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Discover the James - Home Page & Blog (see below)

 

Welcome to Discover the James.  This website is your avenue to the James River near Richmond, Virginia.  We focus our adventures on both the tidal and non-tidal James River.  This home page also contains a blog about my own Discovery of the James through the people I meet, the wildlife, scenery, and history of this wonderful river. 

The James River in many ways is as it has been for the last 15,000 years, but you have to look deep, or simply listen to find it.  Through a combination of programs and adventures on the history, wildlife, and fishing, you too can get a glimpse of the River as it has been for centuries. 

DiscovertheJames.com is a pathway for discovery of a historic river.  Throughout these pages you will view images and read stories about the James while learning about our programs.  I hope you enjoy this website as much as I enjoy maintaining it.  Keep up on recent stories through the blog below and look for new programming from Discover the James, as our vision of programs and adventures continue to grow every day.

For more information, to comment on this site, or to book an excursion, contact Capt Mike at Mike@DiscoverTheJames.com or 804-938-2350.

The photo's story?  Top right:  I am lucky to see so many wonderful images of bald eagles from a number of excellent photographers who come out on the Bald Eagle Tour.  This image was taken early in 2012 and has quickly become one of my favorites.  This is Bandit's new mate, the Duke.  -- Photo by Otis Sowell (click here to see more of Otis's work)

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Persistence Pays Off! "A Fishing Story by Young Richmond Angler, Hayden Kurz"

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Sat, 02/04/2012 - 23:10

Persistence Pays Off!
 
In the last couple months of 2011, I started to delve into the world of swimbait fishing – throwing giant baitfish style lures that specifically target big bass. I’m not talking about the Basstrix, Yum Money Minnow, or Zoom Swimmin’ Fluke, but the truly big baits; baits that exceed eight inches in length and weigh in excess of four ounces. With these giant lures comes a certain tradeoff – you’re most likely not going to have 20+ fish days, but on the days you do catch numerous fish, they’re most likely going to be much bigger than fish caught on traditional bass tackle. It’s sort of a “Go big or go home” mentality. You have to fully commit to the big baits and not succumb to the pressure of putting them down in exchange for a jig or plastic. Keep in mind, all of this information is what I had learned from seasoned swimbait fisherman, and until yesterday, I was still in the process of sticking with the big baits until I finally caught some fish. I’ll be the first to admit, it’s tough to gain confidence in a technique when you spend seven straight hours on the water without a fish, let alone a bite. But, with all of the time and effort you put in, sticking your first swimbait fish is like catching your very first bass all over again. It’s totally worth it.
 
Fast-forward to yesterday, February 3rd. I had put a combined 46 hours of time into the swimbaits without a fish to show for it. Plenty of bites, swats, taps, and slaps, but no hookups. After school I headed over to one of my prime spots. 45 minutes in, I finally hooked and landed a bass on the swimbait, specifically a Huddleston Deluxe 8” inch Rainbow Trout pattern. Because of all the missed bites, I had added a small #5 treble hook to the bottom of the bait with some braided line, and tucked the hook in between the pelvic fins of the bait the night before. Low and behold, it was caught on the tiny stinger hook. The fish wasn’t very big, 3.65 pounds, but was a very big accomplishment for me. I would have gone home a satisfied man having just caught that fish, but four hours later, my day got much, much better.
 
By 4 in the afternoon, I had moved to a different body of water that holds some truly monster fish. It’s a very well balanced lake with tons of bluegill, pickerel, and good numbers of 7+ pound bass. After an hour with a lot of bites but no hookups, I looked at the Hudd and realized all of the slaps I was getting were indeed the beloved pickerel (At one point I had made an exceptionally long cast onto a boulder, which had very slightly nicked my 25 lb. line. This will make sense later on in the story). I reeled in the Huddleston, which at this point looked like someone went at it with a razor blade, and moved to a spot that is the epitome of a big bass haunt – a creek flows in with tons of scattered brush, logs, and limbs. When the creek is running fast after a good rain, it pushes tons of threadfin shad into the lake, and the big bass follow. Outside of the creek channel, there is more scattered brush, a small point, and a very slight drop-off that I have caught two six pounders and a 7.3 off of. The water level was slightly high and stained from the creek water pouring in, and I would guess the water temperature to be somewhere in the high 50’s to low 60’s, which is very unusual for February in Virginia.
 
This is where things get weird. A lot of successful trophy bass fishermen have told me that to catch a trophy bass, you have to do everything perfectly. A bass in the 8-pound plus range didn’t reach that size by making stupid decisions. The right cast at the right time with the right lure is what it takes to catch a trophy, and if anything about your presentation is wrong, your chances decrease significantly. After about 15 casts in the area, I decided to approach the creek channel from a different angle, and moved 30 feet to my left. I made a long, accurate cast right past an ambush point; a spot where a big fish has an advantage over its prey, and in this case, the cast landed in the creek channel and was set up to swim past a big laydown right on the edge of the moving water. Prime. Absolutely prime. I began the slow retrieve back, reeled it past the laydown, and then I had the most ferocious, bone-jarring strike of my life. I loaded up the rod and the battle began. Right away, I knew it was a toad. Sometimes, big bass don’t put up a very good fight. They’re big, slow, and lazy, and besides a few headshakes here and maybe a surface thrash there, they (sometimes) don’t have the energy to pull as hard as their smaller relatives. This fish was different. For the Huddleston Deluxe, I use a Dobyns 807MAGH, an 8’ XXH rod with a long handle and tons of backbone, a Daiwa Luna 300 with the drag locked down, and 25 lb. P-Line CXX. That’s some serious equipment. At one point, I literally could not reel. This big girl was pulling with so much authority that I couldn’t move the reel handle. As I got her closer to shore and saw really how big she was, I said to myself “Come on dude, don’t screw this one up.” I guess I was just so excited that I had a big fish on this monster bait, I forgot everything I had learned about landing a big bass, because when she was close enough, I went to swing her up on the shore. Thankfully my rod didn’t snap, but as soon as she was over dry land, the line snapped. Common sense told me to retie after I had cast onto the rock, but my laziness thought otherwise. She flopped one time, and with my $25 bait, landed in a foot of water. Without even thinking, I jumped in after her. When I landed on my side, cell phone, keys, and camera in pocket, I wrapped my arms around her, grabbed her by the bottom lip, stood up, and went absolutely nuts. A couple of kids that were jumping on a trampoline close by and had watched the entire thing unfold probably thought I was insane. This fish was a toad. I jumped up on shore and ran over to my camera, which was on a tripod, snapped about 20 pictures, weighed her, and let her go.
 
One of the reasons I took interest in swimbait fishing was that catching big fish on traditional bass tackle wasn’t giving me the same rush that it used to. After I caught this fish, I was shaking, laughing, my heart was racing, adrenaline pumping, the whole package. It was awesome. All of the hours without success, all of the missed bites, all of the questioning and doubts, I had done it. It was without a doubt the best feeling I have ever had. That fish was worth all of the money I’ve ever spent on fishing tackle, all of the miles driven, and hours spent on the water.
 
She weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces on two separate digital scales, and measured 27 inches in length. Beat my previous personal best by four ounces. The 3.65 I had caught earlier in the day had just barely eaten the back half of the bait, and was hooked on the rear stinger hook. The 9 pounder had taken the entire bait, all the way up to the nose, and was hooked on the 1/0 treble attached to the line tie. Talk about a hog! That’s an eight-inch, four-ounce bait, and she could have easily swallowed it. I fished for another 20 minutes and caught one more fish, a 12 incher. A foot long bass tried to eat an eight-inch bait. That just goes to show that little fish aren’t afraid to hit a big, slow-moving lure. A lot of people throw much bigger lures, some reaching a whopping 16 inches!
 
Don’t be afraid to try something new or out of the ordinary. Almost every place I have thrown the Hudd, someone has asked me if there were fish big enough to eat it, if that was a fish I had just caught, or just laughed and shook their head. Prove those people wrong. Step out of your comfort zone and with a little determination, motivation, and hard work, it will eventually pay off. I can honestly say catching a fish on a jig simply will never be the same. I’m hooked on swimbait fishing.  --Hayden
 
The Photo's Stories:  Top Left:  Hayden's 27" bass and lure used.  Cool looking lure, but love that shadow.  Really shows off the fish's length.  Really nice work Hayden!
 
Bottom Left:  The pround angler with heart pumping, looking cool.  Probably the finest bass I have ever seen.  Awesome!

Bald Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Otis Sowell

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Wed, 01/18/2012 - 21:42

January 18, 2012.  One of the best things about working on the river is truly the people I meet.  I have met outstanding folks from all over the Commonwealth, and really, all over the U.S.A.  What is easy to see is that there are scores of people who care deeply for the James River and preserving its heritage.  Caring individuals from all parts, and folks from organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The James River Association, the Center for Conservation & Biology at William & Mary, Friends of the James River Park and the list goes on ... assure that the future of the James River is looking good.  To learn more about the organizations, click the names to link to their website. 

Getting back to my favorite part of working the river ... the people ... that is what I love most.  You never know when a guest who steps onto the Discovery Barge II will knock your socks off with something they say, or have done, or in this case photograph.  Otis Sowell recently stepped onto my boat for his first Eagle Tour and I hope it won't be his last.  In early January 2012, he took a series of images of the Duke ... Bandit's new mate.  Something about them hit me deep, especially the one to the left.  These images knocked my socks off, they are some of the most wonderful images of a bald eagle on the James River.

A little about Otis ... he is a native of Charlottesville and currently lives in Fluvanna County, VA.  Fascinated with nature, and especially birds, Otis states, "My favorite bird is the American Robin because it signals the arrival of spring and warm weather."  A story he shared was from his childhood.  When he was five or six years old, Otis asked his dad how to catch a robin so he could keep it as a pet. His father said, "All you have to do is sprinkle salt on it's tail and it won't fly away."  Otis tried to sprinkle salt on a robin's tail just about all day when he realized he was not fast enough and could not get close enough ... no matter how hard he tried.  His father kept at him stating, "Keep trying son", who was probably getting the biggest kick out of his son and the robins that day.

In the 1970's when Otis lived in Houston, TX with his wife, Wanda, he began to get serious about photography.  Returning to his hometown in Charlottesville in 1980, he began photographing weddings, groups and portraits.  He found photographing nature was his true love, and began 'focusing' on all things wild, but 'discovered' wild bird photography gave him the most satisfaction.  At the advice of a good friend, "Just use your imagination", Otis took his photography another step further and began exploring deeper and creating images that satisfied his soul.  The three images you see in this blog satisfy my soul. Thank you Otis! 

To see more of Otis Sowell's work, go to www.OtisSowellPhotography.com

To see his series of Eagle images, click here.

 

The Photo's Story:  Above Left, Middle Right, and Bottom Left:  These images are wonderful.  They are of an eagle that took the place of another bird in Bandit's life.  The Duke became Bandit's new mate at some point in September of 2011.  After Hurricane Irene took out the third of Bandit & Smokey's nest something happened and this bird worked it's way into the lives of Bandit & Smokey.  Eventually Bandit chose the Duke over Smokey.  The last time I saw Smokey was after a magnificent aerial chase and talon locking session between the two former mates ... then Bandit flew downriver towards the 295 Bridge, into the Eastern sunrise.  -- All Photos by Otis Sowell

Bald Eagles of Jefferson's Reach: January 1, 2012 vs. January 1, 2011

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 00:08

January 1, 2012.   Today is the beginning of the New Year, 2012. I have to say a long morning on the James River, watching bald eagles is a pretty good start. One thing comes to mind after today’s journey on the river. The sheer difference in numbers of eagles this year versus last year in Jefferson’s Reach.

First is the difference in the number of eagles on this year New Year’s Day and last years. On January 1, 2011 the main river channel in Jefferson’s Reach was flooded with migratory bald eagles. There were over 50 in a mile and half stretch, from the Varina-Enon Bridge (I-295) to the Jones Neck cut. The reason is pretty clear, I believe, and it’s temperature. Last year, the end of December was much colder. Today and yesterday were days where the high temps were in the 60’s! That’s amazingly warm for this time of year. The colder the weather, the more eagles we have in the area, as the cold air drives the migratory eagles further south into our area. 

Here is an example of the difference …
 

This year, 1/1/12: There is some migratory eagle activity in the area, but not much as of yet, and here is a good example of the difference. Over the last month, on most trips we may see three to ten migratory birds. On some trips we may not see any in Jefferson’s Reach. Today, I believe we saw ten or so migratory birds and that was over the course of two trips through the five mile stretch of Jefferson’s Reach, and proceeding downriver towards Turkey Island.   
 
Last year, 1/1/11: On January 1, 2011, I experienced a day on the river I termed, “The Day of 100 Eagle Calls.”  Here is an excerpt from my blog from last year …
 “I've never seen so many bald eagles 'perched' in trees.  They didn't seem to fly much today, except to go from tree to tree.  Occasionally, they'd fly around the river in search of a meal, but for the most part they sat content in the branches of trees along the riverbanks.  What made this day so unique was the constant calls we'd hear from these great birds.  All day long ... that high-pitched chirp.  We heard over 100 bald eagle calls this day, it was phenomenal.” 
 
A couple more notes on the day, to hear what a bald eagle sounds like, click here, to go to a website that offers a series of bald eagle calls. Some of them are pretty good, some are not very clear, but regardless, they are all bald eagles. 
 
To close, I hope you enjoy the photos is today's blog entry.  My wife, Lynda Richardson, was on the boat today to take a few wonderful images to start of the year right. The images seen in the post were all taken today, January 1, 2012, with three being mature residents of Jefferson’s Reach and the other an immature eagle that was flying near Virginia & James, and may have been one of their eaglets from a few years ago.  –Capt. Mike
 
 
The Photos Stories?  Top, Right:  This is an explosive shot of Varina, one of the pair of birds that lives just east of the Varina-Enon Bridge.  This bird loves to dance around, flying back and forth over the river.  An interesting note about this bird is the James River's main channel, where they perch nearly all the time, is the only body of water in their territory.  All the other birds in Jefferson's Reach have some other body of water to hunt, most of which are inland ponds off the James River.  They had previously been mined of sand and or gravel.  --Photo by Lynda Richardson
 
Top, Left:  This is a great shot of Virginia, just after the catch.  Virginia & James live just east of Varina & Enon.  Their territorial lines are drawn like lines in the sand.  If one of the birds crosses it, and the other pair sees it, watch out!  There will be an aggressive flight pattern, direct and fast towards the offending eagle.  It's pretty neat to watch as they always seem to be testing each other's wills.  As of yet, I have only seen aggressive flight patterns and no actual contact, thankfully.  --Photo by Lynda Richardson

Above, Left: Just after Virginia captured that fish, above, an immature bird flew into the area.  It would be easy to say it was just a migratory bird, and it may have been.  But the way the two mature eagles were acting (Virginia & James), this immature bird could have been one of their chicks from three years ago.  Looking at this immature bird, you can see how the head seems to be starting to lighten up as the body is darkening, which is indicative of a bird in the three year, perhaps four year range.  Bald Eagles take four to five years to become fully mature with the white head & tail, with dark brown body and wings.  --Photo by Lynda Richardson

Bottom, Right:  Baba & Pops are such great birds.  They have a huge nest visible from the river near Deep Bottom.  They seem to be expert nest builders.  When their last nest was damaged by Hurricane Irene, they were instantly on the task of rebuilding. Here, Pops is flying towards the shoreline just after snatching a dead gizzards shad from the surface of the river.  --Photo by Lynda Richardson
 

Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Dave Parrish

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Thu, 12/29/2011 - 05:20
December 28, 2011.  Dave Parrish is a photographer who has many talents, including the talent to make you laugh if you are lucky enough to be hanging around him. He also has another talent, one he probably won’t admit to, but it’s one of his finest. Second to his natural talent for photography, I’d say, Dave is a first class educator when it comes to helping friends and colleagues learn the art of photography. He freely offers advice and lessons on digital photography. He is also a leader in a local photography club, the Richmond Photography Meetup Group … a group with nearly 500 members. 
 
Dave is comfortable with his Pentax digital camera system. He is relaxed and able to dial into the shot quickly. He has a number of lenses ranging from macro, or close up, to super telephoto… and some of his super telephoto shots of bald eagles on the James River has created a buzz over with my Bald Eagle Tour, including one bird in particular. More on this later in the story …
 
Dave’s obsession with photography began over twenty years ago when he felt the need to capture some of the natural beauty he found himself constantly noticing while on outdoor adventures. Although his passion has increased and developed over time, Dave states, “I really only began taking photography seriously about six years ago after taking a few classes from John Tyler Community College.” 
 

Dave has worked tirelessly to make his photos technically perfect as well as artistically pleasing. Delving into most areas of photography from weddings to fashion to modern dance he thrives on challenging shoots, including photographing the bald eagles of the James River on Discover The James’ Bald Eagle Tour. Dave says, “The eagles of the James has been one of my most challenging and rewarding experiences to date.” He continues, “I will never leave behind my desire to convey the stunning beauty that nature presents to us every day.”
 
He considers photography a serious hobby but hopes to one day make it more of a occupation. Dave works fulltime as an electrician, but ALWAYS has his camera close at hand. If it’s not around his neck, it’s in his truck and at the ready. Dave truly is a dedicated photographer and will surely make it in that field if he wants to.
 

Now back to his photography of a particular bird. About two years ago, my wife took a photo of Bandit, the finest bald eagle on the James River. She captured a close, sharp image of the bird’s band, and we were able to get three numbers off the bird’s band.  It took more than a year for someone else to start capturing images of the band where numbers were readable … and Dave was that guy.  He took the band photography to a new level and was able to read seven of the eight total numbers off Bandit’s band.  

The image to the right is one of a series of images taken by Dave that gave us clues to many of the numbers from the band. The key mistake we both made was thinking the number that looks like an obvious '6' in this shot was a '6'.  Once we realized it was an '8' (from another photo), that gave us the last number that was needed to find out all about Banidt.  And we found out a bunch.  

It is with great pleasure that to highlight Dave Parrish’s work on my website. To see more of Dave’s wildlife photography, go to http://daveparrish.zenfolio.com/p1071367295.  

The Photos Stories?  Top Right:  This was a "Photo of the Month" winner for Dave in one of Discover The James' newsletters.  It is such a dramatic image that tells a story of a hunting osprey.  Here it is flying with a fresh cuaght gizzard shad, probably shifting the catch to a head first position in order to maintain a flight pattern into a tree to begin to eat the head off.  --Photo by Dave Parrish

Middle Left:  Another great shot.  Here an immagure bald eagle tries to grab a shad from the river, but upon close review of the photo, you can see it missed.  They get their prey most of the time, but not always.  I love the patterns of an immature eagle.  No wonder they are the subject of so many artists.  --Photo by Dave Parrish

Bottom Right:  This is the image that really got the ball rolling for me in the search for Bandit's band numbers.  For about a year, I had three numbers  6-2-9.  Then Dave started to dial into the band and begin gathering the data needed to find out all about this wonderful bird.  Bandit has an incredible story that is worthy of another post on the site ... coming soon.  Thanks Dave, Lynda Richardson and Steve Baranoff (the photographers who ended up gathering all the numbers via their photos).  --Photo by Dave Parrish

An Amazing Day on the James

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 21:58
December 20, 2011. Today started like most days on the James, an early arrival to the Richmond Yacht Basin to get the boat ready for the day’s adventure. Today, I readied for a fishing trip … checking lines on rods, checking hook points and leaders, and generally making sure everything was in order and in place. By 6:45am, I was ready to embrace the day, and welcome guests on my pontoon boat, into a clean, workboat-like atmosphere. 
 
Some days, if I am lucky, I get to sit back on the boat and enjoy the Eastern sky for a short while, after everything is done and ready. Today, I had those precious 15 minutes, and while looking at the glow of the predawn sunrise, I thought to myself, “This is going to be a good day.”
 
I was right. Not only did I manage to take this series of wonderful sunrise images from a moving pontoon boat (all in 30 minutes on the James River), but I spent the day with one of my favorite folks, Bill Schieman, an angler from Virginia Beach … AND … fishing was good! On the trip Bill brought his son Bill Jr., and his son’s daughter, Tracy.
 
Bill Schieman is also a hero of mine and here’s why ….
 
About six years ago, I received a phone call and was asked if I was the guy who did flathead fishing trips on the James in Richmond. I said, “Yes” and proceeded to tell the gentleman the details of the trip. When I explained how the flathead fishing trip is a perfect ‘half-day’ adventure, he interrupted and asked, “Don’t you do full-day flathead trips?” “Sure” I responded, “It’s just that this trip makes for a perfect half day, due to the length of the river float, etc. etc.” 
 
So Bill books a full day fishing trip and he travels from Virginia Beach by himself. We are to meet at the Huguenot Flatwater ramp at 7AM. The morning of our trip, I come floating downriver towards Huguenot Flatwater, about 6:40 am in my raft, ready to fish. Like always, I was arriving about 20 minutes early to relax, enjoy the morning sunrise, and watch over the river’s surface for fish activity. As I paddle up to the shore, there is a man sitting about halfway down the steps to the river. He says, “Are you Mike?” and I say, “Are you Bill?” and we both chuckled a bit.
 
That day of fishing was awesome. But more importantly, I got to know this guy from Virginia Beach, who has such an amazing, long history of fishing in Virginia. He’s a master bass fisherman, who has more largemouth bass citations than anyone in the history of freshwater fishing in Virginia. Bill has caught over 500 largemouth bass worthy of being called a “Trophy” by the Commonwealth of VA. Plus, he’s famous for catching huge walleye, yellow perch, crappie and sunfish. In short, the guy is an amazing fisherman and has been for over 70 years. 
 

That first trip Bill booked with me ended with him catching 20 or more flathead catfish, many over 20 pounds along with numerous smallmouth bass, redbreasted sunfish and bluegill. He fished in that hot sun for eight hours, non-stop with a smile on his face from ear to ear. We talked all day about fishing and life, and as I gave Bill a ride back upriver to his car for his journey back to Virginia Beach, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is who I want to be when I am 82 years old.” Bill got in his car at 4:45am, drove two hours to the James River in Richmond, fished all day, had a great time and drove back home all in one day. All for the sake of enjoying a day of fishing and all at the age of 82. Yeah, Bill is one of my hero’s and always will be. 

The Photo's Stories:  Top Left:  Sunrise on the James #1.  December 20, 2011.  Early morning, taken from just downriver of the Richmond Yacht Basin, at the upriver end of Jefferson's Reach.  --Photo by Capt. Mike 

Middle Right:  Sunrise on the James #2.  December 20, 2011.  Minutes after taking the first pic at the top left, while riding dowriver, towards Jones Neck, I paused to take this image from my Canon G-9 digital camera.  I love that little camera.  --Photo by Capt. Mike

Lower Left:  This is from a fishing trip, with Bill, from last fall.  He comes to fish the James River at least twice ayear, and here I am holding the biggest blue catfish of his life, a 64 pounder!  To this day, it is still a club record for the Tidewater Angler's Club, a fishing club Bill has belonged to since the 1960's.  --Photo by Sheldon Aery

Bottom Left:  Sunrise on the James #3.  December 20, 2011.  This is one of my favorite sunrise images in a while. Something about it grabs me, perhaps it's that first moment of direct sunlight, or the pallette of colors in the sky with the rays shooting through the clouds, or maybe it's the total lack of wind, creating a near perfect reflection of a magnificent sky.  Maybe it's all that, and more, of which I just can't explain.  Maybe it was just being there.  --Photo by Capt. Mike   

 

Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Steve Baranoff

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 23:10
December 6, 2011.  I find myself writing about the James River in ‘clumps’.  When I get enough time … I write.  With that said, after my recent ‘Fall Fishing Report’, I am following up with another blog post about some wonderful photography taken on my Bald Eagle Tour this fall.  The images in this post are the work of a photographer who has been booking Bald Eagle Tours on a regular basis.  Over the next month or two I plan to highlight the work of a few more photographers who have taken my Bald Eagle Tours.
Steve Baranoff is a nature photographer who lives in Richmond, Virginia and Austin, Texas.  He takes his talents and the lessons he’s learned throughout his life and channels it into his current work. 
And his work is very good. 
Steve worked as an electrical engineer and has perfectly combined his ‘engineering brain’ with an ‘art seed’ planted by his father, who worked as a painter, print maker and university art professor.  He is a member of many nature-based associations, including the Richmond Audubon Society, which promote stewardship and awareness of natural things.  And he freely shares his knowledge of photography and birds with his associates. 
His vision takes him into his subject’s natural surroundings, where he can capture images of birds in their habitat.  From there, he transforms his digital captures into artistic prints, shown as Bird Art.  Steve produces his own prints with archival inks and paper.  The images in this post, along with many others are available for sale through his website … BirdsInPhotos.com. 
What does Steve say about Discover The James' Bald Eagle Tours?  He states, "Capt. Mike's Bald Eagle tour is one of Richmond's hidden secrets."  
 
His love of photography, birding and boating makes the Bald Eagle Tour a natural way for him to capture incredible images of bald eagles (along with a few osprey, great blue heron, and even a songbird or two).  I can’t wait for him to get back from Texas so he can take some more wonderful images of the wildlife along the James River… Come on back soon Steve!      --Capt. Mike
 
The Photos Stories?: Top Right:  This is one of my favorite images Steve has taken, although I have to admit, there are many.  Here, one of the resident bald eagles of Jefferson's Reach is caught at the perfect moment of grabbing a meal from the James River.  Based on the ripples on the water, there may have been a good headwind (eagles usually fly into the wind when they either land, or fly in to snatch a meal on the water) and this bird may have slowed down it's process of snatching the fish.  Either way, this shot is awesome!  --Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Middle Left:  Bandit, up close!  What can be said about this bird that hasn't been said (alot actually, more to come soon).  You can even see a scale in the beak.  During a fairly close up experience with Bandit this day, Steve broke out his long lens and captured this wonderful moment with this bird.  --Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Lower Right:  I don't place enough immature eagle shots on my posts.  That's going to change though soon, as many wonderful shots were taken this year.  Here is a great shot of an immature flying with it's mature partent.  I believe this is Varina and her 2011 offspring, Liberty.  To read more about this immature bird, Liberty, click here (great story actually!).  
--Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Lower Left: This very well could be Liberty, Varina & Enon's only 2011 offspring.  I love this image, as it shows off the inspirational markings on the underside of the wings.  It's no wonder our ancestors loved these birds so much.  Also, note the beak color.  The end of the beak is dark, meaning this immature bald eagle is a very young bird, less than two years of age.  --Photo by Steve Baranoff

  

Fall Blue Catfishing on the James River Update

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 15:56
December 5, 2011. Fishing has been outstanding on the James recently. Throughout November, and into the first week of December huge blue catfish have been bowing up my fishing poles one after the other. Wow, fantastic catfishing in December. It’s funny how my perspective of catfishing has changed over my lifetime. 
 
From the humble beginnings of fishing for bluegill on Russles Pond, a neighborhood pond, my angling adventures have slowly turned into a passion and now has become a lifetime’s journey of ‘Discovery on the James River’. 
 
When I was in my teens I thought catfish only bit at night and in the heat of the summer and spent many nights fishing the Occoquan River and the outflow of the Possum Point power plant on a tributary of the Potomac River.  Baiting a hook under the light of a lantern, if I caught a 10-pound catfish, that was a monster. Most were channel cats, but there were a few blue catfish mixed in, and even a flathead or two. Before ‘Discovering the James’, my biggest catfish was a 25 pound flathead catfish caught from the Occoquan when I was 25. 
 
Today, on the James, fishing for catfish is much different … I fish with bigger fishing rods, from a boat, and I get the opportunity to fish with lots of different people, both young and older alike. One of the highlights for me is seeing someone reel in a big fish for the first time, or better yet, to see a kid reel in a big fish.  In the image at the top, two youngsters are holding fish they caught at nearly the same moment. The biggest fish, caught by Nic weighted 51 pounds, while Daniel holds a 38-pound blue cat … caught at the end of November.
 
The other images are of two recent catches. The middle image is of a fellow who caught a 70-pound blue catfish last week. Funny how big fish like this can lurk in areas you never thought would hold such big fish. I am not going to divulge this secret spot, but it’s only the second time I ever fishing it, and believe me, I’ll be out there again soon. The last image, the bottom photo, is of 80-something year old Bill Schieman. Bill has been fishing with me for five or six years now and is one of the finest fishermen in the history of freshwater fishing in Virginia. He has to his credit over 500 largemouth bass citations (over 22” or 8 pounds!). He loves to catch big yellow perch, crappie, walleye and of course, big blue cats on the James. This fish weighed in around 35 pounds. His personal best with me is a 64 pounder caught last November.
 

Yes, catfishing is much different now than it was when I was younger. 

--Capt. Mike

A Day on the James with Sturgeon

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 17:44
October 2011.  Today was the third in a series of trips on the James River with science teachers from Prince George High School. Through a grant at VCU Life Sciences, Anne Wright, has developed a series of teacher workshops that highlight the migration patterns for certain species of anadromous fish that annually inhabit the James River. These fish include the mighty Atlantic sturgeon, blueback herring, American shad and hickory shad. 
 
What is an anadromous fish? They are fish that live in the ocean, or in saltwater, and migrate up rivers along the coast, into freshwater in order to spawn. 
 
Over the past two years, the same group of teachers has been ‘Discovering the James’ with me on the Discovery Barge II through Anne’s workshops. Last fall, we took a trip downriver and studied the history of the river while learning about the migration patterns of herring and shad. This past spring we enjoyed a day with bald eagles, blueback herring and were introduced to the odd looking, anadromous sea lamprey. 
 
This recent trip, in early October was a very special one, as we ventured downriver from the Richmond Yacht Basin to Presquile Island … the home base for serious Atlantic sturgeon research. Our goal was to watch the best team of Atlantic Sturgeon researchers on the James River lead by VCU doctoral candidate, Matt Balazik. His team included brother Martin Balazik and fellow sturgeon researcher, Bree Langford.
 
 
We were to meet Matt’s team at Presquile Island around 9:30AM. When we arrived they already had two nets in the river, soaking for about 40 minutes. The 600 foot-long nets were set near the edge of the river channel, just off a very large flat. The gillnets had different mesh sizes, or size of the square holes in the net. The smaller net had 10 ½” mesh, while the other was 13”. These were very big nets, but we were after very big fish. 
 
Atlantic sturgeon grow to over 300 pounds on the James River. Historically they could exceed 800 pounds. The search for this prehistoric fish kept us all at the edge of our pontoon seats. Matt and his team positioned the boat and began to pull the first net. On that first pull of the smaller mesh net, about half way into it, Martin yelled, “Fish On!” Sure enough a 5-foot sturgeon was entangled in the net. They quickly pulled it onboard, untangled the sturgeon, and placed it into a large holding tank onboard his research vessel.
 
The second, larger mesh net yielded no sturgeon. As the nets were checked, they were placed back into the river for another set. While they soaked in the river, waiting for another sturgeon to swim by, Matt’s team and our team headed to Presquile Island. Matt had his equipment already set up. All the electronics and medical tools were ready to perform. After securing the boats, Matt carefully carried the sturgeon onto the shore and placed it into a large, shallow tank. Once in the tank he ran a small amount of electricity into the water, and the great fish instantly turned upside down. This process off adding a small amount of electrical current calmed the male sturgeon. 
 
Everything was ready for Matt to start the procedure of medically inserting a radio beacon tag in the sturgeon. He made a small incision on the bottom of the fish, slid the radio beacon tag into him, and sewed the incision perfectly with a series of stitches. Matt worked with the steady hands of an ichthyologist surgeon. Matt was, for the moment … the “Sturgeon General”. Once the fish was stitched, the electricity was turned off and it immediately turned upright and was ready for release. A moment later the feisty Atlantic sturgeon was again swimming in the James River preparing for a return to the sea.
 
The radio tag will track the migration of this fish for years to come, offering valuable information to Matt’s team, but also Anne’s team of science teachers. They will also study the tracking information provided by this fish and many others that Matt has already captured, tagged and released. The teachers will present the information they gain back in the classroom. 

This valuable work will not only prove to be instrumental for the Atlantic sturgeon, but also inspire future generations of ichthyologist, fishing guides, science teachers, outreach specialists and environmental researchers they present this information to the students at Prince George High School.
 
--Capt. Mike
 
The Photos Stories?  Upper Right:  The Prince George High School science teachers are watching Matt's team work the sturgeon nets just below Presquile Island on the James River.
 
Upper Left:  Matt carries the Atlantic sturgeon from the holding tank on the VCU research vessel to the holding tank on Presquile Island.  This tank is where the radio tag will be surgically implanted.  
 
Lower Right:  The PGHS team looks on as Matt locates the point of incision.  Martin Balazik, one of Matt's team members, is in the far background.
 
Middle Left:  The steady hands of the 'Sturgeon General' (Matt Balazik) sew up the incision after the raido tag had been implanted into the body cavity of the Atlantic sturgeon.  Here he is midway through tying a series of stitches.
 
Lower Left:  The happy Atlantic sturgeon is inches away from the river's surface.  Matt explained that tossing them back into the river, is the easiest way to release them.  In fact, that is how they usually hit the water when the breach.  With a little photoshop action, perhaps I can claim that I captured a sturgeon breaching and this is the fish just before it hit the water.  Hmmmmm .... looks like Matt and I may have a project for next August when these prehistoric fish return to the James River once again.  
 
 

 

Jefferson's Reach

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 14:08

October 4, 2011.  It occurred to me recently that I should reiterate the story of Jefferson's Reach, a section of the James River that runs from the Richmond Yacht Basin, to Deep Bottom Boat Landing ...  a little over five miles of river.  With a little more detail, here is the story ...

The James River is full of life, history, and opportunities including the opportunity to forge a special friendship.  In the summer of 2009 through December of 2010 I was honored with a brief but powerful friendship with Danny Jefferson.  Danny was a Chickahominy Indian, and a respected man of their Tribal Council and very active in the community.

Danny was direct, very observant, and was the kind of guy that would teach you things when you didn't even know you were learning. Something I will never forget ... the evening of December 12.  He called and said, "I saw you grow on the water this past year, I just wanted you to know that.  I saw you grow with my own eyes."  The next day, Danny walked on December 13, 2010.

He taught me a lot about bald eagles, but that evening after we talked, I realized he taught me a few things about life along the way.  Now he will forever be a part of who I am becoming on the river as he has become a spiritual river guide for me.  Because of this deep connection, I wanted to find a way to honor Danny on the River.  Something deep and spiritual because that was the kind of guy he was.

It took a few weeks, but an idea came to me and I found a way to honor Danny Jefferson in my work on the river.  People ask where I run my eagle tours and I respond, "On the James River between Deep Bottom Boat Landing and the Richmond Yacht Basin."  It's about a five-mile stretch, half of which is in the parts of two oxbows (Jones Neck and Hatcher Island) and the other half is the main river that connects them.  In that "reach" of river five pair of resident bald eagles have their nests, which are the eagles I follow most of the time. 

This is the area Danny 'reached' out to me and the lucky folks we carried out on the river on the Discovery Barge II.  

I believe naming natural things gets you closer to them; it helps them become more familiar.  The stretch of the James River between Deep Bottom and the Richmond Yacht Basin is where Danny and I worked together and it now has a name ... 'Jefferson's Reach' ... named after a Chickahominy Indian man who reached out to many on the river.  

Now when people ask where I work, I can say more than the James River, I can say, "Jefferson's Reach." Or when beginning a history or bald eagle tour, I can start by letting people know they are in Jefferson's Reach.  What a perfect segue into talking about history, eagles, and Virginia Indians.  -- Capt. Mike

The Photos Stories?  Top Right: This is an image that reminded me of Danny and the great history of the James River.  You can go back as far in time as you wish in this image.  The sunrise has not changed in eons.  This image was taken from the Richmond Yacht Basin, just outside of my boat slip. This is the upriver end, or the beginning of Jefferson's Reach.  --Photo by Capt. Mike

Bottom Left: This is the necklace Danny made and presented to me on the Discovery Barge II.  He gave it to me after one of our Capt. John Smith Watertrail Tours.  The necklace is made of bones, beads, copper, sinew, wampum and the centerpiece is a scute from an Atlantic Sturgeon.  The rattail at the top is Danny's signature.  To learn more about Atlantic Sturgeon (and the local work being done for them), click here.  To learn more about the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, click here.  --Made by Danny Jefferson