u/GooberTimeGuide

Hey everyone, just wanted to share a quick trip recap from this past weekend. Had an awesome crew—Brian, Cole, and Amanda—out on the boat to celebrate Father’s Day and a birthday.

The James River blue cats definitely showed up for the party. We ended up staying out late and found a really solid bite pattern once the sun went down. Always great introducing people to the kind of heavy-tackle action we get out here, especially for a family milestone.

I just put together a full breakdown of the trip, including the late-night action, patterns, and photos. If you're interested in how the bite is shaping up right now on the James, you can read the full report here:

https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/james-river-blue-catfish-fishing-report-trophies-birthdays-and-late-night-action

Tight lines!

Looks like the spawn on the James is finally coming to a close. For those who know, this is the transition we’ve been waiting for. The fish are going to be hungry and moving out of their spawning areas, which usually means the post-spawn bite is about to fire up in a big way.

I wrote up a quick article detailing the adjustments we’re making to our gear and locations to stay on the fish as they transition. Hopefully, it helps you guys capitalize on the upcoming action.

Check it out here: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/mastering-the-post-spawn-blue-catfish-bite-on-the-james-river

Just got off the water at Lake Chesdin—huge shoutout to my guests today for putting in the work and making it a productive morning! We had a blast.

I’ve put together a breakdown of what we were seeing and how we were targeting them. You can check out the full report here: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/lake-chesdin-multi-species-fishing-report-a-productive-morning

Had a productive day on the water at Lake Chesdin on June 3rd. We were targeting panfish and had a solid bite in 8–14 feet of water using Arkie 220s and Bandit 300s. Ended up with 28 fish total (mostly crappie and white perch, plus a couple of bass and a channel cat).

If you’re interested in the gear/rigging setup or want to see the full breakdown, I posted the report here:

https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/lake-chesdin-multi-species-trolling-trip-goober-time-guide-service

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how the spawn is affecting the bite on the James. I just put together a deep dive on my site regarding the biology of the Blue Catfish spawn, our "conservation-first" policy for trophy fish, and the specific setups we’re using right now to pivot to flatheads and smallmouth bass instead.

Hope it’s a good read for those of you also hitting the river: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/james-river-catfish-spawn-guide-goober-time-guide-service

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout and thank you to all the awesome folks who have jumped on the boat with us recently—including Jose, Omar, Tucker, and Cesar. We've had some killer days on the water lately!

The multi-species action is really turning on right now with a solid mix of crappie, catfish, and bass hitting the deck. If you're curious about what patterns and baits have been working for the summer bite, I threw together a quick breakdown in our latest report.

Tight lines everyone! Full report here: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/multi-species-action-crappie-catfish-and-bass-heat-up-the-summer-bite

Just wanted to drop our latest trip report from Lake Chesdin for anyone looking to pattern panfish on the lakes right now.

The Conditions: 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Clear skies. Water temps started at 69°F at lines-in and warmed up to 72°F by late morning, which really fired up the schools.

The Strategy Switch: We initially started long-lining jigs early on, but it was dead quiet. We pivoted entirely to a full trolling spread of crankbaits to locate where they were suspended, and that completely changed the morning.

We staggered the depths running Arkie 220s (hitting mid-depths around 10-12ft) and Bandit 300s (digging deeper to 12-16ft). Once we located the suspended schools up-lake, it was game on. We ended up with 22 fish total: 13 Crappie, 8 White Perch, and a nice Shellcracker.

If you want to check out the full breakdown of the gear, setup, and structural patterns we targeted, feel free to read the full report here: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/lake-chesdin-multi-species-fishing-report-a-birthday-trolling-success

Had a great session this past Saturday with some awesome guests celebrating a birthday. The river gave us a few presents in the form of some solid trophies!

It’s an exciting time to be on the water right now as the patterns shift. I just posted a vague breakdown of the trip and what we’re seeing out there on my blog. Huge thanks again to the crew for coming out!

Full Report: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/birthday-trophies-on-the-river-may-2nd-fishing-report

Focused on long-lining and trolling crankbaits for our first guide trip of the year. The spring transition is in full effect!

Full breakdown on tactics and gear used: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/reeling-in-success-a-kayak-fishing-masterclass-with-goober-time-guide-service

Focused on long-lining and trolling crankbaits for our first guide trip of the year. The spring transition is in full effect!

Full breakdown on tactics and gear used: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/reeling-in-success-a-kayak-fishing-masterclass-with-goober-time-guide-service

Just got off the water at Chickahominy and the multi-species action is incredible right now. We put 59 fish in the boat yesterday, including a massive variety of panfish and some aggressive predators.

The water temps made a huge jump throughout the day, which completely shifted the bite in the afternoon. I’ve posted the full breakdown of the patterns, depth, and the specific locations we worked over on the blog for anyone looking to head out this week.

Full details here: https://www.goobertimeguideservice.com/post/chickahominy-lake-fishing-report-spring-panfish-slam