The weather has calmed down and it was time to get out for a few days of fishing and camping.
We decided that the headwaters of the James River would be our destination. I was seriously hoping for some James River Muskie rod-bending and reel-screaming fish catching action.
I met up Scott on Thursday evening in Buchanan, Virginia for a couple days of outdoor time. The last time we went through here was on our grand expedition to canoe the entire 340-mile length of the James River.
James River Fishing Report 24 August 2018
It was early in the day when I arrived at the Buchanan ramp; there was still plenty of daylight to explore the surrounding area.
I decided to sample some cold adult beverages up at the River Craft Rail House, just across from the Buchanan swinging bridge. The Virginia Creeper IPA was the choice from the folks over at Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers. It quickly quenched the thirst and hit the spot.
Fresh from the tap, that Virginia Creeper IPA was a light bodied, crisp, and easy drinking beverage. It was perfect for a warm summer night with a view of the Allegany Mountains. Striking up a beverage conversation with a few of the locals made it all that much better.
Launch at Glen Wilton
We launched from Glen Wilton on Friday morning. The river was moving at slightly higher levels at a good flow, but it was still dirty and dingy. The James was still recovering from that summer of 2018 monsoon that hung over the area for several weeks.
The daytime highs were hovered at 80 degrees; nighttime temperatures were close to 50 degrees. The mornings offered a lot of river fog until mid-morning giving way to sunshine. Beautiful weather to be outside doing stuff.
We managed to catch a few smallmouth bass on the first day. My own haul was caught on #5 2-inch Berkley Flashy Ghost Flicker Shad. The Flashy Ghost Flicker Shad is fast becoming one of my go-to year-round baits. I have caught several citation size largemouth bass and pickerel here in Virginia on this bait. Including a monster basketball swallowing sized 25-inch largemouth bass.
Usually, I catch a good number of James River smallmouth using the Zoom tiny brush hogs; they were having none this particular weekend. The Berkley Flashy Ghost Flicker Shad was the ticket.
Saturday and Sunday were repeats of Friday. The Berkley Flashy Ghost Flicker Shad was the ticket. I did swap out with some Bomber Square A baits, they performed nowhere near the Flashy Ghost Flicker Shad.
Floating to Horseshoe Bend
I was hoping to land one of those famed wild 50-inch James River Musky fish; I didn’t hook a single one.
Scott managed to hook two on Saturday, but none made it to the canoe.
After what seemed like several hours of a fight, that Musky got bored and went about its business leaving us wondering what the heck happened.
The scenery was beautiful. The rock walls a few miles upstream of Horseshoe bend was breath taking.
We did meet some really nice folks along the river. Congratulations to Spenser and Denise on their anniversary. Hope we weren’t too noisy on Sunday morning as we pushed off getting to business of fishing for those James River Muskie.
My weekend tally was somewhere around 50 smallmouth bass, all less than 12 inches in length. No monsters this weekend. Also caught a few bluegill and white suckers to round out the trip.
Well, that’s it for this edition of the James River Fishing Report. We’re planning another one here real soon.