Play along: multitasking on the James

By Laura Clark

Published: July 16, 2008

A gentle float down the James River may be the perfect way to spend a Sunday. Add refreshing dips and successful fishing and I was happily waterborne July 13, despite leaving home at 7 a.m. to follow my neighbor, Steve Saylor, with his “I’d rather be kayaking” bumper sticker, to the James River State Park in Buckingham County.

We met up with Assistant Park Manager Debbie Coffin and Saylor’s friend Jody Carbone. The float was in honor of Coffin’s birthday. She had me going when she said she was 29, but her laughter and Saylor’s ribbing eventually gave her away. Living and working in a park environment must keep you young.

We put in at Dixon Landing, Coffin and I in her canoe, and Carbone and Saylor in kayaks. We were only going 4.4 miles down the river, to Wingina, but we made it last at least six hours.

Right away we were reeling in the fish, smallmouth bass in particular, though Coffin said largemouth bass are making a comeback. When Carbone caught the first fish with his golden lure, Coffin said that must be the lucky color.

We used ultra-light rods, which made any size fish fun to catch. I’m still in awe though that I caught the biggest of the day, a 15.5-inch smallmouth. That “lunker,” as Coffin called it, bent the rod so much I thought it would break. Coffin teased me hard, since I caught the lunker with her rod and her bait in her boat. I promise there was little skill involved.

I strained to hold the fish with my thumb, and grinned stupidly as Coffin photographed the proof for bragging rights. In all, our group probably caught at least 25 fish.

Less than one-third of the way on our trip, we stopped at Cunningham Island, pulling up on the rocky shore so we could swim. It day had heated up quickly on the river, but the water was cool, if not very deep. As we bobbed in the James, stories began flowing.

Saylor and Coffin have been friends for years, but Carbone and I were relative strangers to the group. The river was a sanctuary for conversation. We talked about politics and music, relationships and careers, the high school and college years.

Mostly, I just listened. As the three have about 20 years on me, their jokes and stories gave me some perspective. Like paddling the river, life makes you appreciate where you are at that moment. And like the river, the unexpected twists and turns of the future are something to be embraced, to look forward to.

On we went to Wingina, floating and fishing. We stopped to swim again at a second island. The river was deeper here with sections were we couldn’t touch. We could see our feet clearly in 5-foot water, which Coffin said boded well for the water quality. Floating and fishing along, we shared this stretch of the river with just two people fly fishing.

Thankfully for my puny arms, we only did any real paddling in the last half mile or so, when the river slowed to lake speed. It was a good thing we picked up the pace, too, because as we pulled out of the James, dark clouds and a dusty breeze picked up over the Nelson County cornfields.