Big Day Lower James River

[Bill Babler]

Started again this morning at 0630 launching out of Aunts Creek. Surface temps 40.34. 

Headed up river to point 13 to fish my way back. Very little if any boat traffic all morning so I could do what ever. 

My new handle is going to gave to be Bucky as I was on Buck LM from start to finish. Nothing like those big gals that were posted yesterday. My claim to fame today was 11 keepers in 11 casts all staging on a bluffend.  All Bucks and all Largies and not a single one of them would weigh 2 lbs.  Had one that was a shade over 17 inches that weighed 1.65. 

Probably close to 20 keeps today with a solid 16 incher that weighed 2.44 being my Hog Mama for the day. 

Caught every fish on a 2/8 in. Keitech.  And a floater. Threw the Rig a bit but my heart was not in it, and it was just flat and slick so did not crank or throw the sticker. 

Water color up there is James River Green. Back at the ramp at 1 pm and surface temps had risen to 46.9

Had a few over 30 fish today but I was sure fishing the grade school class. I think I could have weighed in a whopping 9.5 pound limit. 

Again as yesterday. Millions of shad visible in huge schools swimming just under the surface on most every stop. I don't think the cold weather got many of them

Good Luck

[Carl W]

Bill,

You mention the sticker frequently and I always assume it’s a jig. Assuming I am right my question is it sounds like you only fish it when there is some wind. Is that correct?

[Greg nicks]

I think the sticker means a stickbait or a jerkbait.

[Hunter53]

33 minutes ago, Carl W said:

Bill,

You mention the sticker frequently and I always assume it’s a jig. Assuming I am right my question is it sounds like you only fish it when there is some wind. Is that correct?

I think the sticker is a jerkbait like mentioned above.

The one that has me baffled is what a 'floater' means??

[Greg nicks]

Hunter 53 I think a floater means a float and fly. 

[Sore Thumbs]

Bill? How will this cold rain affect the bite? Would it discourage you from going back to same areas ? 

[Bill Babler]

Sorry, the sticker is a suspending stick bait and the floater is a float-n-fly. 

Thumbs I don't think this rain is going to amount to much. It stayed up close to 50 degree all nite after ending the day at 76 here yesterday

Few sprinkles here now and 50 with tomorrow to be sunny and low 60's. If we get sun and a bit of a walleye chop on the water tomorrow, it might start to get seriously good. 

There is a jerk bait only derby Sunday and that will tell us a lot. Rumor has it the Spro McStick  in Blue Bandit and also if the sun is out the Spro McS.  In Norman Flake have been crushing the Megabass. 

Most often I find the Spro better when the fish are a bit more active and higher in the water column. The MB in plus 1 and 2 usually work better when the fish are a bit more complacent and a bit deeper as they are now. 

Word from Lake O. Is the McStick, is also the bait dejure as far as the Toyota series, along with the A-rig. 

Good Luck

[DADAKOTA]

That Norman Flake looks a lot like some discontinued Smithwick Rogue colors.  I have several new in box that I'll be putting in the for sale section soon.

[Sore Thumbs]

I figured A-rig had a big hand in LOZ. I have a buddy fishing in that tournament and he’s had no luck on A-rig. Blaukat had a great video about it yesterday. He said he was first boat out. Broke ice for 20 miles running 50 plus mph. All the other boats fell in line behind him. 

[Bill Babler]

Randy didn’t catch a single fish yesterday on his mega bass deal, he took a Zero.  Although the Rig caught fish a jig and that durn Blue Bandit Spro led the way in the Lake O. Toyota series yesterday. We’ll see what happens up there today