James River © BGS

Destination - Virginia's James River
By David Hart

Few anglers would dispute that central Virginia's James River is one of the best destinations in the mid-Atlantic region for quality smallmouth bass fishing. The 212-mile-long, free-flowing section of this river leads the state in the number of trophy smallmouths registered under the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' angler recognition program. Under this system, big fish are either weighed on a certified scale or measured in the presence of a witness and reported to the state. To qualify for a citation, smallmouth bass have to be either 5 pounds or 20 inches. In 1995, anglers fishing in the James River reported catching 141 smallmouth bass that exceeded those minimum measurements. The next closest body of water in Virginia was the New River, in the southwestern part of the state, with 81 citation fish. More citation-sized fish were caught in April than during any other month in 1995. In fact, the largest smallmouth taken from the James that year was a 6-pound, 4-ounce, 23-inch monster caught April 15. What makes the James such a great destination for smallmouth bass? "In one word - "diversity," " says VDGIF fisheries biologist Price Smith. "The James has a great variety of quality smallmouth bass habitat from the headwaters in the western part of the state to the fall line in downtown Richmond." Slow, deep water, as well as riffles, large rapids, islands and an abundance of rock shelves and ledges create ideal habitat. Combine those features with an abundance of stargrass (a submerged aquatic grass) in the summer, and the James is smallmouth bass heaven. Smith adds that the sheer size of the river also makes it a great fishery. "The James gets fished hard, especially around Richmond," notes Smith, "but the river is wide enough, and there are enough deep holes to give the fish places to hide when the river gets crowded. And thankfully, anglers are learning the value of catch-and-release fishing. The smaller fish are getting a chance to grow." In the James, as well as other Virginia rivers, smallmouth bass need anywhere from nine to 12 years to reach 20 inches in length, he points out. "We aged one fish from the James that weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces at between 16 and 18 years old," says Smith. Tim Freese, a smallmouth guide from northern Virginia who fishes smallmouth rivers in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, says April is a great time to catch big fish on the James. "The bass are still in their pre-spawn phase then," reveals Freese, "and the big females are just starting to move into their spring patterns. Of course, like any smallmouth river, water levels and temperatures fluctuate quite a bit this time of year, so the fish can be tough to locate." Dale Huggins, a James River guide from Richmond, agrees. "There is no "normal" river condition this time of year," he says. "The river is so unpredictable. One thing I can be certain of, however, is the absence of the small fish that seem to be so abundant in the summer. This time of year, you won+t catch many fish, but they are probably going to be good ones." Huggins and Freese prefer to throw jig-and-pig combinations through the winter and into April for big bass, but Huggins says big crankbaits are deadly on James River smallmouths throughout the year, even in the colder months, when fish aren't supposed to chase down a fast-moving lure. "Some people are surprised that I throw big crankbaits," he says, "but lures that are made for largemouths take plenty of big smallmouths in the colder months and into the spring. I like the Poe's 400 and other big, deep-diving lures. Of course, these lures take the most active fish, and a lot of the time, that's what I'm looking for." Huggins says a club tournament held last November on the James produced an eight-fish limit that weighed over 20 pounds. Most of those fish were caught on the Poe's 400 crankbait. Freese sticks with a jig-and-pig combination almost exclusively in winter and early spring. "I've had such good luck on big bass with deer hair jigs and Zoom Salty Chunk trailers that I just don't see much of a need to try anything else," he says. "I will throw Texas-rigged Yamamoto grubs occasionally, though. They take plenty of good fish, too." Huggins and Freese like to fish the James during the winter for big fish, but for clients who want lots of action, they both prefer warmer months when the smallmouths in the James are most active. "From June and even into November, the river is much more stable, and the fish are fairly predictable," notes Huggins. "We don't catch as many big fish, but we can be assured of lots of action. The nice thing about this river is that it contains a great variety of fish. We'll catch bass anywhere from 10 inches up to 4 pounds all summer long. Those big fish don't come around very often that time of year, but we do catch a good number of 13- to 17-inch fish." On one day in June, Freese's clients boated nearly 70 bass. The largest was a 3 1/2-pound, 19-inch fish that fell for a Yamamoto grub. While that may seem like an incredible number of fish, he says it+s not uncommon to catch 50 or more bass a day from the James. "The hotter it is," he said, "the more fish I expect my clients to catch." For late-spring, summer and early-autumn smallmouths, Huggins says a variety of lures will catch fish, but for the most exciting action, he likes topwaters. "There's a period just about every day during the warmer months when the fish will hit topwaters," he explains. "On overcast days, we might catch bass all day long on topwaters. When the fish are pushed to deeper water by a bright sun or heavy boat traffic, I'll throw spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastic worms. Sometimes you just have to keep trying different things until you figure out what they want." Even if the smallmouth bass play hard to get, a day on the James River is always a worthy trip. This river cuts through some of the most rural and scenic sections of the state. Chances are, however, the fish won't disappoint the anglers who go after them.

All contents copyright © 1997 by B.A.S.S., Inc. All rights reserved.

Uploaded: August 29, 1997 6:40 PM

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