Outdoors: Central Virginia blessed with great fishing rivers

This article will conclude our series examining local fishing opportunities, but this week we’ll shift gears, from lakes to rivers, principally the James and Rivanna rivers. Folks in Central Virginia are blessed to have access to one of the great smallmouth rivers in the East — the James.

The James River begins with the confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers in Alleghany County, then finds its way down through Eagle Rock and on to Lynchburg and Richmond, then down to the Chesapeake Bay. The closest access points to those in Charlottesville are at Howardsville, Warren and Scottsville.

The James is a dangerous river to wade, even in the summer when the water levels are down. When I first came to Charlottesville, I tried wading in the James as I had done for years in the Greenbrier River. I attempted to wade out to an island and nearly got swept away. The force of the water is tremendous. Floating, however, is a different story. For those who do not have access to a canoe, a float tube, or even an old inner tube, is a great way to explore the riffles and banks of the James, searching for a trophy smallmouth. And they are in there — up to 7 pounds.

A fun way to catch smallmouth of any size is with a fly rod and popping bug. I like my bugs with rubber legs. I use yellow on bright days and black when it’s cloudy or overcast. If you are ever fortunate enough to hang an 18-inch smallmouth on a fly rod, it’s really a lifetime achievement for a sportsman.

The best live bait for smallmouth is unquestionably a madtom, a small catfish that lives in clear creeks. Hellgrammites are also good baits as are chubs and minnows. Artificial lures that are tried-and-true favorites include Zoom Flukes, curly tail grubs, Gitzits, Pig ‘n jigs, Senko worms and top water baits like Pop R’s, buzzbaits, Zara Spooks and the ever popular Jitterbugs. Crankbaits, like Rapalas and Rebels, are good as are Mepps Spinners. When smallmouth are on the game and hungry, they’ll hit most anything. When they decide to kick back, it’s tough to get them bite any bait.

Other species of note in the James River include some huge flathead catfish, an occasional largemouth, redbreast sunfish, and rock bass. You might even see a musky or two, plus garfish.

There are two excellent canoe liveries near Charlottesville — James River Runners at Hatton Ferry and James River Reeling and Rafting in Scottsville. Both can arrange short and long floats with canoes or tubes, and both can accommodate with longer floats and even overnighters.

The Rivanna River is one of the least utilized fisheries in Central Virginia, primarily because it is difficult to access. I once tried floating from the 29 North South Fork Dam down to Key West and put three big holes in the bottom of the boat when the boat dared a big rock to get out of the way, and the rock didn’t. There is, however, some excellent smallmouth water in that stretch, along with some unproductive stretches. Kayakers and canoeists would have better luck than those attempting that float in an aluminum boat, even though they would have to stop and drag their crafts at numerous low water points.

Because of the Rivanna Trail, there are now some new fishing opportunities for those wading and fishing from the banks. The Rivanna Trail provides easy bank access to the Rivanna at many points from the Woolen Mills to Darden Towe Park. There are some marvelous pools along the way.

The Rivanna has a nice smallmouth population along with a few largemouth bass and other species like channel cats, sunfish and fallfish. It’s possible to hook up with a muskie or even a walleye. You just never know.

The same bass baits that work on the James will do the job on the Rivanna River. Another bait that has worked well for me on the Rivanna is the Wee Craw from Rebel. You can catch a pile of bass and sunfish on this small, wobbling bait.

Unlike the powerful James, wading on the Rivanna is safe and productive, and very refreshing in the heat of summer. Give both these rivers a try. They are top notch.

Fishing tips

As water levels drop during the Dog Days of summer, fish become more finicky. They feel threatened and vulnerable in shallow, clear water. Therefore you need to make casts and presentations from greater distances. To do this, drop down to lighter lines, like 4- and 6-pound tests and go with ultra light rods. You’ll find that you will get more strikes and have more fun with the lightweight equipment.

You can contact Jim Brewer at j44brewer@gmail.com