Brackish and tidal waters are all good with Scroggins

Terry Scroggins feels right at home on the James River during Stage Six since it's similar to his home water, the St. Johns River. Photo by Phoenix Moore. Angler: Terry Scroggins.

June 28, 2024 • Luke Stoner • Bass Pro Tour

RICHMOND, Va. – Team Toyota pro Terry Scroggins is feeling right at home on the James River, thanks to his experience on the St. Johns River in Florida. The playing field for General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts may be a 10-hour haul in the Tundra from Big Show’s hometown of San Mateo, Florida, but his constant presence in the top five of Group B competition this week supports this familiarity.

According to Scroggins, the James and St. Johns have plenty of differences, but they’re both tidal fisheries and are both influenced by the presence of saltwater fish and forage types.

“My experience with understanding tide swings and bite windows definitely seems to be helping me here on the James,” Scroggins said. “I pre-practiced here a few months ago, but that was the first time I had ever made a cast on the James. The fish don’t live everywhere here, but I got a little something figured out after practice and Day 1.”

Scroggins believes maximizing bite windows presented by changing tides is vastly different on the James than on the St. Johns, but knowing what to look for has helped him spend time in productive water.

“At home I might run for 40 or 50 miles to stay with the right tide,” Scroggins said. “Here it’s more about choosing the right creeks or pockets to fish on different tides, and how the changing tide could affect the water clarity or quality. There’s a lot of fishing pressure and a lot of us sharing water this week. Knowing when to fish a pocket and staying stealthy in shallow water by using my Power-Poles to not stir things up too much could be key.”

Another similarity Scroggins is drawing from the St. Johns is the proximity of the James to the ocean, and the presence of marine crustaceans and fish. While many of his competitors see the existence of saltwater species as a bad sign during a bass tournament, it feels like home for Big Show.

“A bass will eat a fiddler crab just like he’ll eat a crawfish,” Scroggins said with a smile. “Seeing crabs or saltwater fish while looking for a bass spins a lot of these guys out a little bit. But I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught bass and redfish or flounder from the same spot with the same lure on the St. Johns. A lot of times they are looking for the same thing or using the same areas. It’s all good!”

Scroggins had to make several bait adjustments throughout his first competition day, logging scorable bass on SCORETRACKER® with multiple lures and presentations. He entered the second day of qualifying for Group B on Friday in second place and is already catching ‘em early. Scroggins believes he has one key area mostly to himself and is excited to get back on the water in hopes to notch another Knockout Round and continue his strong 2024 season.