Reservoir · Virginia
Lake Moomaw
Lake Moomaw
Reservoir · Virginia
Information Only
StrikeTracks does not currently provide a live condition rating for this destination. Destination and fishery information is still available.
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Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Lake Moomaw.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Lake Moomaw is the USACE recreation pool behind Gathright Dam in Alleghany and Bath counties, a trout-and-smallmouth reservoir that also holds largemouth, walleye, crappie, and panfish. It is not the Jackson River tailwater below the dam and not Lake Mooney.
Target species
Brown Trout
Salmo trutta
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
Stocked · WinterWinterDWR: brown trout stocked annually as fingerlings; three size cohorts when habitat is suitable.
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR 2025: preferred-size smallmouth 32/hr; drought improved smallmouth habitat.
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: largemouth present but declined after 2023–2024 droughts in the upper lake.
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
Stocked · WinterWinterDWR: rainbow trout stocked annually; historically less abundant than brown trout.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR 2026 forecast: favorable black crappie population.
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR 2026 forecast: favorable bluegill population.
Chain Pickerel
Esox niger
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR 2026 forecast: chain pickerel present.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: channel catfish; anglers should focus August–October after the spawn.
Walleye
Sander vitreus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: surplus walleye stocked 2023; 2025 nets favorable versus other VA reservoirs; stocking only when surplus exists.
Yellow Perch
Perca flavescens
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
DWR: a few yellow perch available.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Highland Corps reservoir with cooler, deeper trout water, rocky smallmouth shoreline, and cove warmwater structure. Gathright operations feed the Jackson River tailwater, which remains a separate named fishery.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Fly fishing
- Nymphing
- Spinning
- Streamers
Access and Public Fishing Rights
USACE and national-forest ramps and bank sites serve the Moomaw pool. Confirm current Corps launch status; Jackson River tailwater parking is not lake access. Catalog coordinates are a reservoir reference.
Stocking information
Existing notes place brown and rainbow trout, smallmouth, and warmwater fish on Moomaw as a reservoir mix; they do not by themselves document a current-year plant. Confirm any current DWR trout or warmwater stocking on official Virginia schedules for Lake Moomaw, not the Jackson tailwater.
- Stocked · Winter
Brown Trout
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- Stocked · Winter
Rainbow Trout
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- Stocked
Walleye
Stocked · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Official sources
Virginia DWR freshwater and trout regulations can differ between the Moomaw pool and the Jackson River below Gathright. Verify current DWR rules for the lake you will fish and current USACE shoreline postings. Do not apply Lake Mooney (Stafford) rules by name similarity.
Hatch Match
General fly suggestions
- Woolly-bugger-style streamerConservative overlap streamer family. Not an insect Hatch claim.
- Parachute-style dryOne general surface family appropriate to mixed fisheries — not a Hatch report.
- Pheasant-tail-style nymphOne general subsurface family. Not destination entomology.
These are general fishing suggestions, not a report of insects currently hatching at this destination.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Virginia
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
Management Category
Reservoir / catalog-visible Unavailable
Regulation Scope
Lake Moomaw
Regulation Summary
Virginia freshwater fishing regulations apply; confirm current seasons, access, and limits.
Target Species
Largemouth Bass, Trout
Public Access
Public
Description
Gathright Dam USACE recreation pool, Alleghany/Bath. Distinct from the existing Jackson River tailwater. Catalog-visible Unavailable under accepted MIDATL-1A / POLICY-1: kind=reservoir, no qualifying same-lake USGS water-temperature station, ordinary L-C/L-D Estimated prohibited. USACE reservoir; ordinary L-C/L-D prohibited. Elevation, outlet/tailwater, tributary, and nearby-lake readings are not lake-body thermal. Unavailable means insufficient information, not Poor. Confirm current regulations and access. Coordinates are a public lake reference point, not a verified launch pin.
