Atkinson uses a slightly different approach (compared with most anglers) on the business end of his catfishing setup. He normally runs two fish-finder rigs, with the exception that he pegs a cork about 4 to 6 inches above the bait to suspend it slightly off the bottom. As for the other two rigs -- they're fish-finder rigs, too -- he'll use a large spinner (above a series of beads) above the circle hook to promote vibration, acting as added attraction for catfish. A spinner blade will have no problem spinning when the tide is smoking on the James, thus producing sound vibrations that Atkinson feels is key to success.

"I believe a fish feeds off all of his senses, not just one," he said. "A catfish is nothing but a huge tongue, but they also pick up sensory movements well and the thump of the spinner blade above the beads helps. I snell my own circle hooks because I think the straighter and more rigid line off a snelled hook allows the hook to pull into the corner of the fish's mouth with ease."

This guide uses massive sinker sizes, ranging from 8 to 14 ounces. He believes the baits will hold on the bottom and will not roll with weights that heavy.

As for bait choices, Atkinson captures his own with a cast net, and is a firm believer that the fresher the bait, the better the fishing.

"If there's one secret to catching catfish on the James, it would be fresh bait," he added. "I like to use gizzard shad or river herring the most. I know a lot of people have success with eels, but I don't fool with them much because the shad and herring work so well for me.

"Once I have my bait, I like to look for any type of depth change or hard bottom. I think catfish relate well to hard, sandy or rocky bottoms. Any depth change from 5 to 20 feet can hold fish. Rockpiles, brushpiles or sunken barges that are related to ledges or any feature change can be phenomenal."

Atkinson varies the depth that he fishes depending on the weather conditions. For instance, on a sunny day, the water temperature will be slightly warmer in shallow water (10 to 15 feet) over a rocky bottom, he said. The shallower water warms up faster and fish will migrate there.

"The usual depth for blue cats on the James in winter is 15 to 40 feet," he said, "although in bitter cold, they could be in the 40- to 80-foot range."

Atkinson uses 7 1/2-foot medium or medium-heavy rods. A long, limber rod allows the fish more room with the circle hook before the slippery critter feels any tension. He spools his bait-casting reels with 30- to 40-pound-test monofilament for the standing line and 50-pound-test mono on the leader. Atkinson chooses leader lengths of 18 to 36 inches.

"Some of my favorite areas are from Osborne Landing down to Shirley Pit," he said. "A good wintertime hole is at the point of Presquile Isle. That point is 77 feet deep and if the weather is cold, it's a good place for big cats. There's also good fishing in the Deep Bottom area."

Wintertime is the time to catch some incredible fish. December through February is big-fish season, he said. You may or may not get many bites, but the fish are big.

"In winter, four or five blue cats ranging from 30 to 60 pounds is about average," Atkinson said.

For dead-of-winter freshwater fishing, it sure is hard to beat those numbers. James River catfish are formidable foes and test any tackle you throw at them -- and Atkinson knows the watering holes the big fish frequent.

THE BEST OF BUGGS
Angling for catfish at Buggs Island Lake is gaining popularity among whiskerfish die-hards. That might surprise some folks, but not fisheries biologists.