Fishing the New River

I had plans to go fishing this week with my neighbor on the New River, but an infection cropped up in my body and I did not feel very well and we ended up canceling.   We were looking forward to catching some bass and maybe a big catfish.  Hopefully I will be better in a few days and we can try again.

Another friend who fishes that section told us there were a whole bunch of muskie in the area.  He has been fishing there just about everyday and knows the places they lay in wait for their prey.  I have never caught a muskie before, but it sounds like I have a good chance at it there.

The New River is a fairly large river.  Like the Nile River it runs north instead of south.  I grew up fishing the section of the river that flows through Giles County in Virginia.  I also paddled canoes and kayaks in my younger days.  Back then I loved paddling more than fishing, and would travel miles at a time from one town to the next just enjoying the trip.  I was pretty good at rolling my kayak.  Anytime I flipped it over I could turn it back up right.  Some days when it was very hot I would roll it over on purpose to cool down.

One section of the river has more citation fish caught from it than any other stream in Virginia.  Seems I heard that over 50% of all citations in the state came from there.  Smallmouth bass are my favorite fish to catch.  They put up a great fight for their size, leaping from the water as they attempt to throw the hook.  There are largemouth bass in certain sections too, and I have caught a few although they were small.  Channel catfish and mudcats are the two main species of catfish on the river though occasionally a blue catfish will be caught.  The other day some guys caught one over 50 pounds where we were going to fish, but there are some in there much bigger.  Rock bass, also called red eyes, are plentiful.  They get about ten to twelve inches and are chunky little fighters.  Bluegill are scattered here and there, and in certain areas there are walleyes.  I have never caught one of those either, and I hear they are one of the best tasting fish you can eat.

The downside to fishing in the New River is some fish are not good to eat.  The river is contaminated with chemical deposits, and it is recommended that a person eat only one portion of fish a month from  bottom feeders like carp and catfish.  The bass are affected in some areas too.  I do not eat a lot of fish, but it would be nice to be able to eat what you catch on occasion.  Still, the fish themselves seem not to have much adverse reaction to the chemicals as they are flourishing very well.  I still hate that the river is contaminated though.  I often wonder if spending all those summer days as a teenager and young adult wading and swimming in the river did not have something to do with giving me leukemia.  You never know.

Since I moved to an adjoining county fifteen years ago I do most of my fishing on the New River from the Claytor Lake dam down through Radford to the Giles County border.  I usually catch quite a few nice bass during a day of fishing.  My favorite bait to use is a purple and black rubber worm.  I run the hook through it dead center so the ends dangle down on both ends.  This is called a "whacky rig" by most fishermen.  I cast it to a likely spot and just let it sink.  Usually if there is a bass near by it will nail it almost immediately.  If nothing happens I slowly reel it in which sometimes gets a strike.  I also like to throw it into moving water and let the current take it downstream.  I have caught a lot of bass which were in the rapids waiting on an easy meal to float to them.  I also have a "secret weapon" that was taught to me by a river captain who guides fishermen for a living.  It is perfectly legal, but I do not tell what it is to just anyone.  One day four of us were fishing and the other three caught five citation smallmouth bass with that technique.  It was the first time I had tried it, and I did not get anything.  Later I figured out I probably had two nice bass on my line a couple of times, but being inexperienced did not realize the bass hit that bait differently than they do most other kinds.  I know what to expect now.  That particular bait is good for catching catfish too.  Now if I can just figure out how to catch a muskie.    

Fishing the Lower James River

In February Trevor Ruble, founder of Hooked For Life Ministries, and I drove up to Richmond for a half day of fishing on the lower James River. We met up with Captain Mike Ostrander of The James River Fishing School who took us out on his 24 foot pontoon boat. First we went to a few spots to catch some shad for bait with a cast net. Capt. Mike sure can throw that thing! I wanted to try it but figured I would tangle it in something or end up overboard. Capt. Mike did just fine without my help and we had plenty of shad to fish with in just a little while.
Big blue catfish is what we were after, but we could not pass up a couple of promising spots for crappie. Trevor and Captain Mike caught a couple nice crappie each. I think I caught every log and rock within casting distance.
Soon we were set up on our first catfish hole with eight poles baited with cut up shad. They decided the first fish would be mine. In just a few minutes one pole bent over double. I quickly grabbed it, set the hook, and watched the reel smoke as the fish took the line and ran to a big brush pile. It happened in less than ten seconds and I was suddenly left with a broken line. That cat had to be huge!
We fished a couple more spots, and soon another rod was dancing in the rod holder. Captain Mike handed me the pole and the fight was on! It is amazing how catching a fish can wash away all your troubles. For a few minutes I forgot all about my pain, and I know I had to be grinning from ear to ear as I fought the fish. After a bout that went a minute or so, the catfish was netted and brought onboard. It was a ten pounder, and it was the first blue catfish I have ever caught. I was tickled to death.
Next it was Trevor’s turn to sit at the poles. When his catfish struck there was no doubt it was a much bigger fish. He fought it for what seemed an eternity before he got it up to the boat. It was to big for the net so Capt. Mike reached down and grabbed it. That blue catfish weighed 31 pounds! We did not do bad for only half a day fishing.
Captain Mike has a website where you can check out his guide service at www.jamesriverfishing.com. He is a great guy, and he will do what ever it takes to get you on some big catfish. He provides everything needed for the day, and it was pleasant not to worry about transporting poles and tackle. I can’t wait to go back and do it again!

Best Catfish Restaurant I've Visited

My dad and I rode down to Kentucky to visit my Uncle Verlin and Aunt Pasty.  They live in the Paducah area not far from Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes.  We stayed for several days and they gave us a tour of area, even driving me up to cross the border just so I can say I've been to Illinois.  

I bought a one day fishing license and we rode down to a dock on Lake Barkley to see what we might catch.  Personally, I was hoping for crappie.  I cannot stay on my feet long so I took my wheelchair out on the platform, baited up two poles with minnows, cast them out and sat back.  We all caught a few small bluegill to begin with, then yellow bass moved in and we caught a some of those.  I had never seen yellow bass before.  I do not know how big they get, but the ones we caught were around 10 inches long.  We kept a few of the chunkier fish to eat.  At one point I glanced over to see my pole dancing around against the railing.  I grabbed it, started reeling and up came the biggest crappie I have ever seen.  Here in Virginia where I fish for crappie most of them are about the size of my hand.  This one was big as a dinner plate.  It measured 14 1/4 inches and weighed two pounds.  I got two big fillets an inch thick.  Aunt Patsy fried them up the next day and it was delicious.

Speaking of some good eating fish, Uncle Verlin and Aunt Patsy took us to a place about 4 miles below the Kentucky Dam on Rte. 641 called Catfish Kitchen owned and by Wes and Judy Davis. We were introduced to them and they are the nicest people you ever want to meet.  There is a big pond right outside the window full of catfish, and if you come at a certain time you can watch them being fed.  Evidently there are some big cats in there that roll up to the top to eat.   And talk about good food!  After being seated the waitress brought out a bowl of northern beans and a bowl of hush puppies.  When the bowls got low more was brought out until you said, "STOP!" We also ordered some pickled green tomatoes to go with the beans.  It is similar to relish or chow chow, but better.  A spoonful in your beans is very tasty.   They also sell the pickled green tomatoes by the jar so you can take some home.  

 Normally, I do not care that much for catfish.  It usually has a bitter after-taste to me that I find unpleasant, so I was not really that excited about eating at the place at first.  At Catfish Kitchen, however, the fish was wonderful.  I enjoyed the catfish as much as I do any other kinds of fish like snapper, crappie, or what ever is under the batter at Long John Silvers.  So, if you are in the area, I recommend you check it out.   It was so good that when I visit next time I am going to insist on eating there again! 

Jeff