Dominion Energy Riverrock will hold the festival’s first-ever fishing tournament with the ‘Monsters of the James’ challenge taking place on Saturday, May 16, at 7 a.m., in partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Registration is currently open for the catch-and-release tournament, where teams of one or two anglers will put in at Ancarrow’s Landing and paddle kayaks or canoes in the James River in search of catfish. The overall winners will be determined based on the cumulative length of a team’s three largest catfish.

“Dominion Energy Riverrock is a celebration of the James River and all the adventure opportunities it provides in Richmond, so it makes perfect sense to bring this new challenge to the festival,” said Megan Schultz, Director of Events for Sports Backers. “The kayak and paddle events in the James are always popular with participants and spectators and the anglers taking part will bring even more excitement to the festival experience.”

The competition will begin at approximately 7 a.m., following a ‘blast off’ notification from the tournament director, and all competitors must be back at the Ancarrow’s Landing launch area by 1 p.m. For scoring purposes, anglers should photograph any fish that they wish to enter on a measuring board, and to be eligible for scoring, all fish must be released alive. During the event, DGIF officials will handle all on-water operations taking place.

“The Monsters of the James fishing contest will showcase the world-class blue catfish fishery that we have in the James River. These are some of the biggest fish available to anglers in Virginia. They regularly exceed 60 pounds, and they are found right in Richmond’s backyard,” said Dr. Mike Bednarski, DGIF Chief of Fisheries. “We’re very excited to see the results and to have fishing highlighted as the adventure sport that it is at Dominion Energy Riverrock.”

The total score will consist of the cumulative length of the team’s three largest catfish. Species allowed are blue, flathead, channel, and white catfish, as well as yellow, brown, or black bullhead. All teams must be registered by May 2, and the competition will be capped at 25 teams. Click here for more!