Pamunkey River Fishing Guides
A winding tidal freshwater river through Virginia's coastal plain, where the shad run in spring and blue catfish hold in the bends all year.
Guides on the Pamunkey River
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About the Pamunkey River
The Pamunkey is one of the two rivers that join at West Point to make the York, and it is the larger and the more interesting of the pair. Above the gauge near Hanover it is a modest piedmont stream. Below it, the river slows, deepens and begins to meander in enormous slow loops through a floodplain of cypress, marsh and hardwood swamp. This is tidal freshwater – the water rises and falls with the tide twice a day but stays fresh for many miles, which is an unusual and productive combination. The Pamunkey Indian Reservation sits along the lower river, one of the oldest continuously occupied tracts in the country, and much of the surrounding bottomland has never been developed.
The fishing changes character with the season more than with the mile. In spring the river hosts a genuine anadromous run – American and hickory shad push up from the Chesapeake, striped bass follow them, and for a few weeks the river below the fall line is as good as light-tackle fishing gets in Virginia. The rest of the year belongs to the resident fish. Blue catfish, introduced decades ago and now thoroughly established, grow very large here and hold in the deep outside bends. Largemouth bass work the cypress knees and fallen timber along the margins, chain pickerel ambush from the grass, and bowfin and longnose gar remind you that this is old, warm, southern water.
The Hanover gauge publishes water temperature along with discharge, stage, conductance and turbidity, which makes it genuinely useful for timing the spring run rather than merely for judging flow. Watch the temperature climb through the fifties in March and plan accordingly. A boat is the natural way to fish the tidal reach; the upper river above the gauge can be waded and floated in a canoe.
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Access
Hanover gauge vicinity - roadside and bridge access to the upper, non-tidal river.
White House Landing in King William County - the main public ramp on the middle river.
Lester Manor Landing - a developed ramp giving access to the tidal bends.
Romancoke area landings - lower river and York confluence access.
Northbury Landing - a quieter cartop and trailer put-in.
US 360 crossing near Aylett - bridge access and a canoe put-in for the upper tidal reach.
Sweet Hall Marsh reach - paddle access to the lower marsh guts and creek mouths.
Seasons
Spring: the best weeks of the year - shad and hickory shad run, stripers follow, and the water warms fast.
Summer: hot and low-oxygen in the shallows; fish the deep bends early for catfish and work the cypress for bass.
Fall: excellent and underfished, with bass and crappie feeding hard and comfortable weather on the water.
Winter: slow but productive for big blue catfish holding in the deepest holes.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Pamunkey River?
As of Sep 17, 5:45 am, the USGS gauge PAMUNKEY RIVER NEAR HANOVER, VA reads 67 cfs, with water temperature 73.4 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Pamunkey River?
Anglers target American Shad, Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Hickory Shad, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redbreast Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, White Perch, Yellow Perch on the Pamunkey River in Virginia.
Where can you access the Pamunkey River?
Hanover gauge vicinity - roadside and bridge access to the upper, non-tidal river. White House Landing in King William County - the main public ramp on the middle river. Lester Manor Landing - a developed ramp giving access to the tidal bends. Romancoke area landings - lower river and York confluence access. Northbury Landing - a quieter cartop and trailer put-in. US 360 crossing near Aylett - bridge access and a canoe put-in for the upper tidal reach. Sweet Hall Marsh reach - paddle access to the lower marsh guts and creek mouths.
When is the best time to fish the Pamunkey River?
Spring: the best weeks of the year - shad and hickory shad run, stripers follow, and the water warms fast. Summer: hot and low-oxygen in the shallows; fish the deep bends early for catfish and work the cypress for bass. Fall: excellent and underfished, with bass and crappie feeding hard and comfortable weather on the water. Winter: slow but productive for big blue catfish holding in the deepest holes.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Pamunkey River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Virginia agency site: https://dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/