James River facts

OVERALL

• The James is Virginia's largest river.
• It begins in northern Botetourt County where the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers join.
• It flows 347 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.
• Its watershed, or basin, covers one-fourth of the state and contains more than 2.6 million people.
• The James is often called America's Founding River -- the waterway that transported the Jamestown settlers.
• Throughout its falls at Richmond, the James drops 105 feet in 7 miles.
• Below the falls -- that is, below the Mayo Bridge -- the James becomes tidal and sluggish.
• The James is home, even in the city, to wildlife including bald eagles, beavers, great blue herons and songbirds.

FISHING

• The James is one of the best fishing rivers in the country.
• In the cold months, the tidal James is most popular with anglers.
• One of the most sought-after fish is the blue catfish, which often weighs 50 to 70 pounds. Some approach 100 pounds. Other fish that anglers seek this time of year include striped bass and largemouth bass.
• Blue catfish and large-mouth bass are popular catches in warm weather, too. Stripers, which like cold water, are less popular then.
• In spring, anglers flock to the James to catch migrating shad, herring and white perch that bunch up at the rapids near downtown to spawn.
• Fishing in the rapids in Richmond often involves wading, so that's more popular in warm weather.
• Not all fish are faring well. Two in particular, the American shad and the Atlantic sturgeon, have declined so greatly because of overfishing and other problems that it is illegal to catch and keep them.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

• For paddlers, Richmond's river offers some of the best urban white water in the nation, from easy Class I rapids to, at times, violent Class V.
• You can swim and wade in the river at places including Pony Pasture Rapids and Belle Isle.
• If you want to swim, wait a few days after rains, which can wash pollutants into the river.

SOURCES: James River Association, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, James River Park, Times-Dispatch research

Hardy anglers like to fish the James River in cold weather. The tidal James from Richmond to Hopewell is a popular stretch. Here are some places you can fish or launch a boat: 1. Ancarrow’s Landing; 2. Osborne Landing; 3. Dutch Gap landing; 4. Deep Bottom Park; 5. Hopewell City Marina (on the Appomattox River near the James); 6. City Point boardwalk