James P Bailey Lake
Fishing and stocking
Trout and channel catfish water; 5 stockings on the 2026 record, spread January 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9 | Trout | completed | ||
| Feb 6 | Trout | completed | ||
| Mar 20 | Trout | completed | ||
| Apr 29 | Trout | completed | ||
| Jun 23 | Channel catfish | completed |
When to fish James P Bailey Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:02 am-12:02 pm and 10:25 pm-12:25 am | 4:19-5:19 am and 4:35-5:35 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:48 am-12:48 pm | 5:25-6:25 am and 5:02-6:02 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 23
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 4 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)
| Rod holders | catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Lewis Lake | 6.3 mi | Jun 23 |
| East River | 11 mi | Jun 2 |
| Anawalt Lake | 13 mi | Jun 23 |
| Mash Fork | 15 mi | May 22 |
| Camp Creek | 15 mi | May 22 |
Follow West Virginia stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule