Blue cat fishing by Benedict bridge?

[dsaavedra]

Now that the weather's cold and not much else is biting, I want to try and get some blue cats. I'm pretty inexperienced at fishing for them, I tried a couple times last winter and was completely unsuccessful, didn't even get 1.

I'd like to launch from Hallowing Point boat ramp by the Benedict bridge, it looks like a good launch spot and isn't too far away but I'm not sure where to go for blue cats from there. Is it as simple as finding deeper holes and dropping bait on them? Do they hang out by the bridge pilings? Is the nearby power plant any good (I'm assuming it has a warm water discharge)? Any tips for fishing the area would be appreciated! Thanks.

[ronaultmtd]

Bill and I fish this area for cats...the key is moving water or drifting on slack tides...I have fished above the bridge and over by Golden Beach with success...be advised there are lots of channel catfish mixed in...we found catfish in the 9 fow area near creek mouth as well as deeper holes...I usually anchor upstream of deeper holes in shallower water and toss my baits back in the deeper drop offs. Be aware that it can be dangerous to anchor a kayak without an anchor trolley system that allows bow/stern anchor points...middle of kayak anchor point can be exceptionally unstable and dangerous...be prepared for some really big blue cats in excess of 25 pounds...and lots of 2-5# channel cats...there is a large population of catfish here...a commercial waterman friend gets hundreds of catfish in nets nearby...One method I plan to try this season is drifting with a couple of suspended baits just a foot or two off the bottom...Pedal kayaks gives us an ability to hold our position in light current and drifting is pretty easy to do, then reposition and drift again through deeper channels...

[dsaavedra]

Thanks for the info Ron, very helpful. I don't yet have an anchor trolley on my Outback (too scared to drill holes, haha) so maybe I'll delay my catfish trip until I get one set up. I've looked into no-drill options but they don't look as sturdy as a traditional trolley screwed into the hull, so I'll probably bite the bullet and do this.

I wouldn't mind some channel catfish, they taste alright. What I'd really like to do is stock the freezer with some little blues and catch and release some big blues. Hooking up with a big ole catfish sounds like a whole lot of fun, I don't think I've caught one over ~8 pounds and that was from a pier. Do you use a fish finder rig while drifting or some other rig?

Time to hit Navionics and scout some holes/drop offs, I'll be sure my FF is charged and working when I go too so I can pinpoint these locations.

[Nicole]

This is where I fish also and I have gotten a few cats out of there. I would recommend an anchor system though it will make it easier on you. That’s something I’m new at and I’ve only use them while borrowing someone else’s kayak. Just recently I purchased one for my own and plan to have it installed here shortly. but it does help. I found a couple spots that have been pretty productive right there off the launch.


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[Nicole]

Actually, my first trip out there was with Ron and I learned a lot from him being very inexperienced at the time. He knows his stuff and he definitely will guide you in the right direction! Thanks again Ron for taking me out and sharing a few valuable things with me.


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[J.A. Veil]

When fishing in Maryland waters, I very rarely use an anchor. I have never installed a permanent anchor trolley on the kayak I use most often here. I did put together a simple removable trolley system that can go on and off quickly and involves no drilling in the kayak. It is not as convenient as a permanent trolley, but it does work for the occasions when I do use it.

I take two short lengths of thin bungee cord (black color in the photos). I tie a loop around the rear handle with one piece, and a similar length around one of the side handles. I clip a carabiner onto each of the loops.

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I then run a piece of non-stretch cord (white in the photos) between the two carabiners on the bungee and tie a small loop on either end of that cord. I adjust the length so I can clip a third carabiner to the two ends of the cord , giving me a complete loop that slides back and forth between the side handle and the rear handle. I can clip the anchor line to the moving carabiner.

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Once you have taken the time to tie the bungees on the handles (I leave them there permanently) and measured the length of the cord to the correct length, you can install the system in a minute or two when you want to use an anchor.

I have taken this portable system with me to Florida on several trips when I fished with a guide who did not have an anchor trolley on his client kayak or to use if I rented a kayak without a trolley. It does work.

[HobieWanKenobie]

Dave,

Ron has given some great advise. Although, I'm not familiar with Benedict, I think the same stands true for the area I fish. I fish the mouth of the Magothy River, near the Bay Bridge, quite often. Catching Blue Cats, Channel Cats, and Rockfish. Anchor on the channel edge and fish in the deeper channel and holes while current is running or slow drift when the wind allows. Without drilling any holes, I have rigged my own anchor system with a quick release and float, in case I hook into something big I need to chase down. I find that Fish Finder rigs with circle hooks work the best for big cats, especially if youre fishing more than one rod and get multiple hook ups. Its' really fun when you have two or more big fish on at once and try to land them all. IMG_0113.jpg IMG_0151.jpg IMG_0164.jpg

Good Luck to you!

Mike

[dsaavedra]

I think I could easily rig up something like what John has on my Outback... I don't have side carry handles but there is a loop of bungee already installed on the side to serve as a paddle holder. I could clip a carabiner to this and then put the other carabiner on a loop attached to the rear carry handle.

Like John, I don't use an anchor often so this kind of no-drill option is appealing to me. Thanks for the tips everyone!

[Jigsup]

Having fished from the shore by the 231 bridge on the benedict side I can say it’s pretty good cat fishing. Fresh/freshly frozen alewife is the ticket for me. Really thinking about launching my kayak to try by the bridge and also out by golden beach. Bridge pilings can get swirly. Don’t think it would be a good idea to anchor close to it. Anchoring safely and casting toward bridge might not be a bad idea. From shore I have seen catfish 25-30lbs easily thrown in the bush after someone filet it but myself has only caught eater size from that location. On the benedict side you can clean up on catfish if you catch the tide right between late March-early April. I think you will do just fine if you can find decent bait.

[mudskipper]

Please remove all blue cats you catch from the river. They are invasive, and present a serious threat to the perch and shad fisheries in every tidal river they inhabit.

They were introduced into the James River in the 80’s by the state of Virginia, and have been spreading ever since. Now 70% of the fish biomass in the James and Rappahanock rivers are blue cats. Migratory fish populations have declined drastically in these rivers since blues were introduced.

[dsaavedra]

I have some frozen alewife in my freezer from the summer, definitely not the freshest but I'm planning to use that up, just to get it out of my freezer if nothing else. Also considering trying chicken liver and/or breast, but I've always heard "grocery store" bait is less preferable to even frozen natural bait. It would be cheap and easy enough to pick some up I might as well give it a shot and see for myself.

[dsaavedra]

I went out today and it was a total bust. I mostly stayed around the bridge and followed the channel up and down river a little bit, I got a late start so I didn't feel like making the run up to the power plant or down to Golden Beach. I soaked alewife and chicken liver for 3 hours without so much as a sniff. I barely marked any fish on the fish finder either. It seems whenever I set out to catch catfish specifically they are nowhere to be found.

[ronaultmtd]

"Got a late start"...tides, waterflow, fresh bait, water depth/temperatures and structure all play a part...Mark wrote a thesis on fishing posted on the main section of the forum that pretty much sums it all up...But if you fish where the fish are not...chances are you won't catch any...if you fish long enough at that spot, eventually you will...at Benedict I have fished for more than an hour without a hit only to have the fish turn on like a light switch and catch a bunch in only a few minutes with multiple rods going down at the same time...it usually has to do with the tide change...

[dsaavedra]

The tide seemed pretty slack when I got there, but was moving in at a good clip by the time I left. I was hoping that would turn on a bite but, like you said, I was indeed fishing where the fish were not. I did lots of zig zagging up and down the river trying to locate the channel and look for fish, I only marked maybe 3 or 4 fish the whole time I was out.