12/14/13 Report

Another great Winter day on the James!
17,18,24,30 and 44

Reports

I have found it is easier just to post the reports on Facebook. So if you have been wondering what we are catching check out Big Cat Guide Service on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/bigcatguideservice

Also here is the link to out most resent trip...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.591689200879147.1073741828.119160068132065&type=1&l=2813800fa2

SumerTime

The spawn will be over soon and we will begin our night time trips ASAP. Give us a call and get your summer trip scheduled. We will be doing trips on the James and Pamunkey rivers.

1-22-13 report

 

Let's see

A- watch the president again...

or

B - Fish ?

Case closed. Check out the pics BobCat aka Bob the Mailman and I (Capt JOE) aka striperjoe
landed while fishing on the Catfish Cadillac on Monday with  the heater on board keeping us toasty!

 54 lbs !

*** check out the belly and the fish has a big one too....

"I LET BOB" catch the bigger of the two, after all he is just a master of baits and not a captain ....yet!

 41Pounds

Actualy Bob landed both fish. He let me hold it. Such a nice guy!
 This was 41 lbs and both fish bit once and took the pole down. Awesome time of year to land a lunker. Scott at 804-690-3875 for Pamunkey River and Mattaponi Trips and The Mighty James River for me and my crew.

Come see us ! Thx Captain Joe Cannon 1-804-690-8469

Gearing up at GreenTop !

Spend that money ! Went to GreenTop today and did not do too bad. I did buy some awesome looking spoons for the "hickory shad" - Baby Tarpon on the James. If you have never caught one it's gotta be the closest thing to catching tarpon. they swim lightning fast and most times will come out of the water and jump about 1-2 ft in the air in a futile atttempt to spit the hook.
  Captain Joe - Call today and pick a day in April - Fast ! Capt Joe 804-690-8469 or Capt Scott (804-690-3875) on a 21 foot skiff that flies up and down the river !

The Grand Slam - Stripers, Catfish and Hickories ! Full Day of Action !

Butermilk Gang 1-5-2013

The ole Buttermilk gang came back for their annual 3 man tourney. Each man had 2 wins under his belt so this was the "rubber match". Danny was the winner as Chris and Goo had to listen to his gloating all the way home to Md.
I don't have any good pics because we did not catch any good fish. My fish in the gill net were bigger than Danny's but he is still the "champion".

We are now starting another annual affair called the Grand Slam. It consist of a spring trip(awesome time to go) and will consist of a formula I have not yet devised nor have they. It will consist of a combination of BIG stripers, awesome hickory shad and the all mighty catfish (blue or flathead).

Stay tuned to our website for more fishing trips coming up. Cats are biting 24/7/365. But spring is a good time to vary and catch some 20-30 lb stripers who have migrated up river to spawn. If you have never caught a hickkory shad, check it out for sure.  You will find out real quick why they are also called the "baby tarpons" - they dart through the water and then jump out and spin around in midair.

11-6-12 Trip

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn and that includes letter carriers looking for stripers aboard the Catfish Cadillac

Above I must confess - Bob Holmes my #1 first mate had earned the title of being a Master of Baits..............don't get near the cuttin board when he's doing his thing. I keep telling him we are not eating the shad bait but catching fish with it.........He's hard headed but good at what he does. His larget cat lately is 62 lbs. and lots of 40's and 50's.

And then every now and then a flathead comes along. What a big fight for an average size flattie ! He thinks they look bigger holding then upright but they gotta be about 25-30lbs for that statement to be true.

Not only can Varina High School football team hire good coaches, they also know a thing or two about fishing in the winter on the Mighty James River. Remember - it's always 72 degrees on the Catfish Cadillac. I should say and it's true all 3 pics look like different fish but this fish weighed in at 48lbs. Not a fifty or 60 but give em about 12 months and he'll pull even harder.

Deonta Gail is the MAN holding the fish and he also had a 32lb and a few dinks. His personal best to say the least !

  
 - - - - - -did I mention it was a 24 ft Sweetwater Pontoon from Southeastern Marine that is made to fish in.......full curtains covering amost 90 sq ft of nothing but pure HEAT in the winter time - - -

Call me today -

Captain Joe Cannon 1-804-690-8469 or 1-877-222-0466 and LET'S DO IT or Capt. Scott on a 21 ft Carolina Skiff that flys - 1-804-690-3875 !

Big Cat Guide Service Sweatshirts

Someone from one of our recent trips wants me to order them a couple sweatshirts for Christmas presents. I will be placing the order next week. If there is anyone else who would like one please let me know. They are cheaper the more I order. The cost will be between $40-$50 depending on how many I order.

These are nice sweatshirts. They are thick and very warm. If you got one from the last order you probably need another one by now so let me know!

Wounded Warriors October 2012

Mikey(Marines), Kyle(Army) and Britt (Marines ) were my guest aboard the Catfish Cadillac for the Wounded
Warrior MasterCatters2 Fishing Tourney out of Hopewell.
Britt on the right stepped on an IED(and is doin ok as long as you feed him Corona's) (without the lime) and is next to Kyle who was injured in an auto accident and doin ok and then of course Mikey - the one that looks like he is sitting down (really on a step stool and also a marine(his story later).
Mikey did pull in this 33 lber against the current and he was lookin bigger than any 33 but
I am not one to fudge(how can I - I am a fisherman).

Time to back up on Britt. He has had 7 surgeries. He has a titanium plate in his head with a 12 open stitched up to show for it.
He has had his voice box rebuilt(still talked almost aas much as me) and little use of his right arm. He was a happy go lucky 23 yr old who went to war so we could enjoy what we do so taking these guys out just made me feel warm and fuzzy all over and helping me out and his first cat trip was Steve Hudson who's dad had served in Korea. We all were glad to show these guys a good time and we did.

This fish was a nice 21 lber that got our day started. There were more pics but will try to post later.
We had 2nd biggest fish out of the 21 boats entered in the tourney. These young guys had a blast and I was assisted by my first mate - Joey Fincher aka Gilligan ! Plenty of food and drink and prizes given out after the ceremonies.

Call me today Joe on the 24ft Sweetwater pontoon aka The Catfish Cadillac - heat - cushion seats, music and you name it. Phone is 804-690-8469. We seem to be getting several hogs each trip.

Tonight I am going out striper fishing with rattletraps at an "unknown location" ! ! ! ! !

Lots of fish - call Scott and visit the Pamunkey River - you are gonna catch fish with Capt. Scott ! 804-690-3875. I hope to hear from some of our fans. Winter fishing is almost here - it's always 72 degrees on the catfish cadillac and for the young at heart Scott's 21ft Carolina Skiff does it all with speed ! Cya Capt Joe

PS - God Bless his soul - Mikey, the marine, was in Okinawa and fell off a long board(skateboard) going 40 mph ! Joey told him he'd have to come up with a better story than that but Mikey is sticking with it. Still don't know what his injuries were but somehow he was a "Wounded Warrior" and thanks to everyone one of them for their sacrifice. You might say we picked on Mikey a little bit but even at 5' 4" he took it like a Marine ! ! !

Make-up Catfishing Trip

Is there anyone who would like to participate in a Make-up Catfishing Trip? I have had people ask me over the years but have never tried it. If you are not familiar with the concept of a make-up trip it is when a group of people come together for a fishing trip that may not know each other. Sometimes there will be 1 or 2 people who want to do a trip but it is less expensive per person to have more people go. So if there is anyone interested in doing a trip like this let me know. I have picked 2 dates for this trip to be November 24 or December 1st. You can sign up for either day just let me know which day you want. The cost will be $100 per person regardless of how many people come. There must be at least 2 people signed up for the day to make is worth going. The max number of people we will take on this trip is 4.

10-13 Pamunkey Trip

Saturday I took out my wife's Grandfather and some of the guys that lived in my old neighborhood. The weather couldn't have been any better with highs in the 60's and very little wind. We started out getting some bait and no trouble at all finding that. We also caught a ton of turtle and a couple small puppy drum while we were getting bait.

Our first good cat of the day was this 20 pound blue.

A little later we had this nice 28 pounder. Right before we caught this one we had a fish slam a pole about as hard as I have ever seen. We had it one for a minute before it broke our like. You never know how big it was but it sure seemed like a monster!

 While we were fishing a spot in a creek this raccoon walked along the marsh and then swam across the creek.

This fish was about 12-15 pounds but he hit the rod so hard he unscrewed my rod holder.

The leaves are starting to change and its a great time to go fishing. As the water cools down the fishing heats up.

Cooler weather....More fish !

Love Fall Time.....Oct 4th Stripers are now gonna be another new target fish AFTER we put a few big cats on board. Capt JOE

Capt Joe's 9-29 Trip

The Bite is On - Captain Joe on the Catfish Cadillac(24ft pontoon) 

Did I mention it was HEATED ? ? ?  

 

We had our first day trip of the fall/winter season Saturday as my first mate (CatfishBOB) and I stayed busy early in the day pullin' in some nice cats. Matt graduated from his High School and his MOM and DAD asked him what he wanted for a present. Long story short - he's holding it - A 40 lb Blue Cat ! ! !  

Awesome family pic of Shelly and Woody  and Matt with his hawg ...........super nice family and we all had a blast .......
Within 15 minutes he pulled in his second big cat - CITATION 30 lbs ! ! !
The rods just kept slammin' down. Woody and Shelly his mom let Matt pull in every fish on our trip.

Flatheads love live bait ! Suprise - a nice but small flathead. Well small to me but bigger than any flathead Matt had caught back home in West Virginia. I was afraid to ask but they do have cars now and indoor plumbing in West Va. How times change !

Finally we moved and anchored and a 21 pounder slams the pole again. His 3rd biggest for the day.
We pulled in about 3-4 more smaller fish but overall an awesome day. Give us a call as Matt is ready to book for the spring season already hoping to get in on the BIG Striper action.

Sturgeon Spawning in the James River

Check out this story from the Times Dispatch about the James River Sturgeon.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2012/sep/28/tdsport08-outdoors-catch-glimpse-of-the-past-from-ar-2240362/

Fishing update

Fishing has been pretty good lately. Just about every thrip has been producing tophy fish. Most trips have had multiple fish over 20 pounds and many being in the 30's and 40's. Now is the time to get you fall and winter trip lined up.

FWD:3rd slam finally got this 22. Bite is strong.

3rd slam finally got this 22. Bite is strong

7-31-12 James River Trip

Capt Jow was lucky enough to dodge a majority of the storms last night and was able to have a great trip with some new friends Patrick, Hunter and George.

Hunter caught an awesome 26 pounder

and George brought in this fat 43 pound monster!

We would have liked to keep them out a little longer but the storms finally caught up to them and it was time to head in.

Thanks again guys for coming out and fishing with us. We hope to see you again very soon!

14' Grumman with a 15hp suzuki outboard and trailer

14' Grumman V-Hull boat with a 15hp suzuki outboard and trailer. Boat does not leak. Comes with carpeted floor, Reciculation baitwell, Bildge pump, 500 GPH aireator pump for livewell, spare prop, spare tire. Motor runs and has always run amazing. I have always bragged about this motor being a 1984 and how easy it starts and how well it runs. Come and take a look at it you will not be dissapointed.

Here is a video of the motor running great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcKEdpYZ4kU&feature=plcp

NOW Asking $1,800

Update

Now asking only
$1500

Boat For Sale - 1984 14' Grumman Boat with 15hp Suzuki Motor

14' Grumman V-Hull boat with a 15hp suzuki outboard and trailer. Boat does not leak. Comes with carpeted floor, Reciculation baitwell, Bildge pump, 500 GPH aireator pump for livewell, spare prop, spare tire. Motor runs and has always run amazing. I have always bragged about this motor being a 1984 and how easy it starts and how well it runs. Come and take a look at it you will not be dissapointed.

NOW Asking $1,500

Pamunkey and Mattaponi Trips - Places to stay and things to do

I have been thinking lately about putting together a list of places to stay and other things to do for people who come from out of town take one of our trips. So this post will be about the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Trips

Places to stay:

The Washington Burgess Inn ( http://www.washingtonburgessinn.com/index.html ) This is the closest to the river. They have a Restaurant and a Pool. Nothing fancy here... but gets the job done.

The Great Wolf Lodge and Resort ( greatwolf.com ) If you are making a vacation out of you trip to fish with us and you have kids this would be a great place to stay!

Williamsburg, VA - If you are bringing your wife and are interested in doing some shopping you will love staying in or near Williamsburg, Va. There are tons of outlets and shops in this area. Even if it's just the guys this is just a great area with tons of restaurants and attractions. ( https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hotels+near+toano+va&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&ei=AY79T9asMoOm8QSa36zOBg&ved=0CGMQ_AUoAg )

If you are flying in or want to stay closer to the city you can stay near the Richmond International Airport. This is also the area we reccommend you stay in if your trip will be on the James river. This is about a 30 minute drive from the Pamunley and Mattaponi.  I recommend the Red Roof Inn just because it is right next door to Mexico Restaurant!( https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hotels+near+RIC&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&ei=DZL9T6G_EKSi2gWK1aXlBg&ved=0CGUQ_AUoAg )

Bethpage Campground - Located about 25 minutes from the launch point. This is a great place for families. They have rental cabins and well as rental spaces available to bring your own camper or RV. They have a water park with pools and slides as well as a lake. ( http://www.bethpagecamp.com/ )

Rockahock Campground - (http://www.rockahock.com/) Located on the Chickahomany River about 20 minutes from the launch.

Other things to do:


Busch Gardens ( http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg )

Movie Taver Williamsburg- You can eat dinner, have a drink and watch a movie in the same seat! ( https://movietavern.tstickets.com/(S(yrzi1nu2cu44qbfqpdffdh55))/ticketing.aspx?theatreid=4012 )

Water Country USA ( http://www.watercountryusa.com/wc/ )

Urbanna Oyster Festival - First Weekend in November only but this is a GREAT Event. ( http://www.urbannaoysterfestival.com/ )

West Point Crab Carnival - First weekend in September. Small but fun small town gathering ( http://www.crabcarnival.com/ )

Bethpage Campground - Located about 25 minutes from the launch point. This is a great place for families. They have rental cabins and well as rental spaces available to bring your own camper or RV. They have a water park with pools and slides as well as a lake. ( http://www.bethpagecamp.com/ )

Go-Carts  - (http://www.gokartsplus.com/)

West Point Sky Diving - I'm not coming with you but I'm sure you will get a great view of there river!(http://www.skydivewestpoint.com/default.aspx)