Discover Excellent Fishing on the Upper James Smallmouth bass are the dominant game species, but spotted and large mouth bass can also be caught. Other species are also plentiful in the James River, including channel catfish, flathead catfish, and various sunfish species (redbreast, bluegill, and rock bass).
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What fish are biting in the James River?
Fishing is good for bluegill, and other species such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, redbreast sunfish, and channel catfish may be caught as well. The river is deep enough to use a prop motor downstream of the ramp but rocks limit safely taking a prop boat upstream of the boat ramp.
Is the James River good for fishing?
Catfish (Blue) The tidal James River provides the best fishing for blue catfish in the state, and recently anglers from around the country have begun to travel to Virginia to fish for the abundant large blue catfish found here.
What’s the best bait to use in the James River?
Use fresh cut bait (various species of the shad family) in deep holes, on shallow flats, along dropoffs, and all sorts of other places. The river is full of blue catfish, and if you keep trying different locations, you’ll find some.
Has there ever been a shark in the James River?
(WTVR)—Two bull sharks were caught in the Potomac River, and it wouldn’t be the first time a shark was caught in a Virginia river. He is a fixture along the banks of the James River, and “Catfish TC”, as he is known, is quite content on solid ground, thank you very much.
What is the biggest fish in the James River?
The biggest Channel Catfish caught measured 31 inches long and weighed just over 13.5 pounds, while the biggest Flathead Catfish measured 44.5 inches and weighed 47.8 pounds. The length-frequency histograms show the number of each species collected by inch group (Figure 1).
What is the deepest part of the James River?
Coast Pilot excerpts are not being corrected. James River. Drafts of vessels above Newport News do not exceed 15 feet. The James River provides depths of 25 feet to the Richmond Deepwater Terminal and in the Terminal Turning Basin; 18 feet to and in the Richmond Harbor Turning Basin; 18 feet to the Lock at Richmond.
Are there sturgeon in the James River?
Atlantic sturgeon are an anadromous fish species meaning they spend their adult lives in the ocean and return to the rivers in which they were born to spawn. Atlantic sturgeon can be found on the James River, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Falls of the James, during their spring and fall migrations.
What fish are being caught from the James River Pier?
Pier Anglers catch croaker, spot, flounder, trout and striped bass.
Are there walleye in the James River in Virginia?
Spring is a great time on the James River to specifically target walleye, as the various species of rough fish that also call the river home do not become as active until later when the water temperatures rise. Early in the spring while chunks of ice are still floating with the current is when the walleye bite begins.
Do you need a fishing license to fish the James River?
One of Virginia’s newest state parks, James River State Park has 1,500 acres with three ponds for fishing: Branch Pond, Green Hill Pond and Taylor Pond in addition to freshwater fishing on the James River. Where fishing is permitted, valid Virginia fishing licenses are required.
Are there walleye in the James River?
James River Fishermen have caught many species of fish, including the popular walleye, cat fish, northern pike, and crappie, as well as muskellunge, American Eel, short-nose gar, gizzard shad, freshwater drum and paddle fish on the river.
Is the James River freshwater or saltwater?
The bay is an estuary, an area where fresh water flowing from land meets salt water from the sea. Scientists consider the bay to consist of its main part near the coast as well as its tidal tributaries, so that would include the James up to Richmond. The James’ water remains fresh until just below Hopewell.
Are there trout in the James River?
Adjacent to the James River are several stocked trout streams in some of the Blue Ridge Mountain’s most scenic settings. Three-year classes of trout have been established in the Roaring Run stream and fish up to 16 inches in size are available for anglers.
Are there shrimp in the James River?
The shrimp found at the Environmental Research Center was one of three found to date in the Chesapeake Bay; two others were discovered in the James River. Ballast water from large ocean going cargo ships is believed to be the leading means by which these shrimp are being introduced to other waters around world.
Is the James River OK to swim in?
While the James is not always crystal clear, it’s still safe for recreation, most of the time. In the last six years, about 85 percent of water quality samples have shown the James is safe for recreation. The other 15 percent showed high levels of bacteria, especially after it rained.
Are there dolphins in the James River?
Dolphins, it seems, are not really uncommon in the Chesapeake Bay, and this one found its way up into the James River. While the James flows through Richmond as freshwater, it quickly turns brackish as it enters the tidal James just below the city.
Is the James River still contaminated?
“The 2021 State of the James report shows that the river remains a river at risk,” Street said. “The decreased scores in pollution reductions occurred despite increased investments by Virginia and clean water programs.”
What is the biggest fish caught in VA?
There is a new fishing record in Virginia. Jason Emmel, of Louisa, Virginia, broke the state record catching a 66-pound, 5-ounce blue catfish with a bow and arrow, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The fish – which Emmel caught in the Pamunkey River on Monday – was 3 feet, 6 inches long.
What did Native Americans call the James River?
History. The Native Americans who populated the area east of the Fall Line in the late 16th and early 17th centuries called the James River the Powhatan River, named for the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy which extended over most of the Tidewater region of Virginia.
What lives in the James River?
- American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
- Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
- Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)
- Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)
- Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
- Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea)
- Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
- Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Can you eat sturgeon?
Sturgeon has a refined flavor and consistency. That charm is why eating it raw is the best way to eat it. You can enjoy the charm of the fish meat by eating it as sashimi, sushi and marinading it. Even when boiled, you can enjoy the tender texture of sturgeon.
Can you fish for sturgeon in Virginia?
Virginia banned the harvest of sturgeon in 1974, and biologists questioned if the sturgeon were about to go extinct. When the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission imposed a regional moratorium on fishing for the species in 1997, there were no known breeding areas in a Virginia river.
Where are sturgeon in Virginia?
Atlantic Sturgeon Spawning Habitat on the James River, Virginia. Sturgeon The Atlantic sturgeon is an anadromous species that migrates from the ocean into coastal estuaries and rivers to spawn. In the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic sturgeon historically spawned in all the major tributaries of the Bay.
What time is best to fish pier?
Generally speaking, the best time to fish from a pier is either early morning or sundown. This is when moving tides attract a lot of baitfish to the area, which in turn, brings out the big and hungry of the fish world, too.