@ Comstock Pond

Most of the parameters were the same on both days so I'll just lump them together.

Conditions: Sunny; 32 deg (12/9@3pm; 26 deg (12/10@8am)
Water Temp: 44-47 deg
Water Vis: 2-3 feet, silt and TONS of leaves.
Tide: Slack, ebbing on 12/9; High, 12/10


12/09:
Fished from 3pm-5pm on Friday. Caught 6 LGM Bass in the 1-3# range. Super slow retrive using a 1/2 oz jighead w/a smoke/glitter 3" grub. Caught 3 med crappie using a 1/8 char Roadrunner. Good to see the crappie are finally moving in...

12/10:
Fished from 8am-12 noon. Caught 10-12 LGM bass using the same smoke/glitter grub and a lead jig head. All fish were in the 2-3 lb range. I did hook into a 3.5#er but once she felt the cold air....spit!
Caught 2 small crappie with a black head roadrunner with a 2" black curly shad bass assasin.

Slow retrieve seems to be the key now that the real weather has set in.

Forgot to add, most of the decent size fish were following the southern sun around the shoreline. All the fish I caught, on both days, were in 3 feet of water or less and stationary on the northern shorelines.

Excuse my ignorance but what is the Comstock ponds?

Ahhh, Comstock, it is the barge bits of the James. That's were I take my kids for bream fishin' all the time.

Ooops meant to say the Appomattoz

Appomattoz? Wheres that?

Ego, Its also known as "Comstocks" and "Conjurors Neck". Its just down stream from Pye Ally and just upstream from the Swift Creek delta. Colonial Heights.

I live in the development on Comstock Pond. In fact, my neighbor is Mary Ellen Comstock, the (once)property owner.

Fall, winter and spring are really good times to fish here because of how shallow it is. In summer, the water gets to hot for game fish.

Fall here is good for Bass, Stripers, Crappie and Cats.
Winter is good for Stripers and Crappie.
Spring is AWESOME for Crappie and bedding Bass.

It gets a ton of pressure in in spring because of the bedding bass. Ive seen up to 25 boats in my backyard, during spring. Tourney guys usually.

Speaking of bedding bass and spring, This years crop of bass yearlings was GREAT! This place is loaded with 6-8 inch bass right now. 2-3 years from now should be good. Unless the a-holes that keep 1 pounders or less, get wind.

I am going to assume that Mary Ellen Comstock is now a very wealthy lady :)

Randy I always wondered what you do/did for a living to be able to afford a home right on the river....lucky guy!

That's my dream...to one day own a home on a body of water...even if it's just a pond!

The Comstocks, Wealthy? lol since the bought the property from the Kennon's in the 1800's. Yep. Shes loaded but is very modest in her age (80's). Her kids and grandkids...thats a different story.

As for me. I was in the Coast Guard for 15 years. Was stationed in Hawaii for 9 of those years. Owned a Custom Fine Woodworking Business in Hawaii for 6 years. Sold the business and some properties in Hawaii and moved to a place where my money works better for me, has better schools for my daughter, and has work.

To answer your question...I'm a Commercial/Industrial Construction Superintendent. I manage large construction jobs. With that income, My wifes income, the return on my past business and the selling of my properties in Hawaii...thats how I can afford a place on the river.

PS...and thats the short answer!!!!

Just to add, This fishing report was added to the "Fishing Report" section of this site..."Duh" on my part.

Alright, easy on me. I'll admit, I've got a little "warming" fire goin on in the yard right now, and maybe had a couple o' beers.

I swear occifer I only had two

Just how big were those two beers son....LOL

You drunk!

That's a cool story Randy, I hope I get to live that dream of having a place on the water some day. Sounds like you worked hard for it.

Also sounds like my wife needs a better job to support my dream :)

Perhapssssss. But im not drivin' a motavehacle tonite. Or tha boat, hence the 11 AM blast off.

LOL gotcha....11am blast off because you'll be sleepin late ;)

Hey it happens! Sounds like somethin I'd do...I think you & I would make a good pair of bumblin stumblin tournament partners :)

You know, the guys who never win, never catch anything...but generally have the most fun LOL

Actually, 11 AM blst off cause its too pharkin cold before that. But, we'll get together one day and see who the master of the "dink" is.

Jeff - Sounds like you may be in the hunt for a new partner "TEAM DINK"

Um, if you're actually able to catch Dinks then you are no competition to me in the "can't catch fish" contest lol....

I can't even catch dinks :)

That's it, as soon as my boat is out of the shop the 3 of us are going out I need to see who is the king of the no catch...LOL

Jeff

Haha you can be our impartial moderator....

I'm tellin you, I am almost SURPRISED when I catch a fish....and I try hard!

It's funny b/c I use all of the methods I see on every bass show, magazine, and forum.....

I look for points with access to deep water, I look for submerged structure, I look for coves with the wind blowing into them, possibly blowing baitfish into it.....I use brigher colors on overcast days, I fish the sunny side of things on cold days, I fish the shade on hot days, I go deep, I go shallow, I use soft plastics, I bump jigs along the bottom, I use crank baits, I use spinner baits, I fish creek mouths during incoming and outgoing tides, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc....

It's almost comical.

Ego, email me at vafishing@comcast.net when you get a chance. I want to ask you some questions on your fishing and try to help you get on some fish.

Jeff

After I take Jeff K., Im inviting Ego out with me next on the James and put him on some big fat catfish. And If that doesnt work, I just might have to blindfold him and take him to my secret pond in Rockville in the spring. He wouldnt even have to take the blindfold off and he could catch bass in that pond.
Bill

LOL, now guys I'm not COMPLETELY inept...

I can catch fish when using bait and I can ALWAYS manage to catch fish in ponds....

But if I'm artificial lure fishing for bass, 99 times out of 100 I'm getting skunked.

For instance, this summer I went to the Mattaponi a lot. I considered the trips where I went and caught more than 3 fish to be a great success. Most of my trips there were flat out SKUNKS though.

Ego, never said you were completely inept but do sense your troubles with artificials and think I might help you out. By the way don't let the Mattaponi get you down. That river is tough, especially for bass, there just are not a lot of them there. Case in point my club has a ton of good fishermen yet when we held our T on the Mattaponi this year only something like 6 out of 30 guys bought fish to the weigh in and I hear that is kind of the norm.

Jeff

You were the one calling yourself the king of not catching fish. I dont use live bait in "the pond". I usually use a weightless Senko, although the biggest ones have been caught on Rat-L-Traps. If you want the help catching fish, there are the people here like Banko, Blackie Lee and Myself that will help.
Bill

Well, what does it say about me that I HAVE NEVER caught a bass out of the James river LOL!

(excluding small mouth fishing, I've caught them)

Seriously though, I know the Mattaponi is a tough river....and in all honesty, I think that river is more about being there under the right conditions. I've had days there when the bite was pretty strong...

But the James river is an enigma to me.....

Take for instance that old wooden bridge directly across from Dutch Gap. I usually stop and fish that any time I'm around that area. The water under that bridge is generally 10-14 feet deep.

I have tried SLOWLY bumping a jig-n-pig past the bridge pilings....I have tried fishing a texas rigged worm through the pilings...I have tried swimming a crankbait across the channel under the bridge....I have tried senkos...

And I have not had a single hit there. There is a LOT of structure under the water there too, I can feel my jig bumping over it....and yet no hits.

It baffles me because I see you guys talking about 30-50 fish days or at the very least catching SOMETHING when you go.

Oh and Bill, I think I worded my pond-fishing abilities wrong.

I can catch the hell out of fish in a pond for some reason....on artificial lures.

I fished a farm pond one day during the spawn and caught 70-something fish. It was the coolest thing because I could see some of them on the beds and I had a lizard tied on....and could literally watch the fish take strikes at it until they finally gulped it :)

So yea, pond fishing, catfishing, and just general bait fishing, I am solid at.....I enjoy saltwater fishing as well..

But freshwater bass fishing in rivers and lakes like Diascund or Chick....I blow at it.

The James is all about finding the spots that have the fish. I too have never caught anything on that bridge. One thing I have learned on the James is to have confidence in one or two baits, for me that is creature baits in black and blue and finesse style worms in june bug, and then move around alot until you find the fish. It seems like a lot of people just want to look at a piece of structure or cover and assume it will hold fish and will throw everything at it they can to try to catch those fish they assumed were there. The James just doesn't work that way. The best thing to do in my opinion is 1) Like I said earlier throw one or two baits you have high confidence in; 2)Fish fast and hit as many pieces of cover or structure you can until you find fish; 3) Once you find fish, fish the heck out of the area.

Jeff

Well, I do tend to only use 2 or 3 baits the whole time I fish, which are typically:

A red shad colored worm
A black/blue jig & pig
A Mepps rooster tail

Those are the baits I have confidence in and so far I've only caught blue cats on them lol

As for seeing structure and assuming it holds fish, I'm probably guilty of that. I have fished the hell out of that bridge. I've also fished the hell out of the shore line in Jones Neck (Deep Bottom) that has all of the old pier pilings....

I'll still take you to "the Pond" man. We can have fun with numbers. I wasnt doubting your ability, just your record. And you can catch LMB on the main James. My partner does it all the time while I am catfishing. He beats the banks and he amazes me.
Bill

Was re-reading through this thread....

One question I always wanted to ask, WHAT IS that old wood bridge across from Dutch Gap?

I noticed there is a sign on it that says "3 mph speed limit" and another warning sign that says "warning bridge is old" and something like that.

What is/was it used for? I can't imagine anyone uses it these days.

Not sure what is out on that island that the bridge goes to but I have seen it being used. Once I saw a guy go across in a pick up and once I saw a guy riding a lawn tractor over it.

Jeff

Ego, in all seriousness. I am getting to the point that 90% of the time I go to the river I catch something. My problem is that I almost never catch when others are around to witness it. Don't know why, but thats the way it is. I owe most of my success (if you want to call it that) to Jeff actually. He and I have been fishing together quite a few times, and I almost always learn something from him. Oh, and the two tourneys I fished with him, he caught all the fish.. Even the pike I caught during the last T was a dink.

Jeff - No more 3 packs in your boat for me - glass is hard to get I'll just follow in mine.

I have heard that the Ukrops family owns that island. I would not cross that bridge.
Bill

Just not on Sundays...

Ego, I trust that you were not offended by my post. I really would like to fish with you sometime. I have felt your pain many times. Remember, two heads are better than one.
Bill

Naw I don't get offended easily :) Don't worry I knew what you were trying to say :)

Good news is that our company came out with the holiday schedule today (it was up in the air due to the volume of orders) and I'll be off the 24th through the 28th....plan on fishing a lot.