Reedy Creek/42nd Street

🅿️ Parking: 42nd Street Parking area: 4401 Riverside Dr, Richmond, VA 23225 [https://goo.gl/maps/tjBrTHznKJjGKmCt6]

Reedy Creek Trail Parking Lot. 4190 Riverside Dr, Richmond, VA 23225[https://goo.gl/maps/rsYHoZpnLfQ11FyQ8]

⭐ Accessibility rating: 7/10

🛶 Kayak/canoe launch: There is a great boat launch located 1/4 mile across from the main parking area at Reedy Creek.

🐟 What to expect: Ample opportunities to explore and a deep channel in the middle full of decent sized smallmouth

🍨 Inside scoop… Hop out into the middle and find success

The Details:

The stretch of river that spans from 42nd Street down to the Reedy Creek entrance is a mix of small rapids, shallow riffles and a few deeper pools. This section of the James is very rocky and brings out a high volume of sun bathers, bikers and non-fishing river explorers. In order to have success, you will need to wade out significantly where the people thin out or start your day at sunrise. To access the river from the 42nd Street parking lot (currently closed, but street parking is available just outside the parking area) you will walk down a series of steps, cross a bridge over the train tracks and then go down more steps which will put you out at alongside a small side creek. Walk downstream 20 feet, and then you will see a rock crossing that connects to a narrow trail on the other side. Continue on the trail for 20 yards, and you will come across a side channel of the river. There is a moderately steep rock crossing you have to make immediately after the trail ends. However, once you are across this first section of the river, the abundance of rocks increases. You should then be able to hop out far on low water days and access the better sections of the river.

Fishing this section is all about maximizing time around the deeper pools and finding fast water, especially on those hot summer days. Take your time throwing jigs or clousers directly in the rapids, and let it hit the bottom. When I fish 42nd Street, I typically spend 15 minutes wading out to the fast rapid in the middle of the river and then work my way upstream casting along either side of the runs. What makes this spot a great place to fish is the variety of options. When the river is below 3.75 feet, you can hop rocks and cover water quickly and locate the deeper water with big fish really effectively. When the river is up and flowing quickly, you can spend your time fishing the side creeks and flooded rocks near shore and still have good success. This spot does tend to see a lot of pressure from anglers heading out from the city, and sometimes the crowds can be truly obnoxious, so having an idea about where to go is the key for making the most of your time fishing this zone.

You can also start from the Reedy Creek entrance, but there aren’t quite as many shallow rocky sections to wade easily through compared to the 42nd Street entrance. Reedy Creek is a better place to launch a canoe or kayak or take out from a full day floating down river.

As you fish this stretch, be mindful of water snakes. For some odd reason, I typically see the most snakes in this area, maybe due to the large amount of rocks and dotted islands bordering the shoreline, but I just wanted to flag that as an important note, especially in late summer. All in all, 42nd Street is a classic urban fishing spot that is wadeable, full of smallies and expansive enough to fill plenty of days on fishing. As always, enjoy!

Local tip: Don’t overlook the creek. When the water is up, spend plenty of time fishing this creek. You might be pleasantly surprised.

If we were stuck with one lure: PB&J ned rig