Trophy Catfishing Adventures on the James River
- Dan Szajta
- Dec 28, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
A Day with Dan: Catfishing on the James River
Dan joined us for an exciting day of catfishing on the James River. He had plenty of experience on the Tennessee River chain system but wanted to dive into learning about our Virginia tidal waters. We kicked off the trip by catching bait in some tried-and-true spots. In just 40 minutes, we had a cooler full of large and small gizzard shad, ready for action!
Setting Sail for Adventure
With our bait secured, we set off downriver to start fishing for the morning. We anchored on a channel ledge as we approached high tide. Just as the tide began to slow, a violent takedown interrupted our warm soup. The fish was cooperative at first as we moved the rod to the side of the boat. But once it was under the boat, things changed!
This fish started pulling drag and swimming upstream, ahead of the boat. Dan reeled him back beneath the boat, but the fish was determined not to come in. He took his time, knowing this fish was coming from deep water, but it was putting up a fierce fight.
As we pulled the fish over the rail of the boat, it just kept growing! After a few quick measurements and pictures, we kicked off the day with a trophy blue catfish weighing in at 42 lbs! Welcome to the trophy club, Dan!
Navigating the Tides
We continued to sit on anchor, but as the tide shifted, the wind didn’t cooperate. So, we pulled up the rods and moved to a new spot. We fought the wind for 20 minutes in this new area before deciding to move on. We scanned a few holes as we moved up the river but didn’t see much beyond bait tight to the bottom.
Fishing Deep Water Structures
Next, we switched to fishing some deep-water structures. The bite started off pretty quiet, but soon we began to get some taps on the rods. A few rods went down hard, but the fish didn’t hook up. After about 15 minutes, one rod folded over and stayed down. This fish was more challenging to reel in with our rods spread towards the boat. After a few big head pulls and some drag peeling, we finally got it to the boat.
When we pulled the fish in, it turned out to be a really nice 24 lb blue catfish!
Mud Flats and Pelican Friends
We picked up another small fish before moving on to dragging planer boards in the mud flats. As we cruised along the mud flat, the water started to heat up significantly. We had rods getting hit right from the start! It was a lively scene, and we even had a chance to feed a pelican some of our extra bait.
After catching a few fish in the 5-10 lb range, we decided to pack up the rods and call it a day.
Thank You for Choosing Us!
Thank you for choosing Goober Time Guide Service for your James River adventure! We can’t wait to get you back on the water for more thrilling catfishing experiences.
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
IGFA Captain
804-592-0456
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