Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James River bass regulation reach - upper boundary VA DWR geographic exception - upper limit | Regulation section limit | 37.78416, -79.77593 | Upstream end of DWR's named James River reach: the Jackson and Cowpasture confluence in Botetourt County, running downstream to the 14th Street Bridge in Richmond. Check the current digest for what applies. |
| 2 | Iron Gate Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.77372, -79.78268 | Head of the James, at the Jackson and Cowpasture confluence. Hand launch off Rt 220; the top of the whole float river. |
| 3 | Craig Creek Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.64566, -79.81440 | Hand launch under the Rt 220 bridge at Rt 683, at the Craig Creek mouth. |
| 4 | Horseshoe Bend Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.58909, -79.72784 | Hand launch seven miles west of Buchanan on Rt 43. |
| 5 | Springwood Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.54802, -79.74262 | Hand launch at Springwood, reached from Buchanan by Rt 43 and Rt 630. |
| 6 | Buchanan Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.52999, -79.67940 | Hand launch in the town of Buchanan, at the USGS gauge. The reference point for the upper river. |
| 7 | James River at Buchanan USGS 02019500 - real-time stage and flow | USGS gauge | 37.53069, -79.67893 | Roster gauge for this water. The whole upper float river - Iron Gate down to Lynchburg - is read off this one. |
| 8 | Arcadia Access VA DWR - Botetourt Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.55482, -79.63704 | Hand launch at Arcadia, below Buchanan off Rt 614. |
| 9 | Glasgow Access VA DWR - Rockbridge Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.62378, -79.44542 | Ramp at Glasgow off Rt 130, just below the Maury River confluence; shared parking. |
| 10 | Snowden Access VA DWR - Amherst Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.59685, -79.38941 | Ramp at Snowden on Rt 501/130, below the Blue Ridge water gap. |
| 11 | Reed Creek Landing VA DWR - Bedford Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.52468, -79.34985 | Ramp south of Big Island on Rt 501. DWR files this one under a misspelled waterbody, 'Jame River'. |
| 12 | Joshua Falls Access VA DWR - Campbell Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.41931, -79.04058 | Hand launch off Rt 726 north of Rt 460, below Lynchburg. |
| 13 | Bent Creek Access VA DWR - Appomattox Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.53557, -78.82762 | Ramp at Bent Creek where Rt 60 meets Rt 26. |
| 14 | Wingina Access VA DWR - Nelson Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.63601, -78.71989 | Ramp on Rt 56 south of Wingina. |
| 15 | Midway Access VA DWR - Nelson Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.66930, -78.71469 | Ramp in the James River WMA off Rt 743, north-east of Wingina. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Howardsville Access VA DWR - Albemarle Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.73307, -78.64523 | Ramp at Howardsville. DWR spells the county 'Albermarle' in its own layer. |
| 17 | Scottsville Access VA DWR - Albemarle Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.79700, -78.49323 | Ramp on Ferry Street in the town of Scottsville - the busiest launch on the middle river. |
| 18 | Hardware River Access VA DWR - Fluvanna Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.74026, -78.40782 | Hand launch at the Hardware River mouth, reached from Scottsville by Rt 6 east then Rt 646. |
| 19 | New Canton Access VA DWR - Buckingham Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.70966, -78.29986 | Ramp at New Canton, north of Arvonia off Rt 15 and Rt 670. |
| 20 | Columbia Access VA DWR - Cumberland Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.74941, -78.16276 | Ramp south of Columbia on Rt 690, at the Rivanna River mouth. |
| 21 | Cartersville Access VA DWR - Cumberland Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.66942, -78.08684 | Ramp in Cartersville on Rt 45. |
| 22 | West View Access VA DWR - Goochland Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.64255, -78.01037 | Ramp reached from Goochland by Rt 6 west, Rt 600 and Rt 643. |
| 23 | Beaumont Access VA DWR - Powhatan Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.66447, -77.89042 | Hand launch a mile south of Maidens on Rt 522. |
| 24 | Watkins Landing VA DWR - Powhatan Co. - 2 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 37.58830, -77.71291 | Two ramps, reached from Bon Air by Rt 147, Rt 711 and Rt 625. |
| 25 | Robious Landing VA DWR - Chesterfield Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.55920, -77.64734 | Hand launch at Robious Landing Park, above the Richmond fall line. |
| 26 | Huguenot Bridge Access VA DWR - Richmond City - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.56049, -77.54581 | Hand launch just west of the Huguenot Bridge off Southampton Street - the top of the Richmond whitewater reach. |
| 27 | Ancarrow's Landing VA DWR - Richmond City - 2 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 37.51986, -77.41871 | Two ramps on Maury Street, below the fall line at the head of tidewater. |
| 28 | Osborne Pike Landing VA DWR - Henrico Co. - 6 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 37.40093, -77.38585 | Six ramps at Kingsland Road and Osborne Turnpike - the largest launch on the river, on the tidal James. |
| 29 | Dutch Gap Access VA DWR - Chesterfield Co. - 2 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 37.38200, -77.37668 | Two ramps at Dutch Gap on the tidal river, reached by Rt 10, Rt 732 and Rt 615. |
| 30 | Deep Bottom Access VA DWR - Henrico Co. - 2 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 37.40716, -77.30541 | Two ramps on Deep Bottom Road, eight miles south of Seven Pines. Lowest access mapped here. |
Gauge: USGS 02019500 — JAMES RIVER AT BUCHANAN, VA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Buchanan - the gauge reach and a developed town access on the upper river.
Arcadia - a popular launch on the upper James float water.
Springwood - access on the middle upper reach.
Glasgow - the launch above the Balcony Falls gorge.
Snowden - access below the gorge on the lower reach.
Natural Bridge Station - access on the Maury near the confluence.
Lynchburg - the bottom of the upper river reach.
Spring: high water and the strongest musky fishing, with smallmouth turning on late.
Summer: the prime smallmouth season, with low clear water and excellent wading.
Fall: cooling water, aggressive smallmouth and the best colour in the Blue Ridge.
Winter: slow and cold, but the best big-musky period of the year.