Fly-fishing in the city of Richmond is always an adventure. The normal fisherman's problems of just finding the fish some days, to being in areas that you know you should be wearing a bulletproof vest instead of a wading vest, always adds to the adventure. But, even with all the challenges I can tell you I would not trade it for the world. This fishery gives you everything you could ask for, from Shad and Herring runs early in the year to summer Largemouth and Smallmouth, to Panfish year-round. If you want something to tug on the end of your line you don't have to drive far to find it. The main area of fishing in the city is the James River; a body of water that, when conditions are right, can't be beat in my eyes. Some of the joys of fly-fishing around here are the same ones enjoyed by flyfishermen in other parts of the country, such as strange looks from people while you practice in the local park, or finding places on the water where you can get a decent cast into that hole you know has some big fish in without catching a tree or bridge piling with your backcast.
Fishing the James for me means Bell Island and its surrounding waters. This area has a rocky backwater on the southern side that in summertime holds very large Longnose Gar, Bluegill and Largemouth Bass. The waters in this area are wadeable, but there are some deep holes you have to watch out for. The northern main-river side of the island has some awesome Smallmouth water, along with some of the area's best rapids, so be careful if you are wading. This same side of the island has flats of small rocks and is best fished from a canoe or kayak; fishing around the Lee Bridge pilings tends to produce some of the best Smallmouth fishing. Around this area Crawfish patterns were king last year, but the year before it was white Clousers.
Another area known for its fishing is an area of the river called Pony Pasture. Found just off Riverside Drive, this area is full of large boulders that you can rockhop and not even get your feet wet. The big challenge here is getting away from people; this area is known to be a cool hangout for young people during the Summer. Once you get away from people expect Smallmouth ranging from 8 to about 16 inches; there also are some Largemouth swimming in the slower runs. Large Bluegill along with Catfish also congregate here. Several of the more effective areas I have found to fish here are behind the small islands in the middle of the river. If you are willing to walk down the walking path you can access some slow water that holds good Smallmouth populations within a few feet of shore. The most effective fly here is a brown bead-eye Clouser fished near the bottom to imitate the crawfish in the area.
Just up the river from Pony Pasture along the same road is Huguenot woods. This is a "boat only" fishing area that gives you about 2.5 miles of fishable water from Boshers Dam to Williams Dam. Again, this is a rock-strewn area with a large flatwater that is home to some very large Catfish. The rocky section has Smallmouth similar to Pony Pasture but a little larger on average. This area boasts some of the best topwater Smallmouth fishing in the Richmond area. The far side of the river (Richmond side) has a few sandy islands that when a popper is floated near the ends typically produces some of the larger Smallmouth of the day.
All of these areas are best fished when the water temp. is around 70* F. with clear waters. In late July and August, the best times to fish are about an hour after sun-up and the last hour of sunlight. Unfortunately, one of the disadvantages of fishing the James River in the city of Richmond is you may not fish at night; the river is off-limits during those hours.
Some of the more effective general flies in the area are the venerable 'Bugger; this fly, tied in darker colors, seems to trick most everything that swims into taking at least one swipe. The sizes that work well in the James River range from size 10-4. Another great fly is called the Stealth Bomber; it is a foam fly that is tied slider style. I use this fly for all species of fish that can be found in the Richmond area, catching everything from 3-4 in. long Bluegill in the office park ponds to 4+ lb. Smallmouth in the riffles.
Pictures from James River Parks website.
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