Thanks to this thread I have started planning my first fishing trip in years with a friend of mine who is a complete redneck. I told him I was interested in catching some big fish and swears up and down that he can pull a 30-60 pound catfish out of the James River using eels as bait. Later this summer we are planning to pull his truck up to the bank of the James, throw in some lines, open a case of PBR and wait-- at night.
This opportunity is too unique to pass up. I've never seen a fish that big outside of an aquarium or monster movie.
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Since blue catfish have invaded the middle atlantic tidal rivers, catching an immense beast like that is eminently feasible.
I'm still mulling over your life-to-date failure to catch a largemouth. Some skills are required, particularly casting skills. Most fishermen would consider it unsporting to use live bait for bass, which elevates the importance of being able to hit what you're throwing at in terms of your cast.
One place I go a few times a year, Mattawoman Creek off the Potomac River, is unbelievably stuffed with bass but to catch them on my favorite pattern, you have to hit a narrow ribbon of open water in between heavy grass beds. If you miss, you are in the grass and the cast is futile. But get it in the crease, let your Senko fall to the bottom, and you stand a chance at a solid fish.
There are some huge snakeheads in Mattawoman too, though I haven’t hooked one yet.
Alternatively, I could put a really poor angler into catching some smallmouth bass, as much of the casting we do on the upper Potomac (defined as above Little Falls, all the way up) requires less precision, just spray casting to an area. You still have to work the bait sufficiently to entice the fish into sampling it, and some folks don’t seem to get this rather nuanced “feel” required. Still, we can catch a lot of smallies on a good day.
