For years, Scottsville has been receiving lots of attention from fishermen, most particularly smallmouth bass fishermen. But another species has popped up on the Scottsville fishing radar screen. Catfish. Big catfish.
In years past, serious catfish anglers in Virginia –assuming they didn’t travel down to Santee Cooper in South Carolina – have been prowling the waters of such noted catfish haunts as the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, the lower James River near Hopewell, or Buggs Island Lake near Clarksville. These are all noted impoundments for big catfish. But suddenly, the James River at Scottsville is in the catfish conversation and the introduction of an ugly critter called a flathead catfish is creating lots of excitement.
The flathead catfish, a relative newcomer to Central Virginia, represents a great opportunity to land a trophy size catfish. Flatheads are now showing up on the James River, again in the Scottsville area, and can exceed 100 pounds in weight. Smallmouth anglers have expressed concern that the flatheads may be hurting smallmouth fishing, but studies by the Game Department indicate that the big predators feed mostly on suckers and other trash fish.
Flatheads are generally found in long, deep, and slow pools in the rivers. They are mottled brown in color and look like someone stepped on their heads – therefore the name, flatheads.
Another species – the blue catfish – is also making heads turn. Blue catfish can also attain weights of 100 pounds and more. The state record blue cat was caught just a few years ago at Buggs Island Lake and tipped the scales at 143 pounds. Blue cats like moving water and streambeds of boulder or bedrock, gravel, or sand. Their diets consist largely of crayfish and small fish. By small, I mean anything they can get in their mouths. That 143-pound cat could eat a 10-pound carp.
The possibility exists for a 100-pound catfish to be caught in the Scottsville area. There are some deep pools – ideal catfish habitat – and there is an abundance of fallfish and baitfish to fatten up on.
Flathead catfish are fond of live bait – like a whole sucker or bluegill – while blue cats will hit either live or cut bait. Cut shad is a primary attractor.
Understand if you try for a trophy catfish, you’ll need the right equipment. A 100-pound fish could make mincemeat of even a medium-heavy bass rig. A stiff rod with a high-quality reel and heavy line gives anglers their best opportunity. After all, it’s not often an angler catches a 100-pound fish in freshwater.
It’s spring. The fish are biting. Scottsville, anyone?