During one of our catfish tournaments I took
advantage of a few free minutes to chat with Mr.
Ray Jones, known as "Hoghead." I seized the
moment to pick the brain of an angler and valued
sportsman with over 35 years experience fishing
Kerr Lake/Buggs Island.
Here's what Mr. Jones had to say...
Well Steven, so you want to ask me some questions?
Since I have been fishing this lake over the past
35 years, I've had the pleasure to fish with two
types of anglers. one is your professionals and
the others are lucky!
The professionals always caught the most fish.
I've fished everything from Walleye to Grinnell
not too far from this very boat ramp. We caught a
lot of 20-30 lb catfish, not like the size you
see caught today. Back then the lake was still
young. The catfish you see caught today might be
some of those fish we landed back then. You're
talking about 35 years and 30 lb's more fish now.
That's a big difference.
You asked me how I was introduced to Buggs Island
- that was back in 1974 when I met up with "Mac"
from Mac's Guide Service. We met at the Late
Hotel, then the next day Mac anchored at the
mouth of Bluestone and then moved up to Bowman's
garage to search for Bass and Crappie. As we
became closer friends, Mac eventually shared his
fishing secrets with me. I learned a great deal
about Buggs Island from a good man that knew how
to fish this lake.
During my trips back to see Mac, I met the
luckiest man in the world when it come to
catfishing. Pappa Smurf and myself had some times
catfishing. I remember one trip he landed a 20 lb
white catfish. It was beautiful with pink eyes.
It almost matched Pappa Smurf's grey hair and
beard. He was the luckiest, I thought, because no
matter what kind of fishing we were doing, he
landed the most I've ever seen one man catch. If
it rained, high water, or downright nasty
weather, he caught them over, and over.
We caught the biggest 100 yards up in the Dan
River from the mouth or split at Staunton. It was
a nice 57 lb Blue Cat. Our bait of choice back
then were gold fish, bream, and chicken breast.
Shad was a little scarce so we improvised. Now
you got shad all over place measuring anywhere
from 10-20 inches long and four inches wide. That
makes a huge difference, too, here at Buggs
Island. If you're going to catch big fish, you
gotta use big bait!
My favorite reel is still my Garcia 6500 clicker
on a Garcia Rod, heavy action with 40 lb Trilene
Big Game line. My rig of choice is the "tickle
stick." It's an 18" - 24" stainless hollow rod
about 1/4 inch in diameter. You run your line
through the rod and tie on a egg sinker to the
top of the stick. Run another line to a three way
swivel with a 5'-6' leader. Throw it out and let
it settle, then pick up your rod tip and walk the
stick. This sends a signal to the catfish where
it aggravates them to bite.
All the fishermen back then respected one another
at Buggs Island. We have such a great resource
here such as; Duck, Geese, Raccoon, Deer, Turkey
and most of all fishing. You mentioned Smith
Mountain and Kerr Lake, the biggest difference
between Smith Mountain and Buggs Island is the
depth of the water. Catfish thrive in a water
source that's flowing with current. Smith
Mountain doesn't have river current, it has lake
current and deep water. It makes if very hard to
fish for cats at that depth.
I honestly think if we can keep practicing catch
and release, then we should have something good
for our future generations to enjoy. And I think
technology will make a difference as it will make
the modern gear more efficient. You've got
fishing gear now that's easier to use and
stronger line than ever to land bigger fish. It's
amazing to see all this gear that anglers show up
with, but that's what it takes if you want to
land these big ol'hogs that are in these waters.
Even though it's difficult to go fishing while in
this wheelchair, I still cherish every moment
I've had over the years fishing with these guys.
A lot of great memories were created not too far
from here at Staunton boat ramp. It's nothing
better in this world than to listen to a clicker
going off. It puts me and the catfish in a "grab
it - eat it mode."
