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph · pressure falling |
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 1:59 AM–3:59 AM · 2:31 PM–4:31 PM Minor 10:21 AM–11:21 AM · 7:38 PM–8:38 PM Light wind 2–6 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:03 AM–5:03 AM · 3:36 PM–5:36 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 8:41 PM–9:41 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:08 AM–6:08 AM · 4:39 PM–6:39 PM Minor 12:31 PM–1:31 PM · 9:52 PM–10:52 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:10 AM–7:10 AM · 5:40 PM–7:40 PM Minor 1:20 PM–2:20 PM · 11:06 PM–12:06 AM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:08 AM–7:08 AM · 5:35 PM–7:35 PM Minor 12:59 PM–1:59 PM · 11:19 PM–12:19 AM Light wind 4–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 38.22, -80.89 (moon times from astronomical equations, Gauley River below Summersville Dam local time).
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Waning gibbous · 97% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:44 AM · Sunset 6:29 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:59 AM–2:59 AM
- Moon underfoot1:28 PM–3:28 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset9:05 AM–10:05 AM
- Moonrise6:46 PM–7:46 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 27 | 7/10Good | Major 12:59 AM–2:59 AM · 1:28 PM–3:28 PM Minor 9:05 AM–10:05 AM · 6:46 PM–7:46 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph · pressure falling |
|---|---|---|
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 1:59 AM–3:59 AM · 2:31 PM–4:31 PM Minor 10:21 AM–11:21 AM · 7:38 PM–8:38 PM Light wind 2–6 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:03 AM–5:03 AM · 3:36 PM–5:36 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 8:41 PM–9:41 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:08 AM–6:08 AM · 4:39 PM–6:39 PM Minor 12:31 PM–1:31 PM · 9:52 PM–10:52 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:10 AM–7:10 AM · 5:40 PM–7:40 PM Minor 1:20 PM–2:20 PM · 11:06 PM–12:06 AM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:08 AM–7:08 AM · 5:35 PM–7:35 PM Minor 12:59 PM–1:59 PM · 11:19 PM–12:19 AM Light wind 4–6 mph |
| MonNov 2 | 3/10Poor | Major 6:01 AM–8:01 AM · 6:25 PM–8:25 PM Minor 1:31 PM–2:31 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonrise × sunset +1) | 1 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 1.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 3 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 38.22, -80.89 (moon times from astronomical equations, Gauley River below Summersville Dam local time).
Weather & wind at Gauley River below Summersville Dam
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Tonight38°Partly CloudyWind E 1 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday71° / 49°SunnyWind E 1 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday68° / 47°Partly SunnyWind S 2 to 6 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 38.215, -80.888 (grid RLX), issued Oct 26, 6:19 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Last 10 days
| Date | Gage height (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 8.45 | −0.16 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 8.61 | −0.40 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 9.01 | −3.31 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 12.31 | −0.02 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 12.33 | +3.34 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 8.99 | +0.87 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 8.12 | −0.37 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 8.49 | −2.52 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Summersville Lake1 mi · Lake1,634.75 ft−17.25 ft vs normal pool
- Gauley River above Belva16 mi · River1,040 cfs104% of normal
- Kanawha River at Kanawha Falls18 mi · River4,450 cfs112% of normal
- New River at Thurmond21 mi · River2,780 cfs103% of normal
- Sutton Lake33 mi · Lake919.60 ft−2.40 ft vs normal pool
- New River at Hinton38 mi · River2,460 cfs94% of normal
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 03189600 — Gauley River Below Summersville Dam, Wv
- Location
- 38.2151, -80.8882 · West Virginia
- Drainage area
- 805 sq mi
- Measures
- Gage height (stage) above the gauge datum
- Daily statistics
- Not available (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 5:45 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.