63 lb James River Monster! 🎣 Four Trophy Catfish Landed in One Morning
- Dan Szajta
- Nov 19
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Rahsaan, Lloyd, Earnest, and Kenton joined us on the James River for a morning of hunting trophy blue catfish. We started the day with a mixed bag of live baits in the livewell. After running up the river, we set the gill net and chopped up some fresh white perch and gizzard shad to fish our first channel ledge. The bite began slowly, with just a few small taps as the outgoing tide slowed down. Just before the river went slack, a Hellcat Revenge spinning rod took off, screaming drag. We reeled down on the fish, locked the baitrunner in, and the fight was on!
The fish surged from the depths, running up the channel ledge into the flats. As it climbed uphill, we moved the rod across the back of the boat, clearing other lines. The fish was fired up, pulling drag for well over a minute. Eventually, it was under the boat, and we knew it was time to tire it out before bringing it to the surface. Once the air bladder released, we brought the fish up and got it in the net. What an awesome start to the morning with a trophy blue catfish, a new personal best weighing in at 39 lbs!
Welcome to the Trophy Club!
After getting the rods set back up, we continued to wait on the same channel ledge. The tide was completely slack, and the river was just starting to change flow direction when another rod got crushed. We could tell this was another big fish! As the fight continued, we realized it was much bigger than we thought. Minutes into the battle, the fish was still peeling drag and refusing to separate from the bottom. The fight lasted over five minutes before we caught a glimpse of the fish and realized it was a giant. After scooping it up and heaving it over the deck, we took some measurements. We had a James River giant on the deck, weighing in at 63 lbs!
Welcome to the Trophy Club!
We sat on the ledge a while longer, but the wind and tide were working against each other. So, we collected our gill net, moved locations, and set some rods out in search of a few eater fish. We ended up catching a ton of small fish in the gill net, while nothing but short strikes came on the rods we cast out.
After a short restroom break, we hit the river again in search of more giants. By this time, the river had started to fill back up, and the wind had died down. We returned to the main channel and scanned some underwater structure. We spotted a giant fish resting in the structure and set the boat up to attempt to catch it. We didn’t have to wait more than ten minutes when we saw the rod tip start to twitch, then the rod was slammed. The current was ripping, and the fish used it to its advantage, making this a much more challenging fight than the two morning fish. It took teamwork, but we got the fish to the boat and had another giant on deck. This fish weighed in right at 50 lbs!
Welcome to the Trophy Club!
These fish were fired up and fighting hard! We wanted to try to grab one more good one before we ran out of time. The wind had started to blow hard, so Captain Dan changed plans and decided to fish a wind-blown bank of a back bay. Fresh baits were tossed out, and we hunkered down for our final 30 minutes. About 15 minutes into fishing the new spot, a rod took off, and the fish started to run across a mud flat. We had to reel fast to get the slack out of the line and hook up on the fish.
The fish ran all over, but at this point, the guys were pros and knew exactly how to handle big fish. This fish fought hard but didn’t have the tide or the depth of water to use to its advantage like the earlier fish. We quickly got it to the boat and had our fourth trophy fish of the day. It weighed 27 lbs but measured right at 38 inches!
Welcome to the Trophy Club!
We spent our final 15 minutes without much more action, but it was an absolutely incredible day on the water. We had a pile of meat in the cooler, everyone had the chance to catch a trophy fish, and the weather was gorgeous for most of the morning. Thanks for joining us on the water! I can’t wait for the next trip!
Goober Time Guide Service offers premier guided fishing experiences throughout the James River and key bodies of water across Central Virginia. We specialize in multi-species excursions, targeting trophy Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, and Crappie.
Our versatile fleet includes a fully-equipped main vessel for full-group charters, as well as specialized kayaks, paddleboards, and whitewater rafts to access remote waters and low-pressure fisheries. Furthermore, we offer exclusive light-lining charter trips for elite anglers seeking the ultimate technical challenge and potential record-breaking catches.
Contact us to consult on your group’s goals, and we will expertly design a tailored fishing adventure to exceed your expectations.
Captain Dan Szajta
USCG Master Charter Captain
804-592-0456
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