Trophy Blue Catfish & Fish Fry Haul: River Trip with Gary, Dylan, and Kyle

Gary, Dylan, and Kyle joined us on the river to chase a trophy catfish and collect some eater fish for a fish fry. Our morning trip saw a slow bite so we made a big move up river to look for some new fish to target. We pulled into a put and marked a ton of fish that looked like carp with some catfish mixed in. We set up on the pod of fish and had a few decent runs but nothing substantial so we left after 30 minutes.

We started to scan the channel ledges and did not mark a fish in any of the next 4 locations. We threw in the towel on this seciton of river and moved to a barge pit with moderate depth to try to take advantage of some fish sunning in shallower water. As we were cruising through the pit, we went from 6 ft of water to on top of a sunken barge in the blink of an eye and trashed a stainless steel prop. We started to move around with the trolling motor and hung it up on another section of a shipwreck and busted our drive belt. We were not off to a great start but decided to toss a few lines out and heat up some pulled pork sandwhiches on the grill while we waited for a rod to go down. A couple promising take downs but nothing was hooking up. We decided to stop testing our luck and easilymotored our way back out to the maain river. We noticed some bait splashing in water that was about 2 ft deep and set the boat up to intercept some fish on the move. We finally had our first fish in the boat and it was a beauty! A new personal best blue catfish weighing in at 18 lbs!

The rods were getting hit left and right and we missed a couple of big runs. After about 45 minutes of constant action and a few small fish, the bite shut off like a light switch. We pulled anchor and scanned the mud flat and didn't see anything on the sidescan, not even a bait fish.

Captain Dan noticed the bite shut off as soon as the mud flat fell under the cover of shade. With a little bit of daylight left, we made a move to another mud flat where the sun was still shining. It didn't take long before the fish started coming in the boat. We caught a nice blue catfish right around 8 lbs which was perfect for the fish fry.

Over the next hour, we caught a number of eater fish and missed a few giant takedowns. Right at the end of the trip, one of our big runs finally hooked up. The fish ran us across the rod rack as the fish took off from the shallow mud flat to the deeper channel ledge. We worked as a team to move the rod across the back of the boat. The fight was intense in shallow water and soon the fish was in the net. Patience and adjustments were the name of the game as we had a new personal best blue catifsh weighing in at 33 lbs!

Welcome to the trophy club!

We released the big fish at the ramp and sent the guys home with some fish for the fish fry! Thanks for joining us on the river! We hope you had a great time.

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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

Ready to BOOK Your Fishing Adventure? CLICK HERE HERE