Richmond, Va. – When Greg DiPalma began his practice period for the 2022 St. Croix Bassmaster Northern Open at James River presented by Mossy Oak Fishing, the water temperature on the main river was around 58 degrees with shallow water areas in the 60 degree range.
But with a series of 70 to 80 degree days in Eastern Virginia leading up to the tournament, DiPalma and the rest of the 225 boat field have seen water temperatures rise, and DiPalma thinks that may cause the “perfect storm” for the largemouth to begin the spawning process.
“I anticipated a spawn happening,” the New Jersey native said at registration Wednesday. “We finally had a warming trend and that is going to help tremendously. That shallow water heated up over the last night, so tomorrow could explode.”
The final day of practice saw temperatures reach 87 degrees and the overnight low only dropped to 67 degrees on Wednesday night, and with a full moon approaching later in the weekend Sunday, tidal water expert and Elite Series champion Bryan Schmitt agrees that the right ingredients are in play for a major push to the shallows.
“This is picture perfect. The time of year, with the weather conditions, the full moon, it is the best situation you could have,” Schmitt said. “These fish want to get shallow no matter what because they are tidal fish, this just makes every fish go shallow. No one can say the fishing was tough on us, because it’s going to be that good. I’m not saying everyone is going to have 20 pounds, but you are going to get bites no matter what you do.”
The current conditions on James River creates an interesting set of challenges for the 225 boat field that haven’t been present in tournaments past. The majority of the Opens held here have happened during the summer, when the vegetation and lily pads are the thickest. In those events, veteran angler Pete Gluszek said the bass are more likely to scatter, giving anglers more room to operate.
That will not be the case this time around.
“Right now, it seems like wherever you are finding fish it is just a revolving door,” Gluszek said. “You have to try and get the timing right, guess right on where to start, get the rotation in order and play the tides. It is going to be tough decision making out there. I think it will be one of those tournaments where boat draw is going to be a factor. I just want early or late on Day 1.”
In an area where multiple anglers will be fishing, Gluszek said finding a unique technique, color or even changing line size could be the difference maker. He put that theory to test in practice and was able to locate several large, prespawn females.
Past tournaments have also been dominated by anglers who make a long run to the Chickahominy River area of the tidal system and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mike “Ike” Iaconelli expects many anglers will attempt to do the same this time around.
“We have a giant field, and my prediction is 180 of the 225 will be in the Chickahominy,” the former Classic champion said. “Without a doubt, the biggest bass in the river, 30-pound bags, swim in the Chickahominy and that draws people there. It is a saving grace to the pressure. It has a Florida strain in it and the only (river) in the whole system that has submergent vegetation and a massive amount of cypress. One hundred and seventy boats is a lot, but there are 30-pound bags. It is very possible it could happen.”
While many anglers will try their hand at “The Chick,” Gluszek and DiPalma believe anglers could find success in other areas of the James River.
“This is probably the first time I’ve said this, but the winner could come off the main river this time,” DiPalma said. “This year I think it will play more than ever. The Chickahominy has always been the number one player, but I don’t know if that will be the case. If the fish pull up there, yes it will come out of there. But if not, the main river in the middle areas is where you will want to be. The main channel is so close to the spawning areas, so those fish can pull up instantly where in the Chickahominy it takes a little longer for them to get there.”
Iaconelli won the Open on the James River in 2018 and has multiple years of experience on the fishery, but he said any advantage he may have had disappears under these conditions. In his short practice period, he found the bass in flux with the quick weather changes.
“We’ve had a massive change, and it happened quickly. Ideally you have a warmup that is slower and progressive, not like a light switch,” Ike said, “In saying that, it has for sure triggered fish that were in a prespawn, winter mode to want to go shallow and eventually spawn. Whether they do it now or not, it is driving that direction for them. You have fish in flux, and you almost have to guess where they are coming to. A place you went where you got two or three bites, it could potentially turn into 20 bites.”
