James River and its tributaries below the fall line
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for James River and its tributaries below the fall line downstream to a line connecting Hog Point on Hog Island (Surry County) and the downstream point of the mouth of College Creek, as the state words them
Surry County · River · VA
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- There is a continuous, year-round season for all freshwater fishStatewide
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
trout Varies by water: minimum length 7 inches (Fee Fishing Areas); no fish less than 7 inches, limit 6 trout per day (Statewide trout); no fish less than 7 inches, limit 4 per day (Urban Program Waters); limit 3 trout (Youth-Only Stocked Trout Program waters) | 6 per day | min. 7 inch minimum size | Statewide |
Largemouth, Smallmouth Bass | 5 per day in the aggregate (combined) | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Alabama, Spotted Bass | No statewide daily limit | min. No statewide length limit | Statewide |
Walleye, Saugeye | 5 per day in the aggregate | min. No walleye or saugeye less than 18 inches | Statewide |
Sauger | 2 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
White Bass | 5 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Chain Pickerel and Northern Pike | 5 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Muskellunge | 1 per day | min. No muskellunge less than 40 inches | Statewide |
Crappie (black or white) | 25 per day in the aggregate (combined) | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Rock Bass (redeye) | 25 per day in the aggregate with Roanoke bass | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Roanoke Bass | 25 per day in the aggregate with rock bass | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Perch (yellow and white) | No statewide daily limit | min. No statewide length limit | Statewide |
Channel, White, and Flathead | 20 per day | min. No length limits | Statewide |
Blue | 20 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
American Shad | No possession (catch and release only) | - | Statewide |
Grass Carp | No statewide daily limit | min. No statewide length limit | Statewide |
Longnose Gar Varies by water: limit 1 per day (Longnose Gar - statewide) | 5 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Bowfin Varies by water: limit 1 per day (Bowfin - statewide) | 5 per day | min. No statewide length limits | Statewide |
Northern Snakehead | No statewide daily limit | min. No statewide length limit | Statewide |
American Eel | 25 per day | min. no eel less than 9 inches | Statewide |
Nongame Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates | 20 | - | Statewide |
crayfish | 20 in aggregate (possession limit) | - | Statewide |
Bullfrogs | 15 per day | - | Statewide |
Snapping turtles | 5 per day | min. minimum curved-line carapace length of 13 inches | Statewide |
suckers | 20 per day | - | Statewide |
rainbow trout | See size | min. 7 inch statewide minimum | Statewide |
blue catfish | No daily limit, except only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inches | min. longer than 32 inches | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from VA's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- blue catfishDaily limit No daily limit, except only 1 blue catfish per day longer than 32 inchesSize longer than 32 inches
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 512 cfs at james river at lick run, va (2026-07-29 03:00)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in James River and its tributaries below the fall line's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near James River and its tributaries below the fall line
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on James River and its tributaries below the fall line? Get listed.