James River Rookie!!!

[Cat Repo Man]

Whats up guys I'm back again! I posted a thread inquiring about where to get the big blues while fishing the Chickahominy and you guys were great! Tried up in morris creek mostly and had great success in the deeper holes. Since then I'm trying to advance to the james river in search of some nice blues too but with themes being so big i have no idea where to start. Obviously i look at my Navionics chart maps and can find deep holes and drop off in the channels but i have no idea whats good and whats not. i have a 24' pontoon boat so i can go almost anywhere but want to know you guys experience out there. I read some previous posts and see that some parts can get a little rough out there. Obviously i want to stay away from those areas for right now. When all fails i would like to put in near the chickahominy and come out to the james but I'm open to all suggestions at this point. Boat launchings,marinas, points/creeks info will all be appreciated.Thanks again and hope i see you out there!!

[Mike H]

You have to watch the weather and be ready to adjust. If it's not windy, put in at Jordan Point and there are lots of good spots along the channel edges the whole way down to Windmill Point and Jones Neck. If it's windy, put in at Deep Bottom and fish the narrow parts of the river up there, or stick with the Chick, where you can use the high banks and the bends to get out of the wind.

[Mike H]

Make sure you have a really good anchor for that pontoon boat, and some big sinkers 12-16 oz.
The tides are really strong in the James, especially around Bermuda Hundred. The stripers will be in there this time of year too.

[Cat Repo Man]

as usual i appreciate the advice mike!!

[Samuel Watkins]

My friends in Richmond have been pulling in lots of big Blues down at the Annabell Lee dock . Thats on the stretch of the James past the plantations and just before the Mayo/14th st bridge. Stripers are supposed to be good thru that stretch as well. Good luck!

[hello kitty]

i am gonna agree with mike....WATCH THE WEATHER. there is some HUGE water from the chick out into the james and on the way up to sturgeon point. i mean water big enough to make you draw the seat you are sitting in halfway up your crack. personally in my boat(18' G3) when the winds are forecast to be 10 mph or more...i start looking at deep bottom or jordan point. and frankly i have never caught the quality of fish when i put in on the chick and head up the james that i have from launching from DB or JP.

as far as the weights to use...i think 16oz is a bit heavy....i use 8 or 10....BUT...i also tend to stay in the slacker water. perhaps you should take a few of the lighter and a few of the heavier just to be sure

good luck!

[Cat Repo Man]

thanks rick. i went out and got some 8oz flat slider weights ill double up if needed. fishing the james definatly a new experience and adventure for me. I grew up fishing the rappahannock river (2-3oz slider weights) which doesn't have the hard current the james possesses so initially when my main main Mike gave me his advice i immediately was like is he serious but i found out first hand why.its for real out there on the james in some areas. i still havnt gotten use to the big weights but by summers end ill be use to it. Problem I'm having now is with all the great advice on places and tips everyones given to me they have defiantly put me on some big fish (thanks everyone). in the rappahannock i have personally landed tons of 30lb cats with my biggest being 47lbs on 20lb berkley big game. but here on the james i immediately started hooking up with 35-40lbers thanks to you all. So to go back to my problem.....i have successfully landed 35-40lb fish on the james but it has been some monsters down there that had their way with me and my tackle. I have pretty stout rods and reels with great smooth drag systems but my line is constantly being broken. Im using berkley 50lb test mono with 175lb barrel swivels, protective beads for my knots, #8 gamakatsu circle hooks (i snell them). I have changed different knots but same result (broken lines about swivels). I constantly monitor my line to make sure frays aren't the issue and I have backed off my drag and my land rate has increased but its a drawn out battle. I have considered using braid but i have had bad luck with them cutting into my guide eyes on some of my cheaper rods in the past and didn't want to experiment with my high dollar set ups. Any suggestions on line brands and what lb are you guys using out there?thanks again?

[Samuel Watkins]

Generally ,from my experience and from everything I have read on the subject, If the line is breaking right at the swivel where the knot is ,it's usually the fault of the knot. Not all knots are the same and knots have a breaking strength that's less than that of the line. The best rated knot for breaking strength that I know of is the Palomar Knot. Since I've started using the Palomar in preference to other knots such as the Fisherman's Knot or Improved Clinch Knot, breakage has become almost non existent for me.

Another cause of breakage is fishermen failing to lubricate the line when they are cinching down the knot. Failure to lube up the line abrades it when cinching, so either spit on it before cinching it down,or carry a tube of Chapstick and smear a little of that on the line before cinching the knot down.

You might also consider switching to braid. With braids such as Spiderwire, you get probably double the line strength over the mono your currently using, as well as a lot more line capacity due to the smaller diameter of the line. The only caveat ,or dissuading factor, is the price,as it's nearly double that of mono.

[Cat Repo Man]

if i go to braid which lb test do you think would be safe to use? if i stick with mono whats your preference? just trying to get everyones opinion!

[Bomberman]

I use 65 lb Power Pro...haven't found the fish to break it yet.