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James River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Virginia's fall line legend: trophy blue cats in the tidal river, smallmouth above Richmond and urban class-IV rapids splitting the two worlds.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
1,550 cfs
Air / High
98 / 99 F
Wind
WNW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02037500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

James River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 1,550 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 99. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 93 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from James River near Richmond.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02037500.

1,3951,9052,4151,550 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low99 / 76 F
WindWNW 5-13 mph
Pressure1011.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain20% cloud, 24%
Sunrise / Sunset06:43 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 99/76 F, wind 19 mph, rain 24%

Fair or better. A 19 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on James River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the James River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks James River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 96 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 96 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 97 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Virginia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Virginia license (freshwater covers tidal river above the line: check VDWR saltwater line rules). Blue cat: harvest encouraged under 32 inches, one over: verify current.

Access

Tidal: Ancarrow's, Dutch Gap, Osborne ramps. Upper: Scottsville, Cartersville, Watkins canoe/ramp accesses.

About this water

340 miles from the Alleghenies to the Chesapeake: our coverage centers Richmond's fall line both directions.

Fishing James River: the full guide

A river split by a city

The James changes species at Richmond's fall line: upstream runs 200 miles of smallmouth river (ledges, grass islands, canoe-camping water); downstream turns tidal and grows the East Coast's most famous trophy blue catfish. One license, two complete fisheries, and class-IV rapids through downtown as the dividing line.

Blue cat empire

The tidal James built the 100-lb blue cat legend: fish stocked in the 1970s found a perfect estuary and grew into a trophy industry. Anchored cut gizzard shad on the channel edges (Dutch Gap, Hopewell, the Appomattox mouth) produces 40-plus-pound fish routinely: winter concentrates the giants: the class of the fishery peaks December-March.

Smallmouth above the line

From Lynchburg to Richmond the James runs classic mid-Atlantic smallmouth: grass-lined ledges, boulder gardens and float-fishing culture (canoe liveries chain the river). Summer topwater over the grass edges, tubes through the ledges: 20-inch citations come every season. The Scottsville-to-Cartersville reaches float the heart of it.

Urban fishing, literally

Richmond fishes its rapids: shad runs each April at the fall line (hickories on darts below 14th Street), smallmouth in the pocket water through downtown, and blue cats within sight of skyscrapers at Ancarrow's Landing: the pipeline walkway may be America's most urban serious fishery. The river's recovery from industrial history is Virginia's best conservation story.

Common questions

How big do James River blue cats get?

The 100-lb barrier fell here first on the East Coast: 40-60-lb fish are a realistic targeted outcome with fresh gizzard shad in winter. The tidal channel bends near Dutch Gap are the proven grounds.

Is the James good for smallmouth too?

Above Richmond it is Virginia's best float-fishing bronze river: 200 miles of ledges and grass. June topwater and October's feed-up are the prime floats.

Is fishing good at James River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Chickahominy Lake29 miLake Anna38 miRappahannock River52 miYork River68 miLake Gaston75 miKerr Lake (Buggs Island)78 mi
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