Belle Isle

🅿️ Parking: A small lot is located on the north side of the river next to Tredegar toward the hanging bridge.

⭐ Accessibility rating: 8/10 (minus the long walk across the hanging bridge)

🛶 Kayak/canoe launch: There is an unofficial beach launch just above the T-Pot bridge.

🐟 What to expect: Excellent fishing with rapids, runs and riffles, enough to keep you satisfied all day

🍨 Inside scoop… A wade fishing dream. The further out you explore, the more you will find success. Fish below the dams!

The Details:

Belle Isle is an iconic Richmond park that welcomes all types of outdoor recreation. When visiting the “isle,” you’ll see people mountain biking, swimming, sunbathing, partying, camping, dancing and just about every activity you could imagine. With this park being so popular, it’s not always the most serene place to fish and can be challenging to find quiet water during the peak summer months. But crowds aside, this section of river is incredibly diverse and holds a ton of smallmouth, largemouth, catfish and gar. When fishing Belle Isle, target the faster moving rapids and riffles to increase your chances of hooking up with smallmouth. When Richmond gets that sticky, hot weather from late June through September, I recommend spending 99% of your time hammering the fast water with a single tail jig or grub. If you can sneak out to the river before sunrise or around sunset, throw top water along the shorelines and right through the rapids. You’ll be surprised how aggressive these fish are for topwater in the fast water.

To access this spot from the parking lot, you can either scramble down below the hanging bridge just upriver from the parking lot or walk across the hanging bridge and up toward the rapids. Be careful fishing near the first set of rapids on the island, though, as the whitewater is incredibly dangerous and rated class IV at times. I recommend walking up the island toward the calmer water (past the quarry pond) and then wading across when the river is low (below 4 feet).

Aside from the main stretch of river bordering the island, there is another fishable area toward the south side of the island called the “dry rocks,” which do dry up when the river is really low but can be a fun alternative fishing adventure. Try fishing the dry rocks in the early spring and after a heavy rain storm to find success catching smallmouth and dozens of sunfish. I haven’t always had the most luck here, but it’s a great place to hop rocks and picnic. Beware of heavy crowds on the weekends if you decide to give dry rocks a visit.

Lastly, if you head toward the east side of the island, you’ll come across a series of sandy beaches that look out to the city skyline (Google Maps calls this place “North Point Beach,” there are some deep holes that hold big smallmouth that are worth exploring. I won’t give too much more away here, but let’s just say I’ve had multiple people send in quality photos taken right there!

Of all the spots highlighted in the guides, Belle Isle is one that requires the most creativity and focus getting away from the big crowds, given the park’s popularity among locals and visitors! Spend some time hiking off the common trails, and again, the further into the river you go, the better odds for higher number days (just be careful and bring a life jacket if you can’t swim)!

Local tip: Fish the bank along the north side of the river right below the hanging bridge. There are always fish hanging around here.

If we were stuck with one lure: Single tail, chartreuse grub.