James River at Scottsville
River flow & level · USGS gauge 02029000 · Virginia · drains 4,581 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 6:15 PM · streamflow
The James River at Scottsville is running 977 cfs, 64% of the median flow for October 26 (1,520 cfs, 47 years). Gage height is 3.21 ft, 16.8 ft below flood stage (20.0 ft). Flow is down 6% from 24 hours ago.
Streamflow
cubic feet per secondReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumAction (11.0 ft) is 7.8 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (20.0 ft) is 16.8 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (22.0 ft) is 18.8 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (24.0 ft) is 20.8 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
James River at Scottsville fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETFlow 64% of normal, flow steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:38 AM–8:38 AM (moonset near sunrise).
Flow 64% of normal, flow steady, calm wind — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 6:37 PM–7:37 PM (moonrise near sunset).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 72°F / low 41°FSunny
- WindCalm0–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 5
- Flow64% of normalFlow steady (-6% in 24 h)
Official Virginia fishing forecast: Virginia DWR — Fishing forecasts & reports
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:33 AM · Sunset 6:21 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:20 PM–2:20 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:38 AM–8:38 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:55 PM–6:55 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:20 PM–2:20 PM Minor 7:38 AM–8:38 AM · 5:55 PM–6:55 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:49 AM–2:49 AM · 1:18 PM–3:18 PM Minor 8:54 AM–9:54 AM · 6:37 PM–7:37 PM Calm wind 2–6 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:49 AM–3:49 AM · 2:21 PM–4:21 PM Minor 10:09 AM–11:09 AM · 7:30 PM–8:30 PM Calm wind 1–2 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:53 AM–4:53 AM · 3:26 PM–5:26 PM Minor 11:19 AM–12:19 PM · 8:32 PM–9:32 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:58 AM–5:58 AM · 4:29 PM–6:29 PM Minor 12:19 PM–1:19 PM · 9:43 PM–10:43 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:00 AM–7:00 AM · 5:30 PM–7:30 PM Minor 1:09 PM–2:09 PM · 10:57 PM–11:57 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:58 AM–6:58 AM · 5:25 PM–7:25 PM Minor 12:48 PM–1:48 PM · 11:10 PM–12:10 AM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 37.80, -78.49 (moon times from astronomical equations, James River at Scottsville local time).
Best fishing times today
Today is a fair fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
5/10
Waning gibbous · 97% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:34 AM · Sunset 6:20 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:49 AM–2:49 AM
- Moon underfoot1:18 PM–3:18 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset8:54 AM–9:54 AM
- Moonrise6:37 PM–7:37 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:49 AM–2:49 AM · 1:18 PM–3:18 PM Minor 8:54 AM–9:54 AM · 6:37 PM–7:37 PM Calm wind 2–6 mph |
|---|---|---|
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:49 AM–3:49 AM · 2:21 PM–4:21 PM Minor 10:09 AM–11:09 AM · 7:30 PM–8:30 PM Calm wind 1–2 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:53 AM–4:53 AM · 3:26 PM–5:26 PM Minor 11:19 AM–12:19 PM · 8:32 PM–9:32 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:58 AM–5:58 AM · 4:29 PM–6:29 PM Minor 12:19 PM–1:19 PM · 9:43 PM–10:43 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:00 AM–7:00 AM · 5:30 PM–7:30 PM Minor 1:09 PM–2:09 PM · 10:57 PM–11:57 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:58 AM–6:58 AM · 5:25 PM–7:25 PM Minor 12:48 PM–1:48 PM · 11:10 PM–12:10 AM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| MonNov 2 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:51 AM–7:51 AM · 6:16 PM–8:16 PM Minor 1:20 PM–2:20 PM Light wind 4–5 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonrise × sunset +1) | 1 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 1.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 5, rounded | 5/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 37.80, -78.49 (moon times from astronomical equations, James River at Scottsville local time).
Weather & wind at James River at Scottsville
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Tonight41°Mostly ClearWind SW 2 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday72° / 47°SunnyWind N 2 to 6 mphRain 1%
- Wednesday68° / 48°Partly SunnyWind E 2 mphRain 1%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 37.797, -78.491 (grid LWX), issued Oct 26, 4:52 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Flood stages
NOAA NWS gauge SVEV2- Action stage11 ft+7.8 ft from now
- Minor stage20 ft+16.8 ft from now
- Moderate stage22 ft+18.8 ft from now
- Major stage24 ft+20.8 ft from now
- Record crest34.02 ft1972
October 26 in history
47 years of flow records- Today977 cfs
- Same date last year978 cfs2025
- Median1,520 cfs
- Normal range1,130 cfs – 2,890 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 198013,200 cfs1991
- Lowest since 1980832 cfs2002
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 679 | -15% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 802 | -10% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 892 | -5% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 937 | -12% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1,060 | -9% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1,170 | -16% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 1,390 | -16% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 1,650 | +20% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 1,370 | -26% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 1,840 | -16% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- James River at Cartersville24 mi · River894 cfs43% of normal
- Wyndham Lake49 mi · Lake · Dam at Wyndham2.14 ft24h ±0.00 ft
- Canterbury Lake50 mi · Lake · Tuckahoe Village2.88 ft24h +0.01 ft
- Waterfront Lake51 mi · Lake · Cox Rd at Innsbrook2.89 ft24h −0.01 ft
- Echo Lake52 mi · Lake · Dam near Glen Allen2.71 ft24h ±0.00 ft
- James River near Richmond54 mi · River1,340 cfs71% of normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02029000 — James River At Scottsville, Va
- Location
- 37.7974, -78.4914 · Virginia
- Drainage area
- 4,581 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1980–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 6:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge SVEV2 — National Water Prediction Service
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.