The Southern Branch Elizabeth River is a tidal waterway flowing through the Norfolk-Chesapeake region of southeastern Virginia, serving as one of three major branches of the Elizabeth River system. This urban river has transformed from one of Virginia's most polluted waterways in the 1970s into an increasingly productive fishery thanks to extensive restoration efforts by organizations like the Elizabeth River Project. The river is characterized by deep natural channels that have historically supported commercial shipping and naval activities, creating a unique urban fishing environment where concrete structures, piers, and boat traffic coexist with thriving fish populations. The Southern Branch is particularly renowned for its winter speckled trout fishery, which gained national attention during the era of the former "Hot Ditch" - warm water discharge from the now-closed Dominion Energy power plant that created thermal refuges for fish. Today, despite the cessation of warm water discharge in 2014, the river continues to support excellent winter fishing as fish maintain their historical patterns of congregating in the back waters and deep channels.