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James River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 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.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,570 cfs
Air / High
64 / 65 F
Wind
NE 9 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

James River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 1,570 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Virginia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $23.00 for residents. What a Virginia licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Virginia, read off the agency, are on the Virginia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from James River near Richmond.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02037500.

2,1434,4946,8441,570 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 91 years of October 23

At 1,570 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 02037500 (James River near Richmond) is at the 41st percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 91 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,800 cfs; the highest was 88,800 cfs and the lowest 91 cfs.

p10 770median 1,800p90 9,114

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 02037500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp64 F
High / Low65 / 40 F
WindNE 9-13 mph
Pressure1025.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:26 / 18:22
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish James River this week

The best day on James River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM
Minor period
4:06 AM-5:06 AM
Sun
07:26 to 18:22
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

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 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 10 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: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Chickahominy Lake29 miLake Anna38 miRappahannock River52 miYork River68 miLake Gaston75 miKerr Lake (Buggs Island)79 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02037500 — James River near Richmond
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 16:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 37.5630, -77.5470 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.