Fishing for a place to fish

Tim Mick, Virginia state youth director with The Bass Federation, fishes along the Swift Creek Reservoir. Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer Chesterfield County has abundant waterways. The James River flows along its northern and eastern borders. The Appomattox River defines most of its southern border. Swift Creek and Falling Creek gently roll through the landscape. In addition to these waterways, over 40 lakes and ponds dot the countryside.

With all that water, you might think the county would be a fisherman’s paradise. Well, it is and it isn’t. The county’s waterways do provide for some good and diverse fishing, but access to these waterways is limited.

“It is getting increasingly harder to find a good public place [to fish],” says Craig Statham, an avid fisherman.

Even so, he’s more than obliging to direct others to local fishing sites in the county.

“Of course, most people know about the reservoir, which is accessible to the public between Genito and Woolridge [roads],” says Statham. “There are bass, crappy and chain pickerel [there]. Live bait is probably the best, but you can use spinner baits and artificial worms.”

Fisherman Ervin Collier shows off two bass he caught along the Swift Creek Reservoir. Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer Statham also recommends Lake Chesdin. “It’s a good place to fish. There are lots of pleasure boaters down there, but you can still fish down there.” The fish are similar to Swift Creek Reservoir, but he also adds catfish and walleye to the catch.

For fishing largemouth bass, catfish and striper (when in season), Statham suggests the section of the James River by the Dutch Gap Boat Landing.

Lonnie Hill, who has fished most of his life and works at Castaway Sporting Goods in Chester, echoes the sentiments of Statham: “A lot of people come in here all the time to find something to fish [with], but the biggest problem is accessibility. You’re kind of limited on what you can do. Most facilities are private. If you’re going to the [James] River...unless you have a boat, you still don’t have a lot of accessibility.”

Hill refers to the River Trail that runs along the James River from the Dutch Gap Boat Landing to Henricus Park. There’s plenty of shoreline, but except for a few places, most of the shoreline is thick with trees and loaded with debris that can easily snag a fishing line.

Hill does share the merits of fishing private ponds and lakes.

“The biggest thing you can do if you don’t have a boat, and you want to take kids fishing... is go talk to the property owner. The worst thing they are going to tell you is ‘no,’” says Hill.

If a private landowner gives you permission to fish, Hill gives the following advice: “Don’t make a mess. Don’t clutter up the place. If you see something, remove it – you know, like paper or something like that. And not only that, if you catch a few fish and all, and he tells you, ‘You can keep some,’ offer him some. Just being polite and courteous will go a long way.”

Tim Mick, Virginia state youth director with The Bass Federation, also laments about the accessibility of fishing in the county. And like Statham and Hill, he shares his knowledge of fishing sites unselfishly.

The Radcliffe Conservation Area that borders the Appomattox River “is going to end up probably being an area where people walk the path and fish,” says Mick.

“If you want catfish, you put in at Dutch Gap, and just about anywhere down from Osborne Landing all the way down to Presquile National Wildlife Refuge...is good catfishing.”

The barge pit, an old sand and gravel quarry that’s now part of the Dutch Gap Conservation Area, is also a good place for catfish in the spring when they are spawning, says Mick.

“Anywhere where there is a point or jetty, you can fish for stripers or bass. Crappy and brim are mixed in with the slower water,” says Mick about the tidal section of the James River.

Robious Landing Park in northern Chesterfield offers bank and boat fishing in the backwaters of the James River. Bank fishing is limited to a few sites, with one of the better sites being the emergency boat launch just slightly upriver from the trail head.

The park had two fishing piers. The storms and high water from last fall left one fishing pier in disrepair and the other “fishing pier went down river,” says Susan Taylor, park district manager for Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation.

But the park’s boat launch lures people who fish by canoe, kayak or other non-motorized boat. The gentle waters and good fishing makes this site ideal for boaters.

“I’ve seen pretty big catfish come out of there, and some pretty good-sized bass,” says Taylor.

Louis Williams, who has fished for many years and lives near Dutch Gap, makes routine trips to the conservation area. He rambles anywhere from about a half of a mile to one-and-one-quarter mile to reach the pond and barge pit.

His reason for hiking that distance is more than just fishing. “It’s close. It’s just a relief – get away from the house, the telephone...It’s got good scenery down here, and you get to see some animals,” says Williams.

He routinely sees bald eagles, osprey, deer and beavers. “Two muskrats work this place here,” says Williams, pointing to the far side of the pond during a recent fishing jaunt.

Like most who fish in Chesterfield, Williams knows that fishing sites are few. But the joy of reeling in a bass or catfish and the quiet solitude along a pond or river brings him back again and again.