James River
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Species

Season
James River Overview
Top Techniques Reported for Largemouth Bass + Spring
- Spinnerbaits5
- Swim Jigs3
- Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)3
- Structure Jigs2
- Wacky Rigs2
Largemouth Bass23 Reports
Smallmouth Bass5 Reports
Striped Bass1 Report
Recent and Trending Baits
Fishing Reports
61 Reports on James RiverSort by
TheKurrent
Bronze Ambassador
3/23/25
Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Hard Swimbaits
Structure
Shad
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
59°
Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)
Structure
Stumps
Forage
Bluegill
The first stop of the 2022 Bassmaster Northern Opens was on the James River. I didn't have the best finish but caught a TON of fish. I was averaging 20-30 bites a day but mostly connecting with the smaller bucks that were protecting their beds. I would flip a Z-Man Bangstick and ZinkerZ to docks and trees where the fish would potentially be bedding to catch my fish. I would also mix a Jackhammer with a Razor Shad on it, to target the bigger prespawners. This worked both days of the tournament catching my 3 biggest fish and also was a big player in practice before the water really warmed up for those fish to spawn. If you want to learn more about how this tournament went and see the fish catches check out my YouTube channel, Grae Buck Fishing. Here is the recap- https://youtu.be/jWEX9f0dBH0
Species
Smallmouth Bass
Season
Spring (Post-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Water Temperature
58°
With water levels coming down and still slightly stained, the full moon and warming temperatures. The smallmouth fishing was outstanding. The supper fluke was the bait for early morning bite, we found that the 1/2 ounce jackhammer with a junebug fluke in the current was the hot bait for bigger fish. We also caught nice fish on the X zone 3.5 swammer pearl and chartreuse. With smeltonator camo head.
Top Fishing Techniques
for Largemouth Bass + SpringChoose from techniques based on James River fishing reports.