Freestone · Acidic Sandstone · West Virginia

Cranberry River

Wide view of the Cranberry River flowing through a forested valley in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest

Deep in the Monongahela backcountry — a gated, walk-in freestone with native brookies in the Dogway Fork and stocked trout in the main river, a stream that's been clawed back from acid rain by years of liming.

Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
Low and clear — careful approach country. Cover and shadow are doing the work today.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp19.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp19.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindSW 14 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.1 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 19.4°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Early Black StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Eastern Golden StoneHatch
2
2
Slate Drake / IsonychiaHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
1
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the Cranberry River flowing through a forested valley in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest
    The Cranberry River from a bridge near Big Rock Campground, Monongahela National Forest
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Deep in the Monongahela backcountry — a gated, walk-in freestone with native brookies in the Dogway Fork and stocked trout in the main river, a stream that's been clawed back from acid rain by years of liming. Remote, quiet, and worth the legs.

  • Acidic sandstone
Conservation note

Native brookies (notably the Dogway Fork) alongside stocked trout in the main river; acid-deposition history (liming restoration). brook_trout (char comfort-overlay), rainbow_trout and brown_trout all score post-seed; native brookies handled conservation-first.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Cranberry River' (WV-KG-103_04), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Metals Other Than Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · WV-KG-103_04

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 31 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature59 × 28%16.5
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 66
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts