Upper James River Fishing Report April 14, 2013
Now that spring has finally rushed into reality, the smallies will be getting ready for their first spawn of the season. Once the current river levels settle down, the surface water temperatures will definitely be in the ‘50s and the “guard” fish will start working the shallows. Crawfish, lizard, and helgramite imitations will work for sure. Crank baits mimicking crawdads and small baitfish will also be great candidates for those times when the waters are a little stained or we have low light conditions. Keep in mind that because of the delay in spring getting here the fishing season is going to move quickly into spring fishing patterns, if our weather patterns hold true to history – but who knows, there is no crystal ball for fishing. You should keep a jig n’ pig, a tube bait, a single and/or double tailed grub, a good medium sized spinner bait, a couple of good crankbaits, a fluke of some kind, and at least one top water (torpedo or buzz bait) in your arsenal at this time and you should be good to go. This past week I caught several fish, some of decent size (15 to 18 inches), using tubes and jig n’ pigs. Because the water was still pretty full (Buchanan gauge @ 4.5’ or higher) the fish were definitely tight to the bottom in areas of low drag – meaning that they were in the current seams where they have to work less to “sit” there and wait or search for food.
Now that spring has finally rushed into reality, the smallies will be getting ready for their first spawn of the season. Once the current river levels settle down, the surface water temperatures will definitely be in the ‘50s and the “guard” fish will start working the shallows. Crawfish, lizard, and helgramite imitations will work for sure. Crank baits mimicking crawdads and small baitfish will also be great candidates for those times when the waters are a little stained or we have low light conditions. Keep in mind that because of the delay in spring getting here the fishing season is going to move quickly into spring fishing patterns, if our weather patterns hold true to history – but who knows, there is no crystal ball for fishing. You should keep a jig n’ pig, a tube bait, a single and/or double tailed grub, a good medium sized spinner bait, a couple of good crankbaits, a fluke of some kind, and at least one top water (torpedo or buzz bait) in your arsenal at this time and you should be good to go. This past week I caught several fish, some of decent size (15 to 18 inches), using tubes and jig n’ pigs. Because the water was still pretty full (Buchanan gauge @ 4.5’ or higher) the fish were definitely tight to the bottom in areas of low drag – meaning that they were in the current seams where they have to work less to “sit” there and wait or search for food.
Good luck and keep a tight line . . . . . . . . . if, by chance, you or a friend are interested in a private guided fishing trip by raft, canoe, or kayak please contact John or Dan at Twin Rivers Outfitters @ canoevirginia.net/ or 540-261-7334.
Respectfully,
Richard Furman
Twin Rivers Guide
Respectfully,
Richard Furman
Twin Rivers Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment