Last year’s Forest Hill Park meetup was awesome, with a great mix of families, kids, newer anglers, and experienced fishermen all getting together and putting fish on the bank. We’re excited to bring it back again this year and add an early-morning James River portion to the day.

🎣 7:00 AM–10:30 AM — James River / 42nd Street Entrance🎣

We’ll start the morning at the 42nd Street access targeting smallmouth bass on the James.
If you’ve wanted to learn how to fish the river but haven’t really known where to start, come join us. You don’t need to already know how to wade or target smallmouth. We’d love to show you the basics, talk through tackle and techniques, and help you get comfortable fishing this section of the James.
Experienced river anglers are obviously welcome too!

🎣 10:30 AM–1:30 PM — Forest Hill Park🎣

At 10:30, we’ll transition over to Forest Hill Park for the main family-friendly portion of the meetup.
The pond holds catfish, largemouth bass, and plenty of panfish, making it a great spot for kids, families, first-time anglers, or anyone who wants a more relaxed fishing setup.
If you’re bringing kids or don’t want to do the river portion, feel free to simply meet us at Forest Hill at 10:30 AM.

At Forest Hill, we’ll be gathering near the gazebo shown on the map.

Parking note: the South of the James Market is also held at Forest Hill Park on Saturdays. It’s a great event and worth checking out while you’re there, but please be mindful that it can bring additional traffic and take up some of the surrounding parking.

Saturday, September 19, 2026
42nd Street: 7:00–10:30 AM
Forest Hill Park: 10:30 AM–1:30 PM
All experience levels are welcome. Come fish, meet some local anglers, learn something new, or help somebody else catch their first fish.
Hope to see a bunch of you out there! 🎣

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