Taylor Shoals On James - White Bass

[Sam]

Following the reports here, I put in at McCord Bend about 4 p.m. yesterday and headed upstream. I trolled a small Roostertail a little along the flats below the Blunk Road launch ramp, and caught 2 male white bass.

I kept working my way up and got past the shallow stretch above that launch ramp. Got to trolling the Roostertail again, and caught 2 more.

By then I was up to Blunk Hole - lots of boats and shore fishermen there. The current's real heavy and what all the boats are doing is anchoring and throwing small jigs to the bank on the right-hand side as you go up the river. I was by myself and wasn't really set up to anchor. I've got an anchor, I've got a rope in another compartment, and by the time I got all that set up the current would have washed me back down to Blunk Road - so I didn't try it.

I got up around that sharp point at Blunk Hole and was into 2' of water and heavy current. I think that stretch above the sharp point is what you guys are calling Taylor Shoals - I didn't know that name. I know the stretch just above that is what we call Gentry Cave Hole. Anyway, there weren't any boats above there - it was shallow and too much current. There were bank fishermen on the left hand side who had walked down the bluff path.

I actually caught 2 more by keeping the boat pointed upstream, the motor on 1400 rpm, and casting to the right hand bank. Boy, that was fun - trying to control the boat in shallow water with heavy current, and catch a fish at the same time. I've got a 17' aluminum Tracker, and you bass fishermen who run the Los Angeles-class heavy cruisers couldn't have got up there. I tied up to a tree and caught one more - but the current was beating me up too bad and I decided to go back down to Blunk Hole. Water temp up there was 63.

In Blunk and below I finished my limit before dark by trolling and casting a Roostertail and a swimming minnow. All the fish I saw were small males about 9" to 11". It was a fun trip, but I think we're still early in the run and the sows aren't up yet. With the current and river conditions at Blunk and Taylor Shoals, you're about as good walking in as to take a boat.