Williams River
Stocked stream · Webster County · Cowen
Last stocked: 4 months ago (Fri, May 29, 2026)
Williams River is a WV DNR trout-stocked stream in Webster County, West Virginia, near Cowen. WVDNR's 2026 stocking schedule: one stocking each week, March through May; one stocking each week for two weeks beginning the third Monday of October.
Recent trout stockings
- Fri, May 29, 20264 months ago
- Thu, May 21, 20264 months ago
- Sat, May 16, 20264 months ago
Showing the three most recent stockings. Free data is delayed 24 hours.
Stream conditions
Latest reading Sep 17, 6:15 AM EDT — our updates are running behind
Williams River at Dyer (USGS 03186500) · 6.5 mi from this water
Gauge is at Dyer, about 7 miles downstream of the stocked section.
7-day range 48 cfs – 160 cfs (the shaded days)
median daily flow for the date (USGS normals)
Daily mean flow with each day’s low–high band (through Tue, Sep 15, 2026)
Above normal for Sep 15 · about 3× the median daily flow (27 cfs)
Show the daily values
| Day | Mean | Low | High | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19 | 656 cfs | 656 cfs | 656 cfs | 60 cfs |
| Aug 20 | 418 cfs | 418 cfs | 418 cfs | 61 cfs |
| Aug 21 | 316 cfs | 316 cfs | 316 cfs | 60 cfs |
| Aug 22 | 239 cfs | 239 cfs | 239 cfs | 58 cfs |
| Aug 23 | 228 cfs | 228 cfs | 228 cfs | 52 cfs |
| Aug 24 | 165 cfs | 165 cfs | 165 cfs | 46 cfs |
| Aug 25 | 126 cfs | 126 cfs | 126 cfs | 43 cfs |
| Aug 26 | 101 cfs | 101 cfs | 101 cfs | 39 cfs |
| Aug 27 | 84 cfs | 84 cfs | 84 cfs | 35 cfs |
| Aug 28 | 540 cfs | 540 cfs | 540 cfs | 33 cfs |
| Aug 29 | 259 cfs | 259 cfs | 259 cfs | 32 cfs |
| Aug 30 | 162 cfs | 162 cfs | 162 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Aug 31 | 120 cfs | 120 cfs | 120 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Sep 1 | 96 cfs | 96 cfs | 96 cfs | 32 cfs |
| Sep 2 | 77 cfs | 77 cfs | 77 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Sep 3 | 62 cfs | 62 cfs | 62 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Sep 4 | 52 cfs | 52 cfs | 52 cfs | 33 cfs |
| Sep 5 | 88 cfs | 88 cfs | 88 cfs | 33 cfs |
| Sep 6 | 149 cfs | 149 cfs | 149 cfs | 32 cfs |
| Sep 7 | 90 cfs | 90 cfs | 90 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Sep 8 | 66 cfs | 66 cfs | 66 cfs | 31 cfs |
| Sep 9 | 52 cfs | 52 cfs | 52 cfs | 30 cfs |
| Sep 10 | 47 cfs | 47 cfs | 47 cfs | 30 cfs |
| Sep 11 | 48 cfs | 48 cfs | 48 cfs | 29 cfs |
| Sep 12 | 55 cfs | 55 cfs | 55 cfs | 28 cfs |
| Sep 13 | 133 cfs | 133 cfs | 133 cfs | 28 cfs |
| Sep 14 | 160 cfs | 160 cfs | 160 cfs | 28 cfs |
| Sep 15 | 94 cfs | 94 cfs | 94 cfs | 27 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: 76 years of USGS daily record (1950–2026), approved values. Flows well above normal for the date usually run high and off-color.
Stocking schedule (WVDNR 2026)
- WOne stocking each week, March through May
- FOne stocking each week for two weeks beginning the third Monday of October
Schedule codes from the 2026 West Virginia Fishing Regulations Summary. Actual stocking dates appear above as WVDNR reports them. Every stocked water by schedule code →
Fishing regulations
Delayed harvest
From a signed location approximately 2 miles downstream of Tea Creek extending 2 miles downstream. Access by National Forest Route 86.
Pocahontas County · Catch-and-release November 1 - May 15; general regulations May 16 - October 31
- Catch-and-release regulations apply November 1 through May 15
- General statewide regulations apply May 16 through October 31
Statewide trout limits: 6 per day, 12 in possession, no minimum size, unless a special regulation above says otherwise.
Baitfish restriction: possession of non-game fish and the use of any fish, including dead or packaged minnows, as bait is prohibited in the Gauley River upstream of the Route 55/20 bridge at Curtin, including the Cherry, Williams, Cranberry and upper Gauley rivers and all their tributaries.
About Williams River
- Type
- Stream
- County
- Webster County, WV
- Nearest town
- Cowen
- 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.