James River Blues

Going back in time and catching up on the beginning of this year when I was fishing more.

One of the more successful fisheries for me this year was heading up to RVA to try out the James River for catfish and shad early in the spring. The amount of wildlife around the river and the early mornings made for some great time to relax kayaking. First trip up targeting big blue cats with Ryan and Brad with a sunny weather forecast after a few weeks of clouds and snow I was excited to hit the water. Of course I hadnt taken into account that traveling north its going to be colder than a forecast for the Tidewater area and when we got to the ramp and seen the two feet of snow I knew I was in for a cold day on the water. Luckily with a few fish biting and the sun coming up it wasnt too bad. We started out trying to find the deep holes the big cats would be hiding in with water temps barely above freezing. After anchoring up and soaking cut bait it wasnt long before small eater sized fish were being caught with my biggest of the day going about 8 pounds. One of the biggest differences between TN catfishing and VA was fishing the tide change on the river. During the outgoing tide the water was moving so hard it was difficult to hold bottom even with 8 oz of lead.

 

Cold morning launching on the James.

James River Blue

Migrating ducks and geese flying overhead.

Nice relaxing day on the river.

Yellow Perch Crappie and Surprise Swamp Slam

Have had a pretty successful end to February and start to early march with a few outings solo out to the swamp. The yellow perch started to show up in good numbers and size and the crappie have schooled up making them easier to locate. The only down side has been the bi polar weather we have had with days in the 60s followed by days near 20 and winds gusting out of the north east.

Good sized yellow perch on the jig

Headed out with a buddy of mine for a little cypress tree crappie and perch fishin. I have been finding fish but unable to pull good numbers due to the really windy conditions we have been experiencing lately. With a forecast of 55 degree, sunshine, and no wind I knew we were going to have a good day.
We launched right at 0630 and with the fog on the water it made for an awesome paddle out to our first spot. Since Lee doesnt have a kayak I let him paddle my Trident 13 and I opted to take BB's Hurricane Phoenix 120 to add some slime to it.
The first drift down the bank at 4-5 feet deep and we were not getting any bites, short strikes on minnows but nothing on the jigs. Moved further out to about 30 feet from the bank and went deeper setting the corks to about 3 inches off the bottom and drifted by again and had our first hook ups. Following the pattern we managed to make a pretty decent day including some nice citation yellow perch. The bite died off around 1100 and we ate lunch and made a shore break and then paddled back out.

Another good sized 'trophy' yellow perch.

Fat slab crappie.

The biggest surprise came a little after noon when my cane pole set at about 10 feet with a small split shot and a minnow to bounce the bottom took off and bent near in half. I pulled up on what I hoped was a monster yellow perch only to find myself fighting a striper! After a few runs around the kayak and jumps I landed my first swamp striper. A small large mouth bass a short while later, and a few flyers mixed with the crappie and I had what I would like to call a swamp fish slam!

15 inch cane pole striper!

Not a monster but it was an awesome catch!

White/chartreuse road runners, white hair jigs, and white/chartreuse crappie magnet jigs were the successful artificials. Minnows got the most bites but the bigger fish came on the jigs, they just couldnt resist slamming them as it was jiggled infront of their noses. Got a few nice fish to bring home and let the big yellow perch go.

End of 2015

I started this winter out fishing saltwater but decided to switch gears and try to better understand VA freshwater. I was lucky enough to get together with Ryan several times in December and learn his magical crappie whispering. With the local rivers being shallower, darker, and flatter than the rivers I grew up fishing in TN I was at a disadvantage. We started out finding good numbers of fish spread out and as the temperature dropped we found them schooled up. A few fish this winter were even caught near the surface. The primary tactic used was drift trolling live minnows or jigs. Paddle tail jigs on light heads proved to be the most successful. Looking for changes in water clarity, and depth were where we found the most and although the fish were not tight to cover we did manage to find some schools. I didnt manage to bring in any citation crappie but large white perch and yellow perch were mixed in and very large plate sized bluegill. I switched gears to fish some local lakes feeling confident that I had solved the mystery of VA crappie fishing but was disappointed when for the first 6 hours I didnt get a single bite. After a few hours more fishing I found a school of bass that decided to play on cane poles and ultralights which was alot of fun! Including a fat citation large mouth that decided a crappie jig would be the perfect snack.

 

Artistic photo credit Ryan Clark

Ryan with a bowfin/crappie on at the same time.

A good haul of crappie and fireflies.

Citation white perch and yellow perch make for a good day.

A nice lookin bowfin (Excuse the purple I had to wear BBs PFD that day)

Citation White Perch and Yellow Perch mixed with Crappie

Good haul of Crappie and Bluegills

A hungry lake large mouth

River bass are alot darker.

2 pounders are fun on a cane pole!

23 inch large mouth on an ultra light

Of course the end result of a good day.

A classic dish of pan fried fish and redbeans and rice!

Light Line Schoolies 2015

As the summer winded down and my work schedule has increased ive found it more and more difficult to get out on the water. Trying to make the most of the time I do have off ive been driving around with the kayak loaded up on the jeep. Fall in south eastern VA always means rain and wind but on those rare calm nights the fishing in the lights can be amazing.

Mirror water surface and no boaters!

I went out to the HRBT looking for stripers the opening weekend and my first few trips I seen very little action. The spot and croaker seemed to disappear and all I managed to hook up on were small bluefish in the 10 inch range. I ran into very few boaters and even fewer kayakers. Everyone kept telling me there were no stripers yet, but I figure someone has to be the first one to catch one! I kept up my after work and spur of the moment trips and finally one night was able to find some fish. I was out on the water with only one other kayaker and two boaters when I found a school of silver sides a couple yards wide. You could see bluefish streaking through on the surface busting on the bait. I initially started throwing soft plastic grubs and paddle tails on jig heads into the school but after only hooking up on blues I switched to hard plastic baits and went deep. Thats where I found them. The striper were hiding underneath the bait. I managed to catch eight fish that night between 20 and 26 inches.

HRTB light line striper

My next trip out I managed to convince BB to come out with me and we paddled to the bridge hoping the fish were still there. No vehicles in the parking lot were a good sign and I immediately found some stripers as the sun set. After my first two striper at 23 and 24 inches the bite slowed so I went to a bucktail and slowed my presentation. First cast down and hooked up, drag going and fish holding the bottom I thought I had a good slot striper but it turned out to be a keeper flounder. The tide went slack and then all we were catching were small bluefish. BB switched to a small purple BADBC bucktail and started catching 12-14 inch speckled trout and then a 14 inch grey trout.

BB's 14 inch grey on a bucktail.

Flounder and striper make excellent dinner fare.

A fat 19 inch striper on a bucktail.

The catch of the night! 4 inch silver side decided to escape being dinner and swim up my scupper hole.

The next weekend I got BB out on the water again, she was determined to catch a striper so we headed out. Unfortunately since it was a weekend the boat ramp was already almost full by the time for both the kayak parking and boaters. When we got the bridge it was slack tide and nothing was biting so we paddled around casting at the pylons. We found the small bluefish and more speckled trout so we kept going between the island and the small boat channel. Finally the tide turned and with the moving water came the stripers. I managed to land 3 in a row and BB was getting frustrated so I put the lure I was using on her fishing rod in hopes of her catching one too. I drifted out away from the bridge while retying and when I paddled back I found BB quite upset over her first "lost fish" at the kayak story. I wish I could have captured her excitement and her expression as she told me how she hooked a huge fish that pulled her kayak around and when she got it to the kayak it took off, pulling line and she had to bring it back to the side of the boat and then the intense sorrow as she informed me that it broke (40 pound flouro) her leader and disappeared into the depths taking my favorite lure with it. Luckily I pack a few of the same color and I managed to retie her and get her back after a fish and in no time she landed her personal best (from a kayak) striper at 21 inches.

BB's 21 inch striper.

Unfortunately this is where things although very exciting went bad. There was a large group of kayak fisherman out that had used one of the local facebook groups to plan a fishing trip and throughout the night they had shadowed us and paddled around us. Paddling through the bait as we were casting into it, trying to paddle between us, paddling behind us trolling lures we got tangled up in, and all sorts of "not to's" on the water. It was when BB landed her striper that they all converged onto us, with one particular older gentleman who I "offended" after telling him exactly what was on my mind. As BB was trying to land her striper the current pulled her kayak into the pylons, the old man seeing she was fighting a fish quickly paddled up and was yelling at her demanding to know if it was a striper or not and blocking her from being able to paddle off, she paniced and almost lost the fish when I paddled in between and pulled her kayak off and out into the channel. He then kept yelling and asking about how big it was and yelling to everyone else that someone had caught a striper. I first told him to go catch his own fish and he could measure it, and then he actually had the nerve of saying I was being rude, even though he had almost caused BB to flip/swamp her kayak into the bridge. So if you do happen to read my post old guy who said I was a bad kayak fisherman for being rude on the water, hopefully after my tongue lashing you have come to realize that you shouldnt paddle up on people while they're trying to land a fish especially in dangerous situation, and I will say with no shame that I am glad when we paddled to the boat ramp you and your group had no fish to speak of landing and me and BB brought home a limit for both of us.

24 and 26 inch stripers for another great dinner.

Leg length fatty.

Favorite lures this winter was a shad colored 1/2oz bucktail with a PTL plastic trailer or a River2Sea Fetch jerk shad in tablerock shad.

DIY Scupper Plugs

DIY Scupper Plugs

This is a step-by-step description of how to assemble your own scupper plugs for your kayak out of packing foam. It is not an original idea, but will list materials needed and illustrate assembly.\

Materials:

• Dual layer packing foam
• Sharp knife
• Permanent marker
• Circular object circumference slightly larger than your scupper hole*
• Small rope or shoelace
• Lighter
• GOOP

 

Assembly:

1. Place your circular object as a measuring device on the edge of the foam and trace with permanent marker.
2. Cut outside the traced line with a sharp knife keeping your blade slightly tilted to create a slightly tapered effect towards the bottom of the "plug."
3. Use lighter to "seal" the foam around the plug and to make a uniform shape.
4. Use scissors to stab a hole through the center of the plug.
5. Take rope or shoelace and fold it over scissor tip and push through the hole to form a loop on the larger side of the plug.
6. Tie off and trim the excess rope.
7. Apply GOOP to  both sides of the rope to seal and hold in place.
8. Marvel at your newly made scupper plug and repeat if necessary.

Trace item slightly larger than scupper hole.

Cut around the traced line using sharp knife. Tilt knife inward to create a tapered effect.

Use lighter to melt/seal the foam around the plug.

Use scissors to create small hole in center.

Double over your rope and push through hole with scissors.

Tie off and trim excess rope.

Use GOOP to seal each end of the rope.

Use GOOP to seal each end of the rope.

Completed plug next to older plug thats two years old and still in use.

In Search of Bull Reds

With the lower temperatures coming and the leaves starting to turn the fall red drum run was in full swing. I dropped a leave chit for my birthday and got my tackle ready for chasing after some big bulls. The reports were lookin good with fish being caught out at the first island of the CBBT so I headed over to Chics and launched at the beach. Three days in a row of tough current and winds and no bites of any bulls (but several witnessed landings by boaters,) or even any flounderI was getting frustrated.

On the fourth day I headed out at sunrise with a forecasted wind of only 5 mph and over cast skies I was hoping to hook up. I grabbed some fresh mullet from the tackleshop and a freshpack of fish bites for spots and headed out. I got out to the island and started fishing for spots/croaker to use for bait on fish bites and caught a small flounder. I switched to a buck tail to see if any bigger flatties were sitting in the low washed out area near the pilings and managed two flounder but they were short of 16 inch keepers. I caught two small spot and had the mullet so I decided to try for some reds, I paddled over to the eastern side of the first island and let my first bait down on a 9/0 circle hook and 2 oz weight. The current was pulling me towards short and I had to paddle a few strokes just to keep my bait near the bottom. As I was drifting I seen a boater's rod double over and he started scrambling on deck, he had hooked up on a good size bull drum. Jay Brooks and Chuck Wrenn were also out in their kayaks lookin for some bull drum action. Jay landed a nice drum, bigger than one id ever landed. Then I seen The Man himself Kayak Kevin jigging and seen his rod double over, he was hooked up on a bull red! He fought the fish and landed a nice lookin bull. I was excited to see it that close in person and just knew it was my day to land one, they were in the area! I did a few more drifts with the mullet and then switched over to a live spot. I made one pass, nothing. Paddled back up to the front of the island and drifted back down, then I felt my spot getting jumpy, bzzt bzzt bzzzzzzzzt! A bite! I slid my lever out of free spool and in my excitement jerked the rod hard hoping to set the hook. Rookie mistake. Slack line. Circle hooks set themselves by steady pressure, and I had ruined my chance by jerking the hook right out of the fishes mouth, and right in front of two of the most well respected kayak fisherman in the area. I still had bait though so I was determined to get one and paddled back up to set another drift. Kevin seeing that I lost a fish gave me some advice to keep my reel out of free spool and let the fish pull down on the rod so I get a good set. After a few hours it seemed the fish had moved on and Jay and Kevin paddled on but I was hoping to get a fish before the tide turned. I kept using a whole spot and jigging for flounder while I drifted by. Then I felt it, the sudden jerk of somthing big on the end of my line, I quickly reeled up my buck tail and stowed my flounder rod and got ready for the hook up. I kept my rod bent and slowly reeled down and felt the weight increase on the line. Then it bolted, peeling line off of my reel and swinging my kayak around to face the island. I was hooked up! I felt my kayak lurching with each head shake. Then I felt the line go tight and felt hard snaps like someone playing the guitar on a string, and then nothing it was slack. I reeled up to see a frayed and clean cut 80 pound flouro leader. He must have rubbed down on the rocks and cut me off on an oyster or sharp edge. I fished a few more hours and managed some skates and more small flounder but no more excitement. It was definitely a learning experience and I cant wait to get out there next fall and land me a bull red!

The worst thing about that week is two days later (on my birthday) after attempting to fish in a 25 mph small craft advisory, making it to the first island and turning around and paddling back I turtled my kayak after landing on the beach.

Sad birthday turtle.

Kayak Kevin fighting a bull red (in person.)

15" CBBT flounder.

 

14" CBBT flounder.

Clear-nosed skate.

2nd hook up, 2nd loss. 80 lb flouro on the rocks.