Pony Pasture

🅿️ Parking: Plenty of parking available in a large lot, located 10 steps away from the river.

⭐ Accessibility rating: 8/10

🛶 Kayak/canoe launch: There is a convenient canoe ramp at the front lefthand side of the parking lot with easy access from parking lot.

🐟 What to expect: Lots of small fish with shallow, wadeable sections of river to explore far and wide.

🍨 Inside scoop… There’s opportunities to target trophy catfish in between the Z-dam and main parking lot!

The Details:

Located on the Southside of Richmond near the outskirts of Bon Air, this pasture isn’t home to many ponies but is home to plenty of smallmouth bass, largemouth, bream, catfish and lots of gar. A popular spot for rock hoppers, kayakers, sun bathers, party lovers and just about everything in between, Pony Pasture draws all types of river enthusiasts and has something for everyone. This spot is a great entry point for having a first go at fishing the James River, and when people visiting Richmond ask for recommendations, I love sending them here because of the abundance of shallow sections to wade through, high numbers of smallmouth bass (mostly 6-10 inches long) and the accessible river access along the miles of trail at the park.

Starting at the main parking lot, you will find a boat ramp to the lefthand side of the park that begins the main entry points throughout the river. If you can get to this spot early in the day, when there aren’t thousands of people lining the rocks, there is a large rapid 200 yards up from the boat ramp. That main rapid often provides anglers with a nice opportunity of connecting early in the day. As you make your way downstream from the boat ramp, you will come across a series of small rapids/riffles with pocket water throughout. The water throughout this stretch is mostly 2-3 feet deep, making it ideal for wading! This trend continues for about half a mile until it flattens out into deeper water below “Half Moon Beach”. I haven’t personally had a ton of luck in this lower section, but I have heard great reviews from anglers fishing top water and deep crank baits below who have had good luck. You can sight fish the south side of the river bank when it is low and have good luck on top water, as well. If you are looking to maximize your success on this section of the river, I would focus on tossing small grubs, worms and jigs in each rapid from the boat ramp down to “Half Moon Beach” and remember that the further you go out into the river, the less people have touched the water. That mentality stays true for most other spots on the James, as most local anglers value convenience over anything else.

What makes this spot unique, however, is the abundance of boulders scattered throughout the river. There are low water days (when the gauge is below 3.75 feet) when you can almost walk all the way across the river without even touching the water. When it gets this low, you know where the fish are. Find the deeper sections and go deep with ned rigs, bitsy bug 1/8 jigs, cenkos, crank baits, sinking line clousers and anything with weight. When it comes to covering water quickly, I think Pony Pasture has the best rock hopping in Richmond, giving anglers lots of opportunities to spread out and find fish in lots of different sections.

Aside from the main parking area, there is another section of Pony Pasture that is home to some monster catfish. If you walk about a 1/3 of a mile upstream along Riverside Dr., you will see a small beach and island. Directly across from this island is a flat section of water that is over 20 feet deep, and if you’re here on a weekend in the summer, you will most likely see a handful of anglers casting out in the middle with minnow buckets hanging at their sides. Accessing this deep hole is a bit tricky, as private property signs line the bank, but you should be able to slip in below the island and make your way up. If you decide to give this hole a try, be ready to hook into 20+ pound fish. It gets deep quickly, so be mindful of your swimming ability and always bring a floatable device. When I was in high school, I almost drowned trying to swim against the current with my rod, so know your limits!

Lastly, as you get closer to the Z-dam (named by the Z the dam makes across the river) you will find another section of riffles and fast water. A lot of people claim this section is full of good-sized smallies, but I have personally struggled to see this come to fruition. The rocks in this section below the dam are sharp and slippery, so be careful wading across. The depth is around two feet through this section, and I love throwing an F-5 Rapala through here to capitalize on the perfect depth for that lure. Lastly, many people walk across the dam at low levels and cast on either side. I have hooked a few good-sized smallmouth through here but not had a super day yet. I have heard that many citation bass have been caught around the dam, as well as stripers late in the summer. Again, be careful around the dam. It’s dangerous and many people have been caught in the dam and lost their lives.

Local tip: Sometimes the best spots are the ones you stumble upon right away. Try starting your session wading directly out from the boat ramp and casting into the fast-moving water. Another excellent spot in this section is 1/3 mile downstream at “Half Moon Beach”.

If we were stuck with one lure: Probably a white mister twister with a small jig head. You will leave with a few fish, maybe a multi-species day, and the big boys and girls also love some grub action! The white twister is a great scouting bait (term coined by John Bryan), as the lure attracts so many different species.

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