75# 8 oz. Bluecat caught, photographed & released in the James

[Hawkeye]

Check out the pic:
I can't get the thing to work... it's a .bmp file and this site won't support it... errrrrrrrr... it's over at Tidal fish in the freshwater board.... sorry

Great pic, great fish, and great sport for letting the monster live....

[katchaser]

Hawkeye


Maybe I can give it a try:idea:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/katchaser/submit/75.jpg

I sure would love to catch a fish like that!

[Hawkeye]

The gentleman in the photo hired a James River guide. He caught five or six fish over 20# that day. The details are in the same place as the picture... The fisherman calls himself Blackie Lee. I don't know if that's his name or not, but he used to be a bass fisherman. I'm thinking Captain Neil may have ruined him for bass fishing after that trip up the James... apparently they fished "up river" whatever that means... I guess it's upstream from Dutch Gap... Fish like that aren't all that scarce in the James according to the reports we hear from the Game Department biologist(s)... they've reported to have shocked up fish in excess of 100 pounds... it's just a matter of time before someone gets lucky.

[medulla762]

Nice Day Of Fishing!

[TXPalerider]

Holy Mackeral!!!!!....I mean catfish!!!

[Big Cat]

Unfourtunaly no fish have been shocked up over 70 pounds. I followed the Va Biologist that specialized in blue cants around one day while he was shocking. I asked him If they had ever shocked anything up over 70 and he said no. I think they have only shocked once since then and they shcoked up tons of 30's, 40's and 50's.

It it is true they shocked a 100 that would be great to see a picture of.

[cookie]

very nice indeed

[Hawkeye]

Unfourtunaly no fish have been shocked up over 70 pounds. I followed the Va Biologist that specialized in blue cants around one day while he was shocking. I asked him If they had ever shocked anything up over 70 and he said no. I think they have only shocked once since then and they shcoked up tons of 30's, 40's and 50's.

It it is true they shocked a 100 that would be great to see a picture of.I must have misunderstood what I was told. Thanks for the correction.

[NightTrain]

Correct me if I'm wrong on this guys...the guys that fish both the James River and Kerr/Gaston.Would it be correct to assume that the James has "peaked",as far as it's ability to produce "monsters",and that the waters we call home are still well on their way to producing even larger fish than have been caught recently?Not to demean the James' fishery in any way...just an observation.It's still a helluva feeshin' hole!

[Big Cat]

The James cats are still growing and the Biologist says we will have them over 100 pounds and we probably do already. Proof of this is we went 5 years without a fish over 72, now in the last 6 months we have had at least 3 with the biggest going 83. The problem with big cats on the james is current. James river fisherman have current to fight with which can make a big fish harder to land. Just my thoughts right or wrong I dont know.

[NightTrain]

It's kinda slow in here,BigCat...just playin' the devil's advocate,podna!It's two totally different fishing"situations"for sure.Just tryin' to stir up a little conversation...:wink:

[Hawkeye]

I have a hard time believing that the catfish in the James are "topped out" too.. Fighting the current may also tend to keep the fish a little thinner... I don't know. I do know the food is there for the fish to eat... plenty of shad, muscles, carp and all manner of other rough fish for forage. I don't know how long people have been targeting big fish on the James either... there's a lot of water to cover from I95 down to the Idle Fleet... miles and miles of river and it's over two miles wide in places too... so it could be a function of finding exactly the right holes where the true monsters live.

[NightTrain]

Good point,Hawk...where ya been hidin',bud?

[Hawkeye]

I've been kind of busy Bro. Going to look at a truck Friday... I need someone to ride along in case I buy it so I can get it home... interested?

Christmas shopping with Mrs. Hawk... church, work, spending a lot more time with the chitlins... stuff like that. I haven't been spending as much time on the computer... haven't had anything to say about fishin 'cause I ain't been in so long. Had an MRI on the back today.. results next week... I should find out if the back is goobed up for real now... This is gettin' old...

[Hawkeye]

I got to get to bed... up early in the morning to work... if you want to ride to Newport News with me, let me know and I'll pick you up in the morning when you get home from work... you probably have to work Friday... if you can't go, I'll get someone else to ride...

I'll be back

[NightTrain]

I ain't gonna be able to Friday mornin', Tom...but,would love to see you and the truck,if'n ya git a wild hair,and do a road trip...Hope the news about the back is all good.You are in my prayers.I know that's a got to be a constant,agonizing thing.Call me this weekend,if ya think about it.

[Hawkeye]

Let me know the best time to call. If I get the truck, I'll try to make a "Gaston" run to let you see the "new" tow vehicle...

[NightTrain]

You know the drill,man:tongue: ...usually late evening,until...;)