South Branch
Stocked stream · Pendleton County · Ruddle
Last stocked: 7 months ago (Wed, Feb 25, 2026)
South Branch is a WV DNR trout-stocked stream in Pendleton County, West Virginia, near Ruddle.
Recent trout stockings
- Wed, Feb 25, 20267 months ago
- Fri, Feb 20, 20267 months ago
- Thu, Feb 19, 20267 months ago
Showing the three most recent stockings. Free data is delayed 24 hours.
Stream conditions
USGS gauge · Sep 17, 2:50 PM EDT
South Branch Potomac River at Franklin (USGS 01605500) · 8 mi from this water
Gauge is at Franklin, about 8 miles from this pin.
- Flow
- 26 cfs
- Steady vs. 24 h ago
- Below normal for Sep 17 · about 73% of the median daily flow (36 cfs)
- Gage height
- 1.54 ft
- Water temperature
- 79°F
- near Springfield · 59.3 mi downstream
7-day range 28 cfs – 34 cfs (the shaded days)
median daily flow for the date (USGS normals)
today so far (26 cfs) · the latest reading, not yet a daily mean
Daily mean flow with each day’s low–high band, through Wed, Sep 16, 2026; today’s reading is not yet a daily mean
Show the daily values
| Day | Mean | Low | High | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19 | 62 cfs | 62 cfs | 62 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 20 | 54 cfs | 54 cfs | 54 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 21 | 47 cfs | 47 cfs | 47 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 22 | 45 cfs | 45 cfs | 45 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 23 | 69 cfs | 69 cfs | 69 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 24 | 51 cfs | 51 cfs | 51 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 25 | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 40 cfs |
| Aug 26 | 39 cfs | 39 cfs | 39 cfs | 39 cfs |
| Aug 27 | 38 cfs | 38 cfs | 38 cfs | 39 cfs |
| Aug 28 | 76 cfs | 76 cfs | 76 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Aug 29 | 59 cfs | 59 cfs | 59 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Aug 30 | 48 cfs | 48 cfs | 48 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Aug 31 | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 1 | 40 cfs | 40 cfs | 40 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 2 | 36 cfs | 36 cfs | 36 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 3 | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 4 | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 5 | 41 cfs | 41 cfs | 41 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 6 | 53 cfs | 53 cfs | 53 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 7 | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 43 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 8 | 36 cfs | 36 cfs | 36 cfs | 38 cfs |
| Sep 9 | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 37 cfs |
| Sep 10 | 32 cfs | 32 cfs | 32 cfs | 37 cfs |
| Sep 11 | 32 cfs | 32 cfs | 32 cfs | 37 cfs |
| Sep 12 | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 36 cfs |
| Sep 13 | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 34 cfs | 37 cfs |
| Sep 14 | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 33 cfs | 37 cfs |
| Sep 15 | 30 cfs | 30 cfs | 30 cfs | 36 cfs |
| Sep 16 | 28 cfs | 28 cfs | 28 cfs | 36 cfs |
Other gauges on the South Branch Potomac River
Within 75 miles of this water, listed upstream to downstream.
- near Petersburg · 18.1 mi101 cfs
- near Springfield · 59.3 mi157 cfs
Source: USGS Water Data (provisional data, subject to revision; readings refresh every 30 minutes). cfs = cubic feet per second; gage height is the water level at the gauge, not depth. The reading is at the gauge, not necessarily at the stocked section. Normals: 69 years of USGS daily record (1950–2026), approved values. Flows well above normal for the date usually run high and off-color.
Fishing regulations
Catch and release
1-mile section beginning 2 miles below U.S. Route 220 at Eagle Rock and extending downstream. Access by county Route 2.
Pendleton County
- Fishing permitted during daylight hours only
- Only artificial flies and lures made of metal, wood, feathers, hair, or synthetic material may be used or possessed
- No lure or fly with any scent, oil, or edible enticement may be used or possessed; Powerbait, Gulp and other manufactured scented baits are illegal on this section
- Multiple-hook lures must have barbless hooks; single-hook lures may have barbed hooks
- All trout caught must be returned to the water at once
- No trout may be in the angler's possession while on the catch-and-release section
Statewide trout limits: 6 per day, 12 in possession, no minimum size, unless a special regulation above says otherwise.
About South Branch
- Type
- Stream
- County
- Pendleton County, WV
- Nearest town
- Ruddle
- Land designation
- Private/Other
Stocking dates are sourced from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources daily stocking reports. Stocking-schedule codes, special regulations, and lake facilities are summarised from the 2026 West Virginia Fishing Regulations Summary and can change during the season; the West Virginia Code and current WVDNR regulations control — check wvdnr.gov/fishing-regulations before fishing. Location details are approximate.