catfishingonthejames

NAVIGATION

Large capacity levelwind baitcasters are commonly used, but I have seen some guys using heavy spinning gear as well.

RIG PHOTOS

(Above)A carolina rig using a 9/0 Demon Circle, a sinker slide with an 8 oz pyramid, and a 165 lb test swivel. 80lb mono is the leader material. No need for a bead between the weight and the swivel because of the plastic slide. The slide will also allow the weight to be broken off if it becomes hung.

(Above) A Carolina rig using a 10/0 "J" hook, a bead, a 165 lb test swivel and an 8 oz "in line" flat weight. With an in-line weight a bead is required to keep the weight from damaging the knot at the swivel. I get beads cheaply from the craft store. They are called Pony Beads and have a larger more tapered hole that better protects a big knot in heavy mono than one of those little clear beads sold in the fishing dept. They Won't abrade braided line either. Don't use glass beads. They will chip and cut your line.

(Above) Hooks with an offset (bent)eye are best tied on with a snell knot, especially circle hooks. The snell is a very strong knot that keeps the hook in line with the main line to ensure a solid hookup. I make my leaders in advance using a snell knot for the hook and a palomar for the swivel.

(See the links to Grog's website in the center column for more knots.)

RODS & REELS

My setups of choice are Penn 320GT2 reels and Diawa Sealine 47H reels spooled with 80lb yellow Powerpro and mounted on 7ft MH Uglystik Custom Bigwater USCC 2270 rods rated at 30-60 lb line. These are my main big cat rigs. The rods have a lot of backbone, but also have a soft tip. Heavy gear is a must when fishing for the hawgs that swim the James River. Come unprepared and you can expect to loose a lot of fish. The Uglystik Tiger rods are another popular choice as are Abu Garcia reels. You can get away with less expensive gear, but you run the risk breaking gear, or loosing a nice fish. As far as inexpensive gear goes, Shakespeare Tidewater reels mounted on Sturdy Stick rods are a decent combo that won't be too bad on the wallet. Around $30 for the reel and $20 for the rod. Okuma makes some nice reels that are reasonably priced as well. Just remember, as with most things, you get what you pay for.

My two Penn 9s are spooled with 30lb mono and mounted on Ugly Stick BWC1120 7' MH rods. These are my "fiddler" rods. The spinning rig is a general purpose rig for tossing lures for striper or light catfishing. I carry a bass setup with me as well, a Pfleuger Echelon reel on a Ugly Stick Lite rod, and an ulralite rig for catching white perch and bluegill.

RIGS

Catfishing rigs are pretty basic. My terminal tackle consists of a carolina (fishfinder) rig with either a 7/0 Daiichi Circle Chunk Light or a 9/0 to 10/0 Gamakatsu straight hook snelled onto an 80 lb monofilament leader about one to two feet long. A 165 lb barrel swivel connects the leader to my Powerpro main line with an 8 to 12 oz flat weight on it. I do not use snap swivels of any kind. Too often I have seen even heavy duty ones get bent open. Carolina rigs and three-way rigs are pretty much the standard rigs for trophy catfishing. My leaders are used for one outing, then cut apart, hooks checked and replaced if need be, and then retied into new leaders. It's also not a bad idea to tie on a new leader after landing a big fish. Better safe than sorry. Taking the time to check your line and leader for damage every so often can mean the difference between a fish in the boat and the one that got away.

WEIGHTS

The current can be strong on the James so 6 oz to16 oz weights are the way to go, either egg or flat sliding weights, or a sinker slide with a pyramid or bank sinker. (see rig photos on the left to view a sinker slide) Even with these heavy sinkers there are places where the large baits combined with the current will still often drag the entire rig downstream. Smaller weights can be used in areas with less current on lighter setups with small baits for small cats and striper.

HOOKS

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Some popular brands and sIzes for catfIshing hooks are Gamakatsu Octopus Circle 8/0, Daiichi Circle Chunk Light 7/0, khale hooks, and regular J-type hooks in 5/0-12/0. I like 1/0 & 2/0 circle hooks for the small cats. Treble hooks are almost never used in trophy catfishing and are frowned upon due to the fact that they can cause fatal internal injury to a cat if swallowed deeply or can pin a cats mouth shut and if the line breaks, inhibit its ability to eat.

LINE

From what I have seen among local catfishermen it's pretty much an even split between those that use monofilament line and those that prefer braids. It comes down to a matter of cost and personal preference. Braid costs two or three times what mono does. Monofilament line is easier to tie a knot with and gives more stretch, while braided lines offer a thinner diameter and better sensitivity. Braid has a longer lifespan on the reel and is unaffected by sunlight or temperature, but tangles easier and far worse than mono. Monos used run from 20 lb to 50 lb. Braids used generally run from 50 lb up to 100 lb.

BRAIDED LINE

Whenever using braided line, test your knots while wet for holding power. Many common knots will slip when wet if tied on braided line. I use a double palomar and add two half-hitches behind it when I tie my braided onto my leader.

Here is a link to some knots to use with braided line. POWER PRO KNOTS

And here is a site with easy to follow animated directions for tying some other common knots for fishing. ANIMATED KNOTS BY GROG

If you get hung up, never use the reel to break braided line. The line will dig into the spooled line on the reel and not cast properly until the dug in line is pulled out. Never, ever wrap braided line around your hand to try and break it. It WILL cut you!!! Instead wrap the line about 10 times around a net handle or some other non-slick small object and give it a hard, quick jerk to break the line. I keep a 5 inch piece of broomstick handy for this.

NETTING A BIG FISH

When netting a big fish, lift the net by the hoop keeping the handle pointed upwards to avoid damage to your net and possible loss of a big fish. Weighing a big fish while still in the net by hooking the scale into the mesh or hoop of the net, instead of the fishes mouth or gill reduces stress on the fish. Just remember to subtract the weight of the net from the weight of the fish. (1-3 lbs usually)

MISC. GEAR

Some things you may want to have in addition to what is required on a boat at all times by law. Go HERE for the VDGIF required equipment list.

An Up To Date River Chart.
A First Aid Kit And A Waterproof Emergency Kit Containing All Your Required Emergency Gear And Anything Else You May Need.
A Rain Suit & A Dry Bag Or Watertight Container For Gear That Needs To Stay Dry.
A Good Anchor And 150 ft Minimum Of Rope.
A Good Depthfinder / Fishfinder.
An Extra Large Landing Net.
A 50+ lb Scale. Digital Or Mechanical. I Highly Recommend The JENNINGS ULTRA SPORT 50.
Gloves To Wear If Mouth Grabbing A Big Cat. The Tooth Pads Of A Big Cat Can Scrape Up Your Hand Pretty Bad.
A Gill Net 6'x50' For Catching The Big Gizzard Shad For Cut Bait.
A Cast Net For Catching Smaller "Candy" Shad.
A Sharp Fillet Knife Or Electric 12v Fillet Knife. A Serrated Butcher Knife Works Well For Chunking Up Big, Tough Gizzard Shad.
An L.E.D. Headlamp for night time fishing.
Needlenose Pliers To Assist In Hook Removal.
Small Glowsticks & Clear Scotch Tape. (For Rod Tips At Night.)
Rags- Catfishing Can Get Messy. Good For Eel Handling Too.
A VHF Radio. Handheld Units Can Be Had For $60. Monitor Barge Traffic On Channel 13 To Know When One Is Heading Your Way.

POOL NOODLES

Foam pool noodles can be cut up to make excellent marker floats for nets, anchor ropes, crab pots and other items. I like the fatter 4 inch thick ones. Just use a large plastic washer or a plastic bottlecap between the knot and the hole in the noodle to keep your rope from pulling back through. I was able to just use a permanent marker to write my required info on the ones I used for the buoys on my gill net. Be sure to use a big enough piece of noodle to float the object you are tying it to.