Piedmont Division finale will hit a James River that’s fishing ‘as good as it ever has’
The fourth stop of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Piedmont Division season will be held Aug. 3 on the James River. This is the first stop on the James for this division this year and the summertime bite on this famed tidal fishery should be as hot as the weather.
Tournament details
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Piedmont Division
Henrico, VA
August 3
About the fishery
The James River is no stranger to tournament bass fishing and has already hosted several Major League Fishing events this year. There are a handful more planned to wrap up the BFL season in a couple of different divisions.
The competition boundaries of the Aug. 3 Piedmont Division BFL include many options for anglers, both in the James River and the connected Appomattox and Chickahominy rivers. No matter where competitors choose to fish, they’ll likely be around bass. There’s an ample amount of cover and structure throughout the system. Anglers can fish vegetation, wood, and manmade cover like docks, barges and duck blinds, all of which provide plenty of targets on the historic river.
Prince George, Virginia, angler Frank Poirier is an accomplished veteran with Major League Fishing, logging 33 Top 10s over the years, with a third of those on the James. He often fishes his home waters for various trails and says the river is in great shape this year.
“The system is very healthy and there’s a great bass population right now,” Poirier said. “It’s as healthy as I’ve ever seen it, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve been fishing here for 55 years. It’s fishing as good as it ever has.”
What to expect
Poirier has been busy competing in local events all year and said that the James and connected rivers are fishing great for summertime standards.
“It’s been fantastic all summer,” he said. “I fished a recent event, had 18 pounds, and came in fourth. It took nearly 20 pounds to win that tournament, and you had to have 16 pounds just to get in the money. Those are very good weights for this time of year.”
For the upcoming Piedmont Division event, Poirier believes the weights will be similar: “Usually 16 or 17 pounds wins most of the solo events in the summer, but if someone has a big kicker, it’s a lot easier to have 19 or 20 pounds,” he predicted.
The incoming and outgoing tides always matter in a tidal fishery, and Poirier confirmed that understanding where to be and when will be a difference maker in this event.
“Tide is a big factor, it always is,” he said. “Thankfully, this event is away from the full moon because that can be bad for the fishing. During a full moon, the tide pulls hard in both directions and muddies up areas. That’s not what we want, so the tide should be much more manageable for this one.”
One thing that Poirier loves about summer fishing on the James River system is the options it presents, both in areas and techniques.
“This is a time of year where it can be a little bit of everything,” he said. “Guys will catch fish on topwater and there will be a lot of soft plastics catching fish. Senkos, creature baits, worms, you name it, they all work here. Frogs will still be in play and moving baits like crankbaits and ChatterBaits will all catch fish.”
While the James is the listed site for this event, the Chickahominy River typically gets the bulk of attention. Poirier says this will still be the case in early August, but that the winning area can be anywhere on the system.
“Every branch of the river system has the potential to win this tournament,” he said. “You can stay close to the launch, make the long run to the Chickahominy, stay somewhere in between in the James, or fish the Appomattox. What’s great about this time of year is you can fish your strengths and do well if you find the right area.”