What is the best time of day to fish for smallmouth bass?

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During the day, smallmouth bass are most active first thing in the morning from dawn until mid-morning and in the late afternoon from 3 hours prior to sunrise until dusk. These reduced light periods afford bass a tactical advantage over prey like shad and crayfish which don’t see as well during these time windows.

What’s the best bait to use in the James River?

Although frozen bait can be used, fresh-caught gizzard shad or eels are generally best. During summer most large blue cats are caught at night, other times of the year they are caught anytime – day or night.

What’s the best bait to use for smallmouth?

Jigs. Jigs are the most popular and best overall smallmouth bass lure, for two main reasons. There is no wrong time of year to be fishing for smallmouth with some kind of a jig. And secondly, jigs are well-known as big bass producers, so they have high potential for landing a trophy smallmouth.

What fish are biting in the James River now?

Smallmouth bass are the dominant game species, but spotted and large mouth bass can also be caught. Other species are also plentiful in the James River, including channel catfish, flathead catfish, and various sunfish species (redbreast, bluegill, and rock bass).

Has there ever been a shark in the James River?

(WTVR)—Two bull sharks were caught in the Potomac River, and it wouldn’t be the first time a shark was caught in a Virginia river. He is a fixture along the banks of the James River, and “Catfish TC”, as he is known, is quite content on solid ground, thank you very much.

How do you catch bait on the James River?

What is a smallmouth bass favorite food?

Smallmouth bass are much more limited in the size of food they can eat because they have much smaller mouths than largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass eat yellow perch, young bluegills, minnows, shiners, suckers, aquatic insects, but their favorite food are crayfish.

What colors do smallmouth bass see?

Bass apparently do see color. Their vision is strongest in the areas of medium-red to green. It fails rapidly moving into the blues and purples, as it does towards the far reds. If our picture of bass color vision is accurate, then color is meaningful to bass in some cases but not others.

What size hooks for smallmouth bass?

The smallmouth bass prefers a smaller hook (#4-1/0) and will typically bite on anything that moves.

Where do smallmouth bass like to hang out?

Smallmouth bass live in many habitats ranging from cool waters of rivers and streams to deep reservoirs and crystal-clear natural lakes. You can find smallmouth bass in waterways either above or below the Mason-Dixon Line.

What color worm is best for bass?

The best colors for worms are natural colors: green pumpkin, watermelon, junebug, black and blue. With these colors you will be able to catch bass year round in any body of water that holds bass.

What temperature do smallmouth bass stop biting?

Although the smallmouth bass is considered to be a warm water fish, its ideal temperature range is lower than that of the largemouth bass. Smallmouth tend to favor waters between 67 to 71 degrees. When water temperatures dip below 50 degrees, feeding slows and the fish aren’t eager to bite.

How deep is the James River?

The James River provides depths of 25 feet to the Richmond Deepwater Terminal and in the Terminal Turning Basin; 18 feet to and in the Richmond Harbor Turning Basin; 18 feet to the Lock at Richmond.

What fish are being caught from the James River pier?

Pier Anglers catch croaker, spot, flounder, trout and striped bass.

Is there good fishing in the James River?

Fishing is good for bluegill, and other species such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, redbreast sunfish, and channel catfish may be caught as well. The river is deep enough to use a prop motor downstream of the ramp but rocks limit safely taking a prop boat upstream of the boat ramp.

Are there dolphins in the James River?

Dolphins, it seems, are not really uncommon in the Chesapeake Bay, and this one found its way up into the James River. While the James flows through Richmond as freshwater, it quickly turns brackish as it enters the tidal James just below the city.

Did a great white ping in James River?

Social media was abuzz with recent reports of Tancook in a couple of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay – on Friday, the shark pinned pretty far up on the James River and later in the weekend, in the mouth of the Wicomico, according to OCEARCH’s website.

Are there bull sharks in James River?

Here in Virginia, we probably don’t have too much occasion to keep double-checking for dorsal fins in the James. Morrissey notes that the bull shark is not common in our waters, preferring tropical and subtropical regions (a preference that, following this past winter, quite a few Virginians likely share).

Are there eels in the James River?

Forest Service research charts an amazing journey. “Eel wrangler” holding American eel found in recent survey of James River in Virginia.

How do you catch bass on the James River?

Are there shrimp in the James River?

The shrimp found at the Environmental Research Center was one of three found to date in the Chesapeake Bay; two others were discovered in the James River. Ballast water from large ocean going cargo ships is believed to be the leading means by which these shrimp are being introduced to other waters around world.

Will bass eat hotdogs?

While I can’t say a hot dog is the best bait for bass, it’s certainly not the worst. The biggest challenge when using hot dogs for bass is to make it attractive. Bass are attracted to moving things, and if you get too enthusiastic with the movement of a hotdog there is a good chance it will fall off the hook.

Are smallmouth bass bottom feeders?

For all kinds of fish – including bass – the answer is both. Bass are both bottom feeders and top feeders. So you should be fishing on top, in the middle, and the bottom of the water to catch them.

Where do smallmouth bass feed?

In these habitats, smallmouth are often found around rocky bottoms, pools and shaded areas. Here they feed on crayfish, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates that hide among rocks and stones. In flowing streams, smallmouth often display an unusual feeding behavior.

How do I catch more smallmouth bass?

One of the most popular techniques for catching smallmouth bass in lakes is to cast or troll a hard plastic lure. Preferred areas include rocky shorelines and shallow points that extend into deep water. Casting or trolling a spinner bait in these areas works well too. Jigs work best when fishing deeper water.

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