Handley Pond (Children & Class Q)
Fishing and stocking
Trout and channel catfish water, stocked 3 times in 2026, spread March to June.
West Virginia · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Trout
Channel catfish
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7 | Trout | completed | ||
| Apr 3 | Trout | completed | ||
| Jun 24 | Channel catfish | completed |
When to fish Handley Pond (Children & Class Q)
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:58-11:58 am and 10:21 pm-12:21 am | 4:15-5:15 am and 4:31-5:31 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:44 am-12:44 pm | 5:22-6:22 am and 4:57-5:57 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked Jun 24
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · West Virginia fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (trout stocked 2 times here in 2026, stillwater)
| Dough bait rigs | floating dough bait 18 inches above a small egg sinker; hatchery fish know the smell |
| Casting spoons | 1/8 to 1/4 oz in fluorescent or metallic; count down until you find the depth |
| Small crankbaits | trout-pattern cranks trolled or slow-retrieved off points |
For the catfish (channel catfish stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft medium-heavy, 15 to 20 lb line, sturdy reel |
| Circle hooks on a slip-sinker rig | 2/0 to 5/0 circles on a Carolina rig; let them load up |
| Cut bait and prepared baits | fresh cut shad or chicken liver; scent is everything |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| South Fork Cranberry River | 8.3 mi | Apr 18 |
| Williams River | 9.5 mi | Oct 21 |
| Knapps Creek | 9.6 mi | Oct 22 |
| Hills Creek | 13 mi | May 13 |
| Seneca Lake | 13 mi | Oct 22 |
Follow West Virginia stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule