Northern Virginia (Nova) Fishing Discussion/reports 2024
bluezed reply :
I noticed we have a lot of anglers in NOVA, and over the past couple weeks we've been pretty fragmented across various threads even though the topic of discussion was the same. I figured it might be a good idea to try to consolidate as much of our ongoing NOVA-area fishing discussion to one thread. I searched to see if there was an existing thread of this nature and couldn't find one.
If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know and I'll contact a mod to remove the thread.
On that note... where have you been fishing and where do you plan on fishing? Any luck? Spots? Techniques? Discuss!
I've been bank fishing exclusively for the past several weeks as our canoe is not yet ready to hit the water. I've had luck at Lake Mercer on Senkos. Have had some luck at Lake Ridge Marina on Senkos as well, but only dinks so far. I would like to try Bull Run Marina from shore when I get a chance.
Speaking of our canoe, it's a basic Coleman Scanoe which is being equipped with Spring Creek stabilizers, Minn Kota Endura Max 40LB, and various creature comforts... seat backs, rod holders, etc. Should be fun and serve our needs well.
bluezed reply :
Ended up at Lake Ridge Marina today for a little bit. Hiked a ways through to woods to find some decent spots. Caught a 1.5lber and a wee little dink on a 5" Senko, wacky rigged.
I need to start trying something other than a Senko soon.
beergogglin reply :
Took 2 of the kids to Woodglenn for some worm fishing last night. Needless to say I got maybe 10 casts in total. All my time was spent baiting hooks and un-hooking bluegill. I had my daughter throwing a small buzzbait at dusk. She got bored and wanted to switch baits after 5 casts or so. Teaching kids to fish is exhausting! It's very hard to fish with others who have little patience. It's something I just need to struggle with though. I need to teach them right!
DJ 6_6 reply :
Smart idea to have a General NoVa thread. I'll be sure to follow.
Last few weekends I've been down in Locust Grove, VA fishing at Lake of the Woods where my folks live. caught a fair amount of 1-2.5 lb bass, all on Wacky Rigged Senko. I love that I catch fish on this bait, but hate the fact that its a slow, time consuming presentation. I 'm reluctant to switch it up because the few times I've thrown crankbaits or spinnerbaits, I haven't had a bite
Saturday morning I think my brother and I will be launching from Lake Ridge Marina to try the Occoquan Res. We usually use the boat to crab in the summer, but with the crabbing reports being really bad, decided to try the boat for fishing. That being said, anyone with advice for the Res as far as colors/baits etc., I'm all ears!
bluezed reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 9:10 PM, beergogglin said:Took 2 of the kids to Woodglenn for some worm fishing last night. Needless to say I got maybe 10 casts in total. All my time was spent baiting hooks and un-hooking bluegill. I had my daughter throwing a small buzzbait at dusk. She got bored and wanted to switch baits after 5 casts or so. Teaching kids to fish is exhausting! It's very hard to fish with others who have little patience. It's something I just need to struggle with though. I need to teach them right!
It's all for a good cause! Hopefully their interest in fishing only grows stronger.
Speaking of bluegill, my mom tries to fish for those and other panfish almost exclusively. She rarely gets any big ones so I'm wondering if we even have large bluegills around here, or if we need to try someplace else. She almost always fishes from the docks at Lake Ridge Marina.
bluezed reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 9:17 PM, DJ 6_6 said:Smart idea to have a General NoVa thread. I'll be sure to follow.
Last few weekends I've been down in Locust Grove, VA fishing at Lake of the Woods where my folks live. caught a fair amount of 1-2.5 lb bass, all on Wacky Rigged Senko. I love that I catch fish on this bait, but hate the fact that its a slow, time consuming presentation. I 'm reluctant to switch it up because the few times I've thrown crankbaits or spinnerbaits, I haven't had a bite
Saturday morning I think my brother and I will be launching from Lake Ridge Marina to try the Occoquan Res. We usually use the boat to crab in the summer, but with the crabbing reports being really bad, decided to try the boat for fishing. That being said, anyone with advice for the Res as far as colors/baits etc., I'm all ears!
With the Senkos, natural colors (green pumpkin, watermelon, etc) have been working for me. Black with blue flakes also works really well. But I've also caught some on the blue pearl (looks like a silver senko with metallic black flakes), as well as black with blue tip, plum apple, and green pumpkin with chartreuse tail.
I have limited Senko experience but it seems to me like if fish aren't biting when you are T-rigged, switching to wacky rig or a simple color change is all it takes for them to start biting. I always try to start out with a natural color and adjust as necessary. With the Senko, I think it's less about color and more about action. If you can find the fish 99% of the time they will bite regardless of which one you throw in there.
Like you, I find Senkos a little boring to fish since they are so slow... but they work, so I keep using them. I have had success pitching to the edge of grass lines or in little pockets from the shore and almost always pull something out. They are usually small, but it's still fun.
DJ 6_6 reply :
I fish the Senkio exclussively wacky style. The only two colors I use, which i've found productive, are a watermellon/Pearl and a natural/pumpkinseed color with a chartruse tip on one end.
I use a small dentail Rubberband or two (braces rubber band) to hold the senko to the hook. helps keep the lure on after a few bites
bluezed reply :
I bought some o-rings off Amazon to use for wacky rigging my Senkos. I fish them both wacky and texas weightless and have had equal amounts of success with both. I like the Gamakatsu 1/0 weedless finesse hooks for wacky rigging.
beergogglin reply :
t-rigged senkos are good for slow dragging over big rocks, particularly right along the shore of a dam at dusk.
I've actually had more luck with creature baits this year. Baby brush hogs worked when I couldn't get a single bite on a wacky rigged stick bait.
The Bream Reaper reply :
I always keep a senko ready to go. Texas rigged though, i never fish it whacky style, which i probably hard-headed of me. I just feel like a get most of my strikes when i give it a subtle twitch on slack line about 2-3 seconds after it hits the water (when fish are up shallow). Especially on the edge of grass and weed beds. I have all the terminal tackle to work it whacky style, but am stubborn. I'm heading out to occoquan res on saturday out of FH and will defintely let you all know how we do and if we can key in on any patterns. Quanjig usually has the best insight though so hopefully he can chime in if he gets out there this week or over the weekend.
I plan to work the grass beds early on with topwater and spinnerbaits, then try to locate anything we can deep on those main lake points. I think Quanjig alluded to some better water clarity this week with the lack of rain and cloud cover...hopefully that will make things a little easier, but we'll see.
Has anyone tried to punch into those grass beds midday when it gets super hot out there?
DJ 6_6 reply :
I'll hve to try T -rigged. one problem I was having witht he Wacky rigged was gut hooked fish. it was taking me a few seconds to detect the bite...basically feeling the weight of the fish before I set the hook. I tried to crimp down the barb, and since some of my fish have been hooked in the mouth and 2 that were gut hooked, I removed one hook easily and one fish didnt make it.
bluezed reply :
Yeah seeing/feeling the bite was really hard for me at first. Just watch your line like a hawk. Eventually you'll be able to tell quickly when something is "different" and you have a bite. But that said, sometimes fish just INHALE the Senko. Can't stop 'em when they want it that bad.
bluezed reply :
Heading down to Bass Pro Shops Saturday to get a new rod and reel. Most likely the Pro Qualifier and Carbonlite combo. 
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:59 AM, bluezed said:Heading down to Bass Pro Shops Saturday to get a new rod and reel. Most likely the Pro Qualifier and Carbonlite combo.
isnt easier to just order it online?
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:51 AM, bluezed said:Yeah seeing/feeling the bite was really hard for me at first. Just watch your line like a hawk. Eventually you'll be able to tell quickly when something is "different" and you have a bite. But that said, sometimes fish just INHALE the Senko. Can't stop 'em when they want it that bad.
I try watching my line..usually i feel the bump/tap and then feel the weight..other times its just dead weight so i set the hook
bluezed reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 1:26 AM, DJ 6_6 said:isnt easier to just order it online?
Perhaps, but I love being in the store. Plus I want to get a feel for a variety of rods and reels before I pull the trigger.
bluezed reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 1:27 AM, DJ 6_6 said:I try watching my line..usually i feel the bump/tap and then feel the weight..other times its just dead weight so i set the hook
So boring! But productive.
I want to try some jig fishing soon.
DJ 6_6 reply :
yea i havent really attempted a jig or even T-Rig worm....
hwiv24 reply :
Fellow NoVA angler here and wanted to say hello. Fished Occ. Res. last Saturday when it was flooded and muddy. Threw a spinnerbait most of the morning and switched to a worm later on. Didn't get a single bite which was slightly discouraging. Anybody else out there catch anything? I'm thinking about heading back out on Saturday launching out of Bull Run.
quanjig reply :
Check out the res thread!
nitro557 reply :
new occ res fisherman here haven't fished for 20 years ,fell in hook line and sinker and bought a jon boat with a 9.8 merc and last weekend installed a foot controlled trolling motor
been doing good on catching 2 lbers on spinners and crankbaits still working on finding the big fish
Redneckbmxer24 reply :
I fished the private side of lake anna today and it was extremely slow. I caught one mid afternoon on a smoke w/purple and blue flake senko T rigged. Couldn't get a single hit on a spinnerbait, crankbait, or topwater. I caught two more later in the evening after the sun set on a gold sexy shad KVD crankbait. Once again not a thing on any other color, spinnerbaits or soft baits. My buddy got one on a lucky craft popper but I couldn't manage to get anything with topwater. The water must have been 100 degrees even in the deep channels after sun set.
beergogglin reply :
Wow. Some of you guys fished yesterday?! It was HOT. Still is. No wonder it was slow. If I was a fish I'd go deep looking for the AC!
Hey Redneck... would you happen to race at NOVA BMX? I'm an old school bmx guy myself and got my daughter into racing a bit last year. Sorry to the rest for the threadjack.
bluezed reply :
I was going to go, but you're right... it was HOT!
What type of line are you guys using on baitcasting gear? I'm using Yo-Zuri Hybrid 12# right now and it's been working well, but since I'm adding rods/reels I have been thinking about braid. Maybe 50# power pro with a fluoro leader if I need it. Would probably be nice around trees and grass and such. Thinking a high vis braid might help with me actually being able to watch my line, too.
DJ 6_6 reply :
I'm using 14 lb Flouro on a few rods. Seems to fit my needs. I forget which one It was maybe Berkly, thts orange/yellow above water and clear underwater. Its still not that easy to see above water LOL
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 8:47 AM, nitro557 said:new occ res fisherman here haven't fished for 20 years ,fell in hook line and sinker and bought a jon boat with a 9.8 merc and last weekend installed a foot controlled trolling motor
been doing good on catching 2 lbers on spinners and crankbaits still working on finding the big fish
I'd be right there with you buying a small boat/trolling motor except me and teh GF are expecting a baby girl in November. So I have to really watch what I spend. Doesnt keep me from the occasional Amazon.com or Basspro.com lure orders here and there LOL:)...
Redneckbmxer24 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 9:46 PM, beergogglin said:Wow. Some of you guys fished yesterday?! It was HOT. Still is. No wonder it was slow. If I was a fish I'd go deep looking for the AC!
Hey Redneck... would you happen to race at NOVA BMX? I'm an old school bmx guy myself and got my daughter into racing a bit last year. Sorry to the rest for the threadjack.
It was hot but we had to get on the water so we dealt with it.
BMXing was a while ago for me, I've been out of it for years and have never heard of NOVA BMX.
On 7/19/2013 at 10:08 PM, bluezed said:I was going to go, but you're right... it was HOT!
What type of line are you guys using on baitcasting gear? I'm using Yo-Zuri Hybrid 12# right now and it's been working well, but since I'm adding rods/reels I have been thinking about braid. Maybe 50# power pro with a fluoro leader if I need it. Would probably be nice around trees and grass and such. Thinking a high vis braid might help with me actually being able to watch my line, too.
You should taylor the line to what kind of fishing you're doing. If you tie the right knot you will break the rod before you will 12lb yo-zuri so 50lb braid isn't going to do you much good on a lot of rods. If you do decide to use braid I would stick to 20-30lb test and I would use suffix 832 over power pro for a baitcaster. The power pro is very abrasive compared to the 832 and just doesn't cast as far. If it was me I would stick to the yo zuri hybrid and a good mono unless you see a reason that you need braid. I can also tell you that clearing a birdsnest with braid, if it happens, is near impossible.
bluezed reply :
I'll probably just stick with the Yo-Zuri. I like it so far and it hasn't given me any problems. Sometimes it's difficult to see, though.
Redneckbmxer24 reply :
Yozuri is great line, by far the best flourocarbon type line I have found. It has very low memory and excellent knot strength. Pretty much all of the other flourocarbons I've used either have way too much memory unless you use line conditioner or they have poor knot strength. I do want to try seaguar because I've heard great things but I just can't bring myself to pay $20 to spool one reel. I'm not cheap by any means but thats just too much for one reel with flourocarbon.
There's really no reason that you need to see your line, if you can see it, bass can see it. The whole point behind flourocarbon is that its hard to see and virtually disappears under water. If you can see it, fish can see it. On the rare occasion I used braid its green or red, the only time I use yellow is for saltwater fishing when seeing your line does have a major advantage.
bluezed reply :
I like to see it when fishing Senkos. When I can, usually I can see a strike when the line pops. But I guess it's not that big of a deal, and I'm just trying to buy more stuff I don't need.
Redneckbmxer24 reply :
You shouldn't be relying on seeing the line to feel a strike, if you can't feel everything with the rod then you should buy a better rod. A good rod will not only let you feel a strike but you can also tell if a fish has taken the whole thing or just nipped it. You can also feel the lure hitting structures and crossing logs and stumps with a good rod. I would suggest buying a good mid priced rod like a St Croix Premier or Mojo, or a Shimano Cruicial. I used to fish cheap rods but I quickly learned the difference. I don't buy $400 Loomis rods but I also don't waste my time with $50-60 rods anymore.
bluezed reply :
On 7/20/2013 at 1:28 AM, Redneckbmxer24 said:You shouldn't be relying on seeing the line to feel a strike, if you can't feel everything with the rod then you should buy a better rod. A good rod will not only let you feel a strike but you can also tell if a fish has taken the whole thing or just nipped it. You can also feel the lure hitting structures and crossing logs and stumps with a good rod. I would suggest buying a good mid priced rod like a St Croix Premier or Mojo, or a Shimano Cruicial. I used to fish cheap rods but I quickly learned the difference. I don't buy $400 Loomis rods but I also don't waste my time with $50-60 rods anymore.
99% of the time my Senko strikes are on very slack line when it's falling. The only indication of a strike I get in that situation is watching the line. If I can see it, I can see it pop before I feel a thing. That's when I know to reel down and set the hook.
DJ 6_6 reply :
yea majority of my Senko bait bites are on slack line after twitching it a few times or dragging it a few feet and letting it fall. your line isnt tight like it is with spinner bait, crankbait or just a heavier bait in general, there's slack.
beergogglin reply :
I snapped 4 of the 5 rods I had in the boat a couple weeks ago when my buddy shook the boat and I fell on them. I am thanking my lucky stars that I don't spend a lot on my gear... Just picked up a $40 baitcaster replacement rod that I'm sure I'll be happy with. That's 1 down, 3 to go.
....and let my example serve as a lesson. Don't bring half a case of beer on the boat and not expect something to go wrong!
bluezed reply :
I woke up late this morning and made it to Bull Run around 7:30 AM. I didn't have any luck all the way up to noon, but I did enjoy hiking the trail so it wasn't a total loss.
beergogglin reply :
I haven't even thought about going fishing in this heat. Any of you guys having luck? I gotta think it's really slow going. I might try for some post sun-down buzzbait action some time this week.
bluezed reply :
From the shore it definitely is slow. I can't speak for the guys on boats, but I assume it's slow as well... only with more options. Still, it's nice to get out and fish. I have had luck catching dinks at Lake Ridge Marina.
beergogglin reply :
I love buzzbaits at night!
bluezed reply :
Where was that? I have one buzzbait but have never really used it.
Here's a silly question: Has anyone fished the "lake" at Best Buy in Woodbridge? I stumbled upon a fishing report last night where a gentleman briefly fished that lake and caught a largemouth on a spinner bait.
There are fish there, and I have to believe it's not pressured... would be interesting to check out. I would just feel awkward parking in the BB lot and walking into the woods with a rod.
beergogglin reply :
Try slow rolling a buzzbait in the shallows just after sunset. Try throwing parallel to the shoreline just a couple feet out. Fun!
Honestly I don't like to give out locations on this forum. Too many watchers that I know have spoiled other locations in the past. There are other more private sites.
bluezed reply :
No worries.
georgeyew reply :
On 7/25/2013 at 10:05 PM, beergogglin said:Honestly I don't like to give out locations on this forum. Too many watchers that I know have spoiled other locations in the past. There are other more private sites.
I recognize the grass from your photo!!! That is a funny looking bass. I am still trying to catch my 1st decent sized bass on buzzbait.
Bigbarge50 reply :
Hey all,
Been a little MIA on here for a bit, and a lot of new faces posting about NOVA...which is great. The heat has been brutal so night and early morning seems to be the only chance to get bit.....
Myself and some friends have had some luck in the early mornings with shallow cranks and square bills before direct sunlight hits the water. Once it does, seems they run deep and I am nowhere near good enough with a drop shot to sit out in the deep holes and see if I can wait out a fish to bite.
Hopefully this cooling trend keeps up..... nights in the 70's beat an overnight low of 90 always
bluezed reply :
Hit the Res today with my dad. We went from 6am-Noon. Launched out of Lake Ridge and made our way up Sandy Run. We had some luck early, mainly with little ones on spinners and senkos. My dad hooked a ~2lber early but right as we got him to the boat he shook off. Plenty of 1 punders on the day but nothing of substance. I'm guessing the big guys are still deep. Still had fun... it was very nice out but a bit too windy for my tastes. Was hard to keep our canoe in place later in the morning.
I think we are going to hit Burke or Accotink next... someplace better suited to a canoe than the res.
quanjig reply :
The wind will make the day on the res! Wish you had something more able to deal with the wind because you can load the boat in the right spot with the wind hammering a point or bluff face!
georgeyew reply :
Went to Accotink for a few hours this morning. Tried the pond below the dam and some bank areas along the trails.......nothing. But it was fun trying.
quanjig reply :
The smaller the bait the better at accotink. Look for stumps and lay downs, cast along tha thru them, you should get bit!!
DJ 6_6 reply :
Was at LOW this weekend and finally got my GF to fish with me. We fished from shore for about 40 minutes after sunset. she landed a real Nice 5-6 lb catfish on a new chartruse colored sinking Senko style bait. Put up a great fight on the light spinning rod I had her using.
Following day I caught two small bass, one on a senko style bait and one on a KVD sexy shad colored 15-20' diving crankbait.
georgeyew reply :
So is she now hooked on fishing? I certainly hope so.
bluezed reply :
I think my dad and I are going to give Burke Lake a shot this Saturday in the canoe.
DJ 6_6 reply :
George, Idont know..she wouldnt touch the fish, but Sundy we were out on the boat more to swim nd I gve her a rod ..she didnt catch anything but we werent fishing too hard. Hope she gets into it as much as me!
PotomacBassin reply :
On 7/25/2013 at 9:32 PM, bluezed said:Where was that? I have one buzzbait but have never really used it.
Here's a silly question: Has anyone fished the "lake" at Best Buy in Woodbridge? I stumbled upon a fishing report last night where a gentleman briefly fished that lake and caught a largemouth on a spinner bait.
There are fish there, and I have to believe it's not pressured... would be interesting to check out. I would just feel awkward parking in the BB lot and walking into the woods with a rod.
I go by BB everyday after work and see this pond and always wondered about it. Can you even get down to it? I thought there was a fence around it and always thought it was just a crappy water runoff place. It looks kind of deep. Did you try it yet? And I wouldn't feel silly at all with all the techies looking at me with my rods.
bluezed reply :
Haven't tried it yet. Just read that you park over in the BB lot and walk down. Bing Maps' Bird's Eye View gives you a good look of the area. Seems like there are some places to walk down but I haven't checked it up close yet.
s freud reply :
Tried Bb Sunday without a nibble. It had just cloud burst though so water was high and murky.
s freud reply :
BTW Er nurse friend says there have been more people in for copperhead bites this year than in the last 15 she has worked there. Just FYI.
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
I always wondered about the BB fishing hole. Anyone had any luck there yet?
Jay
bluezed reply :
We could all meet there to give it a shot, then walk climb up the hill to Hooters afterwards. 
quanjig reply :
Caught 3 at huntsman yesterday, probably missed 5 more. This is the biggest!
DJ 6_6 reply :
nice!
JSPOONE reply :
what do u all mean by bb? assuming best buy
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
On 7/31/2013 at 11:28 AM, JSPOONE said:what do u all mean by bb? assuming best buy
Yes Sir!!! BB= BEST BUY
Bigbarge50 reply :
quan- I am amazed your pulling good fish out of there. I guess they missed a bunch when they electro fished it and moved all those fish
quanjig reply :
My theory is you can't get them all!! Caught 3 more yesterday, they finally rolled up on my spot!
Two of the biggest ones
bluezed reply :
Nice!
Oh, just found out that my neighborhood pond is not posted with no fishing signs. I'm going to give it a try one night this week. I know it's full of sunfish, but the bottom looks incredibly mucky and I have no idea if the HOA stocks it with anything.
georgeyew reply :
On 7/31/2013 at 8:38 PM, quanjig said:My theory is you can't get them all!! Caught 3 more yesterday, they finally rolled up on my spot!
Nice ones. I've tried bass fishing in Huntsman and I've never been successful. Are you using jigs primarily?
quanjig reply :
Football jigs and shakey heads
DJ 6_6 reply :
Quan, maybe I can meet you there one day and get a tutorial on how you fish the jig/shaky head. wht kind of trailer your using, etc, etc.
Never really tried fishing with jigs.....
quanjig reply :
Might go Thursday. I'll PM you. When you available?
DJ 6_6 reply :
Quote
I have a softball game at 8:30, I usually leave my house around 7:45 for that. Get home at 6 so I might be able to fish for n hour or so 6:20-7:30 tonight
quanjig reply :
Might be able to swing that
bluezed reply :
I ordered a Shimano Sellus M/F from Amazon the other day to go with my Daiwa Lexa 100... it arrived broken in 3 pieces. Thankfully Amazon is great to deal with for returns so I've already been refunded and shipped the broken rod back. Went to DSG during lunch today and picked up a M/F Veritas.
Rocky1965 reply :
@Quan hey man i landed this 2.7pounder http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocco20037/9399694501/in/photostream/ outta Huntsman last week not to mention some NICE catfish too here's the scale shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocco20037/9402455772/ We should def get together and fish it sometime soon! I usually hit the front(back side?) closest to the corner of Golden Ball...I see you are on the other? is the your regular or do you fish both?
quanjig reply :
I usually fish down by the dam in one little spot this time of year
JSPOONE reply :
hit up a pond next to my work last night around 9 landed 5 the biggest going 3.05 and i broke my pole
also hit up huntsman this morning caught 4 on a shakey head rigged w/ a plum rage tail thumper worm nothing over 1.5 pounds
Rocky1965 reply :
Hit Huntsman @ 6:30 this morning with my neighbor we stayed till about 10(when the rain came) landed her using 10# test texas rigged with a 1/8 oz wieght and a 2/0 hook she wieghed 1.5 0z
bluezed reply :
Not much luck on the res today. I think there was a tournament going on. Lots of traffic. And lots of inconsiderate people getting within 20ft or so waking the hell out of us.
Gonna hit a trolling motor only lake next time we take the canoe out.
Edit: Weekend Bassers of Fredericksburg are having a two day tourney this weekend, so that explains the traffic. I have no clue if the inconsiderate folk were part of their group or not, so I'm not trying to point any fingers.
Jeezer reply :
Caught a couple on the res this morning, one around 3lbs. Both on plastics, tough morning for me. Tons of people out
s freud reply :
Went out to the res today around 3. Didn't catch anything until 5:30 when I got a guy about 2.5-3# that I think I had just missed with my frog. Missed two with the frog actually.
No rude boaters out at this point aside from a couple people that were a little closer than I would have preferred in the inlet I was in, but it didn't have my name on it.
Nitro, were you out around this time? Saw a red john boat and almost said hi.
nitro557 reply :
yes that was me ,where did you see me at ,I covered a lot of water yesterday
s freud reply :
I saw you between sandy run and the dam on the pwc side. You were standing up and either pointing for a long time or trying to get a lure out of a tree. I know that last stance well. Then later you zipped back toward the marina when I was near sandy run. I have a 12 foot v-hull that is blue on the bottom half and metal on the top. I always wear a tan full brim hat. Say hi if you see me.
s freud reply :
You also looked like you were with someone so I didn't stop.
quanjig reply :
The guys that were fishing the tx on Saturday were electric motor club. I know Sunday a couple guys from FHBC were a little upset at them when they fished on Sunday when we fished our tx. I think the same guys were fishing a tx when we had our classic last year and didn't care if you were fishing a spot or not, they would just roll right on top of your spot and continue to fish right in front of you! Not to say they all acted that way, just my observation that day. Sundays tx was a little tougher than some of the last few! 18.88 won with two teams tied for second with 18.65. We found our fish in two spots for the most part. Our fish were caught on shakey, plastics and football jigs on points and isolated cover. We did catch some fish on blade but none that made the scale!!
bluezed reply :
I just coudlnt believe it when we got rocked by a couple of guys at full tilt no more than 20-25 feet from us. Just about took on a bunch of water.
bluezed reply :
By the way, how do you guys handle the rock faces that drop ~30-40 feet 10-15 feet out. I'm always unsure how how I should try to approach those.
nitro557 reply :
ive seen you out before ill stop and say hi next time ,I had fished sandy run most of the day then for laughs took a ride to bull run ive never been that far ,then after the rain I went back in at lake ridge park and put her back on the trailer
I had gotten passed that day by two boats that no way did they have 9.9 motors ive got a good running 9.8 and they walked right past me makes me want to put a bottle on this thing
also stop and say hi anytime I usually fish with a buddy makes it funner
s freud reply :
See ya out there! Does anyone know of a mom and pop fishing spot in the area? I feel like Walmart is about as close as we have...
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
S freud,
If you go down route one towards stafford from woodbridge between Quantico and 610 on the left there is a mom and pop grocery/ tackle shop. Never been in it but I know they sell some stuff.
The tourney this past Sunday was very very tough! Especially since I had a bad cold and thought about not even entering. We would have weighed 13 something but was going to win with that so I didn't even weight. Wasnt feeling well enough to stick around. Most of our fish came off plastic creature baits and tubes on isolated cover along bluff walls. 2 fish came off of a C-Rigs on channel ledges near turtle. Did manage to catch a 3 or 4 pound catfish on a C-Rig. Thought I had bubba, lol. Oh well we still have 2 or 3 tourneys left before the classic.
Jay-
DJ 6_6 reply :
Yea those catfish will have you thinking you have a Huge Bass!
My GF managed to catch a 5lber on a Senko 2 weekends ago. Didnt think a Catfish would go after that type of bait, but it sure did!
nitro557 reply :
the only mom and pop tackle shop I could think of is lynns in Occoquan ,stores like dicks ,gander and bass pro shops have hurt the mom and pops
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
Small ponds holding consistent fish 15-16
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
bluezed reply :
Good stuff. I think I'm going to try my neighborhood pond today. It's got plenty of sunfish in it... no idea if it holds bass. Guess I'll find out tonight.
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
If it holds sunfish I would say good possibility of bass being in there, you just gotta throw some lures to find out. I am usually unsure if the ponds I fish have any fish at all because most of them were made for run off and drainage for all the new developments but you would be surprised at the amount of healthy bass that thrive in them. Might be a little tough out there today with the cold front and string of storms pushing through, I was out yesterday for the afternoon and only managed one bass (21 in 5lb) really had to work for him.
quanjig reply :
TPK, 21" 5lbs, nice! Scale or guesstimate??
bluezed reply :
Our pond is about 22 years old now so hopefully during that time it was stocked one way or another.
s freud reply :
How do bass, or any other fish for that matter, end up in man made ponds like run offs and on gold courses?
bluezed reply :
Either they are legally stocked or illegally released. Some say they can be brought in by birds. My pond is connected to another small lake and then the res by a stream, so I suppose they could have made it in that way.
DJ 6_6 reply :
I
On 8/8/2013 at 12:40 AM, s freud said:How do bass, or any other fish for that matter, end up in man made ponds like run offs and on gold courses?
Ive often wondered the same thing, they've got to have been put there by someone, several of them in fact if they are to repopulate.
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
On 8/8/2013 at 12:02 AM, That Pennsylvania Kid said:If it holds sunfish I would say good possibility of bass being in there, you just gotta throw some lures to find out. I am usually unsure if the ponds I fish have any fish at all because most of them were made for run off and drainage for all the new developments but you would be surprised at the amount of healthy bass that thrive in them. Might be a little tough out there today with the cold front and string of storms pushing through, I was out yesterday for the afternoon and only managed one bass (21 in 5lb) really had to work for him.
5lber.jpgThat picture is from from a 5lbs. LOL just saying maybe he posted the wrong pic.. 
just saying!
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
Quan jig the bass was measured at 21 inches I dont have a scale so the weight was guestimated by the length and by the weight of holding it I tried to make the best guess at the weight I could seemed to me to be around 5. Also homemadebaits its a little tough to take a decent picture by yourself I tried to do the best I could with it plus they had to be cut down to be posted to the form.....so next time ill make sure I have my camera crew out there with me to get a really nice picture so that way 5lbs will be more believable even though that's uncommon at all for a fish with that length.
bluezed reply :
I haven't caught anything over a pound in weeks.
quanjig reply :
Pictures can be deceiving, this is a fish I caught just the other day that wasn't even 4lbs. I don't even try to put weights on fish if I don't have a scale, tends to bring a little grief on oneself from those that do weigh their catches!!
Don't get me wrong, that's a great fish! Shimmy might have a little problem calling it a 5 tho!!
Both of the fish in our right hands are over 5lbs
bluezed reply :
Agreed on pics.
This guy is 3 flat.
DJ 6_6 reply :
they're always bigger when they break the line or throw the bait, or when you don't have a scale handy. weights only important in tourny's still a nice bass none the less!
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
Sorry PA kid wasn't trying to be mean... Guessing fish weights is a hard thing to do.
J
bluezed reply :
Well I was tired and the skies didn't look too inviting, so I didn't try the pond yesterday. Soon... soon...
Goblin reply :
Can't believe I haven't seen this thread earlier. I was surprised Huntsman was open already. I thought they just drained it and took out a ton of bass. Anyhoo, looking for someone to buddy around with and do some pond hopping on the weekends. I like to hit it early and then again in the evenings. If anyone is interested just pm me. Tight lines!
beergogglin reply :
I have a question for those of you who fish the potomac and tributaries. If I get the little Tohatsu tuned well enough I'm planning to hit either Pohick bay or Occoquan river on Sunday. I want to target Snakehead. I know you guys normally catch them accidentally while fishing for bass. Where can I expect to find a good population of them? What techniques do they like? They like slow topwater right?
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
They like slow or fast top water early. Then a chatterbait in water shallow water 2 feet or less or rattle trap in water 3 feet or deeper. Look for water a little more protected from tides and vegetation on land that extends into water at least 6" deep. Smaller creeks that feed into pohick are also ideal..
Jay
bluezed reply :
As it turns out, my private/HOA pond does hold bass. I managed to catch one in about 45 minutes on a 5" wacky rigged senko. I am upset I didn't bring my scale with me, but I'm certain it was a new PB. A conservative estimate is maybe 4lbs? Not sure. Really wish I brought my scale! My previous best was right at 3lb.
Also should add this was with my Daiwa Lexa 100 spooled with Yo-Zuri Hybrid #6 on a 7' M/F Veritas. Hook was a 1/0 Gamakatsu finesse weedless.
Chatter Bait reply :
On 8/10/2013 at 2:29 AM, beergogglin said:I have a question for those of you who fish the potomac and tributaries. If I get the little Tohatsu tuned well enough I'm planning to hit either Pohick bay or Occoquan river on Sunday. I want to target Snakehead. I know you guys normally catch them accidentally while fishing for bass. Where can I expect to find a good population of them? What techniques do they like? They like slow topwater right?
I've had best luck on high tide. I only throw a frog. 50# braid on a heavy rod. If I had to choose, I would launch out of Pohick. Work the creeks or where ever you see grass or pads. In low tide they can be difficult to find away from banks.
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
High tide going out is by far the best time to target them. It pushes them up in the vegetation that at other tides is not accessible.
Jay
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 8/10/2013 at 10:00 AM, bluezed said:As it turns out, my private/HOA pond does hold bass. I managed to catch one in about 45 minutes on a 5" wacky rigged senko. I am upset I didn't bring my scale with me, but I'm certain it was a new PB. A conservative estimate is maybe 4lbs? Not sure. Really wish I brought my scale! My previous best was right at 3lb.
Also should add this was with my Daiwa Lexa 100 spooled with Yo-Zuri Hybrid #6 on a 7' M/F Veritas. Hook was a 1/0 Gamakatsu finesse weedless.
Real nice!!
JSPOONE reply :
On 8/8/2013 at 10:42 PM, Goblin said:Can't believe I haven't seen this thread earlier. I was surprised Huntsman was open already. I thought they just drained it and took out a ton of bass. Anyhoo, looking for someone to buddy around with and do some pond hopping on the weekends. I like to hit it early and then again in the evenings. If anyone is interested just pm me. Tight lines!
they havnt started to drain/dredge the lake yet.. i talked to a couple fairfax county park authority last week and they say that is scheduled to happen around sept.
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
On 8/10/2013 at 10:00 AM, bluezed said:As it turns out, my private/HOA pond does hold bass. I managed to catch one in about 45 minutes on a 5" wacky rigged senko. I am upset I didn't bring my scale with me, but I'm certain it was a new PB. A conservative estimate is maybe 4lbs? Not sure. Really wish I brought my scale! My previous best was right at 3lb.
Also should add this was with my Daiwa Lexa 100 spooled with Yo-Zuri Hybrid #6 on a 7' M/F Veritas. Hook was a 1/0 Gamakatsu finesse weedless.
Nice.......keep hittin it probably couple bigger ones in there
bluezed reply :
I'll be hitting the pond for a while this evening/tonight. Hopefully I can pull a few more out. Bringing more gear with me this time.
bluezed reply :
Fished my pond twice this weekend. Nothing but a small channel cat on a 5" wacky rigged Senko. Depressing!
s freud reply :
Hit the res this evening couple small bass on a crankbait and spinnerbait. Water was 76 which is considerably cooler than the 84 it was a couple weeks ago. Normal stained water clarity. Saw a big school of bait fish and caught one of myittle guys from around them.
Jeezer reply :
Fished out of fountainhead with the wife yesterday morning, we managed to find 3, all dinks. All on plastics.
shsabres reply :
Hey all, new member and fellow NOVA angler. I drop the canoe at Bull Run Marina. Any tips on spots to fish in that area. We dont catch too much. And when we do its small ones. And the ENTIRE time monster bass jump out of the water in the middle so any tips/tricks are helpful. My buddy and I are mew to Bass fishing so our problems are probably due to this. Thanks all!!
quanjig reply :
Use the search function and look at past posts on the res. lots of good info!
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 8/21/2013 at 1:21 AM, shsabres said:Hey all, new member and fellow NOVA angler. I drop the canoe at Bull Run Marina. Any tips on spots to fish in that area. We dont catch too much. And when we do its small ones. And the ENTIRE time monster bass jump out of the water in the middle so any tips/tricks are helpful. My buddy and I are mew to Bass fishing so our problems are probably due to this. Thanks all!!
Im pretty sure what you see Jumping are Carp. Saw the same thing when I was out occoquan a few weeks ago. Thought they were bass at first but if you notice they are more bronze/silver than the green color of a Bass.
shsabres reply :
On 8/21/2013 at 9:36 PM, DJ 6_6 said:Im pretty sure what you see Jumping are Carp. Saw the same thing when I was out occoquan a few weeks ago. Thought they were bass at first but if you notice they are more bronze/silver than the green color of a Bass.
Its a possibility. We were screaming how big they were. Was frustrating not hooking anything and seeing those monsters jumping.
bluezed reply :
Yeah those are most likely carp. They like to jump for whatever reason.
RPK reply :
Morning every one! Just stumbled on this post and was wondering if any of you have ever tried lake Mercer? I see a couple of you fish Huntsman, and the two lakes are close by.
I've been hitting Mercer right before sun up the last two weekends and have been doing well with the SPRO frog. LOVE TOPWATER! Always looking for some one to fish with, so if anyone is interested hit me up!
Here is my biggest from yesterday, guessing 4.5 -5.0 lbs?
BB* reply :
Figured it was time to register since I've learned a few things from this thread. Hemlock in Clifton is a good shore fishing location, for those without boats. You have to walk a bit but it can pay off. Hopefully get a small boat one of these days as using a Jon boat from Lake Ridge Marina is nice, but sucks at the same time. Anyway, went to Hemlock today and caught a bunch of smallmouth bass, best being a 2lb'er.
s freud reply :
That's some clear looking water! Welcome to the site!
Bongos reply :
Bank fishing in Reston yesterday. It swallowed the hook but I got it out and he lives to get caught another day.
Bongos reply :
On 8/26/2013 at 8:05 AM, BB* said:Figured it was time to register since I've learned a few things from this thread. Hemlock in Clifton is a good shore fishing location, for those without boats. You have to walk a bit but it can pay off. Hopefully get a small boat one of these days as using a Jon boat from Lake Ridge Marina is nice, but sucks at the same time. Anyway, went to Hemlock today and caught a bunch of smallmouth bass, best being a 2lb'er.
I've heard about Hemlock, I haven't had the chance to make it out there. I'll add it to my list of places to fish.
bluezed reply :
Where is Hemlock? I'm itching to try some smallmouth fishing.
Bongos reply :
On 8/27/2013 at 2:07 AM, bluezed said:Where is Hemlock? I'm itching to try some smallmouth fishing.
I think this is the place.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/hemlock-overlook-regional-park
BB* reply :
On 8/26/2013 at 9:23 AM, s freud said:That's some clear looking water! Welcome to the site!
Thanks. Its been murky for the last couple of weeks. Finally cleared up enough to start seeing more features on the bottom.
On 8/27/2013 at 3:05 AM, Bongos said:I think this is the place.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/hemlock-overlook-regional-park
Thats the place. Its a lot of walking, but worth it. I've caught both large and small mouth down there.
shsabres reply :
Hey Nova anglers. Shameless plug here but I am selling a twice used Humminbird 110 portable fish finder. Only putting here as well as marketplace, but prefer to sell local than to ship. Ill be placing it in marketplace but if any of you are interested let me know. Thanks.
Bongos reply :
RPK reply :
On 9/4/2013 at 12:42 AM, Bongos said:I caught this hawg yesterday in a corporate pond in Chantilly. 4.5lbs according to my scale. That was it for the day but it was worth it. Was only out there for 2 hours. My personal best so far.
Nice fish! I fish a few ponds in Chantilly and have caught some nice bass!
Bongos reply :
Thanks man! What ponds have you fished? I was off of 50 on Avion Pkwy.
quanjig reply :
Those ponds have been over fished and you are lucky to have not been run off by security! Used to have some much bigger fish in there, unfortunately, the I'm going to keep everything g I catch crowd found out about those ponds.
RPK reply :
I agree about being over fished, seems like certain people keep what ever they catch no matter what size fish! But I still can find a few nice bass in a couple of ponds in Chantilly. I have also never been run off by any one? The ponds I know of don't have any signs saying "no fishing or no trespassing"
Bongos reply :
On 9/4/2013 at 7:22 PM, RPK said:I agree about being over fished, seems like certain people keep what ever they catch no matter what size fish! But I still can find a few nice bass in a couple of ponds in Chantilly. I have also never been run off by any one? The ponds I know of don't have any signs saying "no fishing or no trespassing"
It annoys me when I hear about people keeping the fish. I've caught plenty of fish this summer and If I was to keep what I caught I would be sick of fish. I enjoy catch and release because one I have no interest in eating and two someone else someday will have the enjoyment of hooking a nice size fish. I will say that I got 3 of my buddies into fishing this summer and I'm proud that because i get a message or call from them about a fish that they caught and how awesome it was. I'm wondering what to do in the fall now with it getting dark earlier and my weekend being busy that I have no time to get out there. I usually fish after work and can get a good 2-2.5hrs a day. I think I'm just ranting now so I'll stop. Have a good day!
RPK reply :
On 9/6/2013 at 1:16 AM, Bongos said:It annoys me when I hear about people keeping the fish. I've caught plenty of fish this summer and If I was to keep what I caught I would be sick of fish. I enjoy catch and release because one I have no interest in eating and two someone else someday will have the enjoyment of hooking a nice size fish. I will say that I got 3 of my buddies into fishing this summer and I'm proud that because i get a message or call from them about a fish that they caught and how awesome it was. I'm wondering what to do in the fall now with it getting dark earlier and my weekend being busy that I have no time to get out there. I usually fish after work and can get a good 2-2.5hrs a day. I think I'm just ranting now so I'll stop. Have a good day!
I personally can't stand the taste of fish nor do I care for the smell either! My friends have given me crap for years about this....I just like fishing! As for people keeping the fish....well all I can say is they use beer cans or saltwater rods for fishing equipment and they keep EVERYTHING!
I would find a pond and catch some nice 3-4lbs bass and think this is awesome! I can come back every other weekend and know there are fish in that pond, but then I pull up after work or a Sat and I see 5 to 8 people there with beer cans and huge salt water rods and a 5gal bucket full of fish from 2" to 4lbs. And this has happen to a few ponds I like to fish...so I'm always on the hunt for another 
As the summer winds down and I get off work around 2:30 I still have time to hit a few on the way home. But mostly I fish on the weekends. This weekend it's to the river for some smallies! Can't wait!
Bongos reply :
On 9/6/2013 at 4:31 AM, RPK said:I personally can't stand the taste of fish nor do I care for the smell either! My friends have given me crap for years about this....I just like fishing! As for people keeping the fish....well all I can say is they use beer cans or saltwater rods for fishing equipment and they keep EVERYTHING!
I would find a pond and catch some nice 3-4lbs bass and think this is awesome! I can come back every other weekend and know there are fish in that pond, but then I pull up after work or a Sat and I see 5 to 8 people there with beer cans and huge salt water rods and a 5gal bucket full of fish from 2" to 4lbs. And this has happen to a few ponds I like to fish...so I'm always on the hunt for another
As the summer winds down and I get off work around 2:30 I still have time to hit a few on the way home. But mostly I fish on the weekends. This weekend it's to the river for some smallies! Can't wait!
I haven't fished the river yet but I plan to at some point. As of right now it doesn't look like I'm going to get a chance to fish this weekend. anyway good luck out there this weekend.
BB* reply :
On 9/4/2013 at 12:42 AM, Bongos said:
I caught this hawg yesterday in a corporate pond in Chantilly. 4.5lbs according to my scale. That was it for the day but it was worth it. Was only out there for 2 hours. My personal best so far.
Nice fish. I've eyeballed some of those ponds. Nowadays, I'm eyeballing any pond I come across lol.
I went up to Riverbend Park today to rent a canoe and fish, but there was an event going on, so the wife and I ended up going to Great Falls Park. We fished an area out on the rocks near the dam and she caught the only smallmouth. We ended up walking the path towards Riverbend and stopped at a spot that had a big rock sticking out of the water. Second cast and I land a smallmouth (my only one for the day). My wife was on them though and she got 3 within 15 minutes, largest being a 1lber. What was nice was there was no one fishing there. Lots of hikers, but no one fishing. We are going to try to get up to Riverbend Park next weekend to get out on the river and see what we can do.
RPK reply :
Hit the Shenandoah today with a few friends, I caught three small smallies and missed a nice one. My buddy landed a 3-3.5lbs smallie. Would have liked to stop and hit a few more holes but was trying to catch up with another buddy that isn't as good in a kayak...i felt bad for him, he was not as graceful as I had hoped...lol
Will try again in a couple of weeks and spend a little more time fish than search and rescue...lol
vaparrothead reply :
What's going on at Mercer? Over the last 3 weeks to Month I've been lucky to catch one small dink. I understood that the Park Service moved fish from Huntsman over to Mercer so there should be more fish to catch than fewer. Is anyone having any luck at Mercer? I've tried all the "secret" spots both from a kayak and from shore; tried plastic worms, shallow running cranks, top water, everything I can think of and no bites.
RPK reply :
I hit Mercer the previous three weekends and did alright (look at previous post). The first weekend I went I broke about a 4lber off along the rocks and landed two 3lbers also caught two small bass. I missed another two by the stumps. The next weekend I landed that 5lber and one small one. And 2 weeks ago I got skunked? Only thing I can think of is the first two weekends the temp had been cool all week and the last weekend the temps had been back up in the high 80's?
Thinking of trying again when it cools off for a few days.
caq reply :
Went to Mercer last night and got skunked. Did boths ends of the dam by the rocks, and then walked down the left side and did about 4 different spots. No joy. I tried my white chatterbait, black and blue chatterbait, texas rigged senko and finesse but had no luck. Any advice? I definitely want to go back with my inflatable.
RPK reply :
On 10/9/2013 at 8:52 PM, caq said:Went to Mercer last night and got skunked. Did boths ends of the dam by the rocks, and then walked down the left side and did about 4 different spots. No joy. I tried my white chatterbait, black and blue chatterbait, texas rigged senko and finesse but had no luck. Any advice? I definitely want to go back with my inflatable.[/quote/]I went out there last weekend and got a dink on Carolina rigged worm down by the dam. I normally don't fish the dam except in the spring and jerk gaits and spinners work well. Lately I've been fishing the stumps but I only take a spro frog. Have done well some days, best being 5 pounder and then a few skunks as well? Kicking my self for selling my Hobie outback kayak when I moved back here from FL.
romeo reply :
I going to occoquan tomorrow with my inflatable... fishing in the rain should be fun......
caq reply :
On 10/11/2013 at 4:59 AM, RPK said:On 10/9/2013 at 8:52 PM, caq said:Went to Mercer last night and got skunked. Did boths ends of the dam by the rocks, and then walked down the left side and did about 4 different spots. No joy. I tried my white chatterbait, black and blue chatterbait, texas rigged senko and finesse but had no luck. Any advice? I definitely want to go back with my inflatable.[/quote/]I went out there last weekend and got a dink on Carolina rigged worm down by the dam. I normally don't fish the dam except in the spring and jerk gaits and spinners work well. Lately I've been fishing the stumps but I only take a spro frog. Have done well some days, best being 5 pounder and then a few skunks as well? Kicking my self for selling my Hobie outback kayak when I moved back here from FL.
I plan on putting on the rain gear tonight and walking all the way back to the stumps. If you're standing at the top of the dam by the bench, do you go along the left or the right of the lake?
RPK reply :
On 10/11/2013 at 8:19 PM, caq said:I plan on putting on the rain gear tonight and walking all the way back to the stumps. If you're standing at the top of the dam by the bench, do you go along the left or the right of the lake?
If you feel like walking that far? I park on wagon trail court? And walk in that way. It's a gravel path.
caq reply :
On 10/11/2013 at 11:19 PM, RPK said:If you feel like walking that far? I park on wagon trail court? And walk in that way. It's a gravel path.
Found it. It's Wagon Trail Ln. Thanks, I thought the only place to park was off of Hooes Rd.
RPK reply :
On 10/12/2013 at 12:04 AM, caq said:Found it. It's Wagon Trail Ln. Thanks, I thought the only place to park was off of Hooes Rd.
Good luck let us know how you do!
BB* reply :
On 10/12/2013 at 12:04 AM, caq said:Found it. It's Wagon Trail Ln. Thanks, I thought the only place to park was off of Hooes Rd.
Yep. The path is to the left as you go down into the court. They are doing some construction down there, but the path to the lake is still open.
bass_rook reply :
Thanks for the tips guys. I hit Mercer at 10am this morning near the stumps. Only thing working was senkos and creature baits. 5 Biites, 2 fish on and one landed in 2 hrs. Not a bite on spinner(white/white yellow), crankbait(fire tiger/sexy shad), popper. One landed was about 14", but good weight to it.
Lost 4 senkos, 1 craw, 1 spinner and 1 crank bait. May bring my snorkel next time out and go get them all! Lots of snags out there.
RPK reply :
This is why I only use the SPRO FROG back in the stumps. Occasionally I will throw a Carolina rigged bait and spinner....I also use power pro.
Rocky1965 reply :
Lake Accotink : I hit it up today on my lunch break seeings how I was working literally down the street. I caught three at at lunch and three more tonight around 6pm I landed them all using 10# test a 3 ought hook and watermelon Zoom finesse worms.. pictured is the one from this afternoon that weighed in at 1pound 1 oz all the others weighed just under a pound
shimmy reply :
On 8/8/2013 at 12:02 AM, That Pennsylvania Kid said:If it holds sunfish I would say good possibility of bass being in there, you just gotta throw some lures to find out. I am usually unsure if the ponds I fish have any fish at all because most of them were made for run off and drainage for all the new developments but you would be surprised at the amount of healthy bass that thrive in them. Might be a little tough out there today with the cold front and string of storms pushing through, I was out yesterday for the afternoon and only managed one bass (21 in 5lb) really had to work for him.
Oh wow. No doubt pictures can be deceiving bud, but man, i am curious what you measured the length with...a couple of leaves? The second picture looks like the old "fish choking on a hot dog" pic. But, the important part is you enjoyed it.
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
Hey man 21 inches on the tape if you don't believe me you don't .......I'm not gonna argue with you about it in a non competitive forum that means.... pretty much nothing lol
shimmy reply :
No one is arguing, just writing about fishing. On a fishing forum where you post pictures, you have to anticipate people responding to your posts. It is the cause and effect of writing on a fishing forum; and especially when you claim a fish to weigh something that is many moons away from reaching that particular weight. Just saying, seeing the purported weight and the reality of it makes it kind of funny, that's all.
PotomacBassin reply :
I agree that's a great catch, but I also agree it's no where close to 5 lbs. You can fit your fist down a 5-lber's mouth. Can't do that with this one. Doesn't matter though. Awesome catch and doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Especially when you caught it.
Jeremy Farrar reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 9:17 PM, DJ 6_6 said:Smart idea to have a General NoVa thread. I'll be sure to follow.
Last few weekends I've been down in Locust Grove, VA fishing at Lake of the Woods where my folks live. caught a fair amount of 1-2.5 lb bass, all on Wacky Rigged Senko. I love that I catch fish on this bait, but hate the fact that its a slow, time consuming presentation. I 'm reluctant to switch it up because the few times I've thrown crankbaits or spinnerbaits, I haven't had a bite
Saturday morning I think my brother and I will be launching from Lake Ridge Marina to try the Occoquan Res. We usually use the boat to crab in the summer, but with the crabbing reports being really bad, decided to try the boat for fishing. That being said, anyone with advice for the Res as far as colors/baits etc., I'm all ears!
Jeremy Farrar reply :
Hi I fish this lake all the time I e caught many bass but I'm after crappie but can give you some tips for larger bass. Low to be clear. I'm wanting to find someone who has a boat and didn't mind me tagging along . It won't be long before bass move into the shallows
BassMasterHobbs reply :
I live in Fairfax and I'm lookin for some ponds around the area to fish for bass. Alos any place that has good shore fishing. Any spots?
Brick reply :
On 4/16/2014 at 12:40 PM, BassMasterHobbs said:I live in Fairfax and I'm lookin for some ponds around the area to fish for bass. Alos any place that has good shore fishing. Any spots?
Lake Mercer is not a bad place to start. You can pretty much shore fish all the way around, and I have caught some nice bass out of there. Some decent crappie too. Plus, they recently drained a nearby lake(huntsman). Before they did, they moved as many fish as they could over to mercer which is right down the street. I prefer fishing near the d**n. The stump field at the other end looks great, but I haven't pulled to many bass out of the stumps, mostly crappie. I think the bottom around the stumps is all muck and mud.
Traveler2586 reply :
I'm from the wrong side of the river but thought you may find this interesting.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/135364-potomac-river-flathead-blue-catfish/
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 4/18/2014 at 7:26 AM, Traveler2586 said:I'm from the wrong side of the river but thought you may find this interesting.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/135364-potomac-river-flathead-blue-catfish/
Great Read..I had no idea catfish were this big of a problem! One more species to blame for the poor crabbing LOL.
I knew catfish would chase baits, I've caught one on a spinnerbait and one on a Senko before Article makes them sound like they are going to be an issue like Snakeheads.
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
WoW! Good stuff thanks for sharing!
On 4/18/2014 at 7:26 AM, Traveler2586 said:I'm from the wrong side of the river but thought you may find this interesting.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/135364-potomac-river-flathead-blue-catfish/
J
Traveler2586 reply :
On 4/18/2014 at 9:38 PM, DJ 6_6 said:Great Read..I had no idea catfish were this big of a problem! One more species to blame for the poor crabbing LOL.
I knew catfish would chase baits, I've caught one on a spinnerbait and one on a Senko before Article makes them sound like they are going to be an issue like Snakeheads.
I've known about the catfish problem for a while, its been in the news before. I too have caught catfish on Tx worms, spinnerbaits, jig & pig, crankbaits, and spoons. I think they'll go after anything that comes near.
Brick reply :
Most people think of catfish as scavengers, but the big blues and flatheads actually prefer live prey. I've caught cats on all sorts of lures. I've even caught a small cat on a dry fly!
flippin4it. reply :
I hit a small lake/large pond yesterday after work and crushed them on the dropshot rig. Dead sticking seemed to be the key, 14 in total in just over an hours time. 4 inch black trick worm slathered in Jacks Juice did all the work, all I had to do was stand there! Largest fish came in around 5lbs, the average size around 2lbs. All were healthy and released. I can't say enough about the Daiwa Steez Compile-X 7ft med/lt spinning rod. It is worth every penny!
A.Do? reply :
On 4/20/2014 at 8:50 PM, flippin4it. said:I hit a small lake/large pond yesterday after work and crushed them on the dropshot rig. Dead sticking seemed to be the key, 14 in total in just over an hours time. 4 inch black trick worm slathered in Jacks Juice did all the work, all I had to do was stand there! Largest fish came in around 5lbs, the average size around 2lbs. All were healthy and released. I can't say enough about the Daiwa Steez Compile-X 7ft med/lt spinning rod. It is worth every penny!
Hit me up!
quanjig reply :
Oh my goodness gracias me! Where did this guy appear from!!??^^^^^^^^^
A.Do? reply :
On 4/23/2014 at 12:27 AM, quanjig said:Oh my goodness gracias me! Where did this guy appear from!!??^^^^^^^^^
haha! I'm back. We seriously need another happy hour.
quanjig reply :
I'm ready!! We just need to pry everyone else away from babies and such!!
shsabres reply :
Anybody fish occoquan lately? Im thinking if going this weekend. Hope its better than last month. Got skunked. Friday and sat will be 60-70s.
Choporoz reply :
Anyone fish on Fort AP Hill?
My wife just talked to an old trout fisherman who says there's citation LMB in some of the ponds/lakes. According to dgif, there's 9 lakes from three to ninety acres.
DJ 6_6 reply :
On 4/23/2014 at 12:49 AM, quanjig said:I'm ready!! We just need to pry everyone else away from babies and such!!
hahaha I had my first daughter bafck in December....havent had much time to fish either!! Daddy Duty is 24/7!
flippin4it. reply :
HAPPY HOUR? when?
flippin4it. reply :
Text me Andrew
VolFan reply :
Anybody going tomorrow?
flippin4it. reply :
On 4/25/2014 at 9:14 AM, VolFan said:Anybody going tomorrow?
Ado and I are gonna hit up LB tomorrow, feel free to join ...
VolFan reply :
What's LB, and when?
A.Do? reply :
Sent you pm with details
DJ 6_6 reply :
I want to take the boat out to Occoquan Sunday Morning with my brother. First chance I'm getting to fish this spring. Not sure If I'll make it simple because I have gigs Tonight and Saturday night. Waking up early Sunday is going to be tough. But if anyone hits the Rez today or tomorrow, let me know how you make out:)
Choporoz reply :
I plan to go out Sunday, also. Probably rent out of Fountainhead. Not sure if Lake Ridge renting yet. I like LR if I think I'll want to spend most of my time in/around Sandy Run since I'm trolling motor-only.
Tomorrow, I'm going to head down to explore AP Hill. If anyone has any knowledge/experience there, I'd greatly appreciate it.
quanjig reply :
Tournament Sunday!!
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
Beaver Dam Reservoir closed to the public for the next 4 years.....Thanks Loudoun Water Authority.......
quanjig reply :
Blame the rowers!! They somehow still have access! Go figure, just another fishing area dominated by by those that have the ability to force their will!!
The Pennsylvania Kid reply :
On 4/26/2014 at 10:56 PM, quanjig said:Blame the rowers!! They somehow still have access! Go figure, just another fishing area dominated by by those that have the ability to force their will!!
Yeah that's bs that they're still able to use it........it's a shame and it'll prbly add pressure to the surrounding lakes.
Choporoz reply :
On 4/25/2014 at 11:14 PM, Choporoz said:Tomorrow, I'm going to head down to explore AP Hill. If anyone has any knowledge/experience there, I'd greatly appreciate it.
2 thumbs up for AP Hill. Prob a dozen ponds and lakes, most with ramps. Caught my PB there today: 6.8!!! Another at 4.2. Great day
Brick reply :
On 4/26/2014 at 10:56 PM, quanjig said:Blame the rowers!! They somehow still have access! Go figure, just another fishing area dominated by by those that have the ability to force their will!!
Don't get me started on the rowers. Haha. Can't stand when they are out full force on occ res. Nothing like enjoying some peace and quite out on the res until 6 teams of rowers come through one after another. Each group 8 boats wide, taking up the entire width of the reservoir. Not to mention that each group has a coach screaming through a megaphone. They do not give a flying f who they wake, or whether someones fishing or not.
big poppa reply :
On 4/27/2014 at 8:23 PM, Brick said:Don't get me started on the rowers. Haha. Can't stand when they are out full force on occ res. Nothing like enjoying some peace and quite out on the res until 6 teams of rowers come through one after another. Each group 8 boats wide, taking up the entire width of the reservoir. Not to mention that each group has a coach screaming through a megaphone. They do not give a flying f who they wake, or whether someones fishing or not.
I had a "nice talk" with a coach after his boat was within 5 feet of my boat and I had to beach mine to avoid a collision. He declined the offer to meet up in the parking lot after to "discuss" the incident.
quanjig reply :
Did you happen to find out which school he was with? I would call the school and make them aware of the incident and calmly let them know it is a multi use body of water and if it happens again, you will make a formal complaint to the proper authorities.
Brick reply :
It doesn't matter what is in front of the rowers. They will do absolutely nothing to avoid collisions. You could be anchored for four hours in the same spot with a laser light show shooting off your boat in every direction, and if they are heading your way, you better move. I've considered getting a mega phone myself, and following right along next to them screaming at the coach for the duration of their practice. Aren't you supposed to stay to the right when in motion on the res? Why do the rowers not have to follow this rule? They think they own the reservoir, and I don't blaim them. The counties gave them 3 of the 4 launches found on the reservoir. Id think I owned the place too.On 4/30/2014 at 12:38 PM, big poppa said:I had a "nice talk" with a coach after his boat was within 5 feet of my boat and I had to beach mine to avoid a collision. He declinedAn offer to meet up in the parking lot after to "discuss" the incident.
big poppa reply :
On 4/30/2014 at 8:43 PM, quanjig said:Did you happen to find out which school he was with? I would call the school and make them aware of the incident and calmly let them know it is a multi use body of water and if it happens again, you will make a formal complaint to the proper authorities.
The coach wouldnt tell me but it was the third or fourth time that day that i was almost hit. Im considering calling up the school board for both fairfax and prince william county and dealing with the issue as a whole.
DJ 6_6 reply :
Why not team up on them, get 4-5 boats together and fish the middle of the res...when they come rowing by, an old lure with new treble hooks thrown cross their rowboat would send a message loud and clear. after all you were there first, achored...they would be at fault for rowing that close to you .....
quanjig reply :
Here is what some of the guys have come up with as a "solution", to make the rowers aware of our location while on the water. We use the small air horns with compressed air dealys! You can buy a few and give them to friends! Amazing what a blast with those things will do to rowers " in the grove!" , talk about freaking out!! It's very entertaining and gets your point across quickly!!
DJ 6_6 reply :
^^^^ yea they are!!! good idea!!
Traveler2586 reply :
On 4/30/2014 at 9:42 PM, big poppa said:The coach wouldnt tell me but it was the third or fourth time that day that i was almost hit. Im considering calling up the school board for both fairfax and prince william county and dealing with the issue as a whole.
IMHO, don't do, or say, anything to a rower or the coach; they could turn you into the bad guy very quickly.
Just make sure you keep a video camera of some type with you at all times, keep it hand and make sure the date & time are correct.
If anyone comes close to you pull out the camera and start recording.
I think you'll find that when they see you recording their actions they'll change what they're doing. If they still harass you, you'll have something to show the officials.
I would then write a letter with your complaints and evidence to the Director of the Park Service and Director of the school board. This way your complaint will filter it's way down through each system and be seen by more than one person. Keep your letter professional, never get emotional, and stay on point; if you don't your letter will not receive the respect it deserves.
Again, never do anything to disrupt the rowers; just collect your evidence, and above all stay calm, one word can dig a big hole.
quanjig reply :
Traveler, those are excellent points and thanks for recommending that course of action. Having fished the Occoquan reservoir for 25+ years, I've seen how the rowers have changed the way things operate there. Plenty of the fishermen I know that have just as much time or more have seen it as well. We have tried friendly banter and written more than our fair share of letters to the proper people. Unfortunately, there has been little to no change to the attitude of the crew teams. I'm nt saying each and every rower is a problem, it seems to be the high school rowers and the coaches. I've never had any problems with singles, doubles or college teams, they are well aware of other people that use the reservoir for things other than rowing!!
If it was as simple as recording and reporting the incidents, it still wouldn't be a day in day out problem. Unfortunately, some of these people think they own the place and it's up to you to get out of their way! Until they change the elitist attitude they have, short of "taking some of the coaches to the bank", I'll have my air horn at the ready and kill them with kindness when I stand my ground and make them row around me!!
Traveler2586 reply :
On 5/1/2014 at 3:49 AM, quanjig said:Traveler, those are excellent points and thanks for recommending that course of action. Having fished the Occoquan reservoir for 25+ years, I've seen how the rowers have changed the way things operate there. Plenty of the fishermen I know that have just as much time or more have seen it as well. We have tried friendly banter and written more than our fair share of letters to the proper people. Unfortunately, there has been little to no change to the attitude of the crew teams. I'm nt saying each and every rower is a problem, it seems to be the high school rowers and the coaches. I've never had any problems with singles, doubles or college teams, they are well aware of other people that use the reservoir for things other than rowing!!
If it was as simple as recording and reporting the incidents, it still wouldn't be a day in day out problem. Unfortunately, some of these people think they own the place and it's up to you to get out of their way! Until they change the elitist attitude they have, short of "taking some of the coaches to the bank", I'll have my air horn at the ready and kill them with kindness when I stand my ground and make them row around me!!
Sorry to hear you've been down this road many times; all I can suggest at this point is to keep at it, and with the support of as many anglers as you can muster. There is strength in numbers. This past December/January I worked with a few neighbors to muster our community to defeat a rezoning attempt for the second time; we could not have been successful without the support of so many people.
Hang in there, and tight lines.
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
I will second quanjigs post. I believe the rub lies with how much money fisherman contribute to the park authority vs the amount the crew teams contribute. Hands down the rowers unfortunately win and thus get better treatment.
That all being said there are plenty of weekend warriors that wake rowers by driving there vessel dangerously to close. On the other hand there are plenty of rowers that feel they own the reservoir and aren't courteous.
A shoreline meeting may be the only solution.
May the victor go the spoils!
J-
mudkart reply :
I've had the Rez rowing community yell at me to slow down. However, slowing down = more hull in the water = larger wake, unless the boat is at or near idle speed. Presuming that it is the wake they have a problem with, I don't understand.
OTOH, they have no problem throwing a significant wake (not the crews, the follow/coach boats) in my direction as they putt-putt along behind the crews.
Another thing; as "unpowered" craft, the crew boats have right-of-way according to VA maritime rules. It's a gray area how this would apply if you are not under power as well (e.g. stopped and fishing a spot), but if you are under power, my understanding is you must yield under all circumstances.
big poppa reply :
On 5/1/2014 at 4:48 AM, DelfiBoyzBaits said:I will second quanjigs post. I believe the rub lies with how much money fisherman contribute to the park authority vs the amount the crew teams contribute. Hands down the rowers unfortunately win and thus get better treatment.
That all being said there are plenty of weekend warriors that wake rowers by driving there vessel dangerously to close. On the other hand there are plenty of rowers that feel they own the reservoir and aren't courteous.
A shoreline meeting may be the only solution.
May the victor go the spoils!
J-
Some are just as courteous on land. Launching out of LRP sucks on weekdays. Crew teams double park in the trailer spots and use the ramp for exercises and to stretch on. Its disrespectful.
quanjig reply :
You know who causes the most shoreline erosion on the res? Rowers chase boats!! Mike is spot on!!
quanjig reply :
Enjoyed a nice day Saturday at Burke lake! 12 fish, all between 2.5-3.5lbs! Senko and jig, lots of beds, some occupied, some empty.
Traveler2586 reply :
Has anyone noticed in the May Bassmasters magazine the Potomac didn't make the top 100 fisheries "ON THE PLANET" !?!
Too much pressure?
Too few ramps?
Too little area support?
Too few hotels near ramps?
Too little coordination of resources between jurisdictions?
What do you think?
s freud reply :
I was thinking about the crew teams today, and wanted to pass on a thought. I've had them yell at me, almost hit me, etc, but one thing to keep in mind when expressing our frustrations, is that there are high schoolers in many of those votes. That means if someone started a fight and a minor jumped in, an adult is looking at assault on a minor. If we harass a boat to where they feel threatened, it's threatening a minor (or group of them). We all get frustrated, but no one wants to be in court on a felony.
Nitrofreak reply :
Well , only got 3 1/2 hrs in today , sustained winds above 30 mph , I dunno what the gusts were but they were pretty wicked .
Water was 60 at the surface , stained to partly stained , fish were all mixed up , some suspended , some on the flats , suspended , some coming in for the spawn , some on the bottom but very tight lipped , started out with jigs for the ones one the bottom , got 3 that way , 4.1 , 4.8 , 5.4 , tried going after the suspended ones but to no avail , just could not hold the position , secondary points were my focus , seems most all the activity was on these points that had hard bottom areas , no discernible breaks that I could see , I changed up when I could not find what they wanted , they certainly were not in the mood to chase , I caught the next two on a LC pointer suspending JB , first one went 5.7 , last one of the day , 6.6 , brutal day to be out , lost one reel to my inability to control my balance and stepped on the darn thing , lost my LC pointer on the very next cast because of a wind knot , it was just too much after that , boat control was insane !!
quanjig reply :
Nice fish Sonny!! That's the way to make the most of your time, just big ones!!
quanjig reply :
Traveler, I thought the bassmaster article was "lakes" not "rivers" and Freud, I would never condone a physical altercation with the rowers or coaches, so not worth it! The smugness to which they conduct themselves on the res is truly amazing tho!! Traveler had it right, make your intentions known that you will be making a formal complaint. Get the name of the person and the school they represent and take it from there. Most of the time, these complaints fall on def ears! I hope that one day someone actually gets out there and sees how these coaches refuse to recognize that the res is multi use and that no one group of people has exclusive rights to use that body of water!!
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
On 5/5/2014 at 11:09 AM, Nitrofreak said:Well , only got 3 1/2 hrs in today , sustained winds above 30 mph , I dunno what the gusts were but they were pretty wicked .
Water was 60 at the surface , stained to partly stained , fish were all mixed up , some suspended , some on the flats , suspended , some coming in for the spawn , some on the bottom but very tight lipped , started out with jigs for the ones one the bottom , got 3 that way , 4.1 , 4.8 , 5.4 , tried going after the suspended ones but to no avail , just could not hold the position , secondary points were my focus , seems most all the activity was on these points that had hard bottom areas , no discernible breaks that I could see , I changed up when I could not find what they wanted , they certainly were not in the mood to chase , I caught the next two on a LC pointer suspending JB , first one went 5.7 , last one of the day , 6.6 , brutal day to be out , lost one reel to my inability to control my balance and stepped on the darn thing , lost my LC pointer on the very next cast because of a wind knot , it was just too much after that , boat control was insane !!
Nice fish where were you fishing?
J-
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/5/2014 at 8:46 PM, quanjig said:Nice fish Sonny!! That's the way to make the most of your time, just big ones!!
That does not happen very often , just so happens there were a lot that I missed out on as well , some nicer than what I have , but still pretty happy with the bag that I had , I learned a lot from you the day we had on the res , some of this credit belongs to you that I applied to Anna !!
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/5/2014 at 9:18 PM, DelfiBoyzBaits said:Nice fish where were you fishing?
J-
Lake Anna , Mid Lake , just up from the power plant .
Traveler2586 reply :
On 5/5/2014 at 9:04 PM, quanjig said:Traveler, I thought the bassmaster article was "lakes" not "rivers" and Freud, I would never condone a physical altercation with the rowers or coaches, so not worth it! The smugness to which they conduct themselves on the res is truly amazing tho!! Traveler had it right, make your intentions known that you will be making a formal complaint. Get the name of the person and the school they represent and take it from there. Most of the time, these complaints fall on def ears! I hope that one day someone actually gets out there and sees how these coaches refuse to recognize that the res is multi use and that no one group of people has exclusive rights to use that body of water!!
Yes, most were lakes. They also had the St. Lawrence River, Columbia River, Red River, Mississippi, and others. The St. Johns in Fla. made 48.
In years past the Potomac was very popular with B.A.S.S.
Actually, I'm kind of glad the Potomac didn't make the list; maybe we'll see less out-of-state anglers on the river and they'll focus more on the Upper Chesapeake bay.
quanjig reply :
Glad I could kinda help!! That bait has put a great many fish in my boat as well!! Nice to see you are able to make a little time for yourself and wet a line! Hope you get some more opportunities to bond with nature!
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 1:19 AM, quanjig said:Glad I could kinda help!! That bait has put a great many fish in my boat as well!! Nice to see you are able to make a little time for yourself and wet a line! Hope you get some more opportunities to bond with nature!
I wish I could pass that bait thing on you john , truth is , I left mine at home that day , what you brought to light was what Catt had been preaching all these years and I just could not pinpoint , there were clues in your descriptions of when to fish here or there on the res , the fishing we did do , told me a lot of the kind of structure we were fishing , I found a lot of comparison to areas of Anna and backed it up a few times , since then I have put several trips together , not with bags like this but with much success , although this bag is not my record , it certainly was for such a short amount of time .
See , I don't miss too much !!
quanjig reply :
It's funny how people are able to pull little bits and pieces from trips and conversations together and make a plan work on their body of water!! That's why I like the forums here and love to fish the res!! So many interesting ideas and places to try and apply them!!
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 2:26 AM, quanjig said:It's funny how people are able to pull little bits and pieces from trips and conversations together and make a plan work on their body of water!! That's why I like the forums here and love to fish the res!! So many interesting ideas and places to try and apply them!!
I'll second that !!! someday I will hit the res again , see if I can retain a lil sump'n sump'n , got a seahorse ( johnson ) 6 for my port-a-jon , maybe have a beer with ya afterwards too !!
quanjig reply :
Look forward to it!!
s freud reply :
Great bag! Any one of those would make my season and pb, but to catch them all in one day, amazing!
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 10:50 AM, s freud said:Great bag! Any one of those would make my season and pb, but to catch them all in one day, amazing!
You should see some of the bags that come off of the Quan by these guys , it pays to pay attention to these anglers !!
Thanks it's much appreciated !!
shimmy reply :
On 5/5/2014 at 11:09 AM, Nitrofreak said:Well , only got 3 1/2 hrs in today , sustained winds above 30 mph , I dunno what the gusts were but they were pretty wicked .
Water was 60 at the surface , stained to partly stained , fish were all mixed up , some suspended , some on the flats , suspended , some coming in for the spawn , some on the bottom but very tight lipped , started out with jigs for the ones one the bottom , got 3 that way , 4.1 , 4.8 , 5.4 , tried going after the suspended ones but to no avail , just could not hold the position , secondary points were my focus , seems most all the activity was on these points that had hard bottom areas , no discernible breaks that I could see , I changed up when I could not find what they wanted , they certainly were not in the mood to chase , I caught the next two on a LC pointer suspending JB , first one went 5.7 , last one of the day , 6.6 , brutal day to be out , lost one reel to my inability to control my balance and stepped on the darn thing , lost my LC pointer on the very next cast because of a wind knot , it was just too much after that , boat control was insane !!
Wow! What a day! Just awesome, and even more impressed busting out the lc pointer during the spawn. Very smart and often overlooked, I know Quanjig has them tied on 24/7 and sleeps with them, but good to see your success with them.
nitro557 reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 2:26 AM, quanjig said:It's funny how people are able to pull little bits and pieces from trips and conversations together and make a plan work on their body of water!! That's why I like the forums here and love to fish the res!! So many interesting ideas and places to try and apply them!!
I have learned a lot from these forums and from quanjig never have met or fished with him but hope to some day
nitro557 reply :
as far as crew teams go these are way fun to run out and roost them with if it bothers you that much
quanjig reply :
I used to watch guys run those things at an industrial pond in Springfield. Insanely fast and quick in the corners!!
quanjig reply :
Troy, I've got two dedicated setups for jerkbaits!
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 6:17 AM, nitro557 said:as far as crew teams go these are way fun to run out and roost them with if it bothers you that much
What are those things?
J
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 1:02 AM, shimmy said:Wow! What a day! Just awesome, and even more impressed busting out the lc pointer during the spawn. Very smart and often overlooked, I know Quanjig has them tied on 24/7 and sleeps with them, but good to see your success with them.
Water was still cold enough , fish were tight lipped and not in the mood to chance anything , they were about 12 to 15 feet , I fished a secondary point that had a shelf of grass , threw it and bumped the break at the top , that's where the last two came from , there were more there but I just couldn't handle the boat any longer , after loosing the bait to that wind knot on the next cast and having simply given up , my batteries were exhausted from the TM being on 5 to try and hold position , so were my legs LOL !!
I am always and forever open minded and thinking outside the box , you really should consider these baits in the dead of summer too !! Not kidding either !!
Shimmy , thank you , you and a lot of others here have been a blessing !!
nitro557 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 8:05 AM, quanjig said:I used to watch guys run those things at an industrial pond in Springfield. Insanely fast and quick in the corners!!
I race with that club but in a pond in Centerville now
nitro557 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 8:14 AM, DelfiBoyzBaits said:What are those things?
J
nitro 2 stroke remote control boats the white one is electric ,the red one has 4hp and it weighs 8lbs these things are sick fast
DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only reply :
Awesome, you should try to catch a fish with the electric one. Just tie some line to the back with a spinner or something that would be sick
!
Traveler2586 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 8:44 AM, Nitrofreak said:Water was still cold enough , fish were tight lipped and not in the mood to chance anything , they were about 12 to 15 feet , I fished a secondary point that had a shelf of grass , threw it and bumped the break at the top , that's where the last two came from , there were more there but I just couldn't handle the boat any longer , after loosing the bait to that wind knot on the next cast and having simply given up , my batteries were exhausted from the TM being on 5 to try and hold position , so were my legs LOL !!
I am always and forever open minded and thinking outside the box , you really should consider these baits in the dead of summer too !! Not kidding either !!
Shimmy , thank you , you and a lot of others here have been a blessing !!
Try to get accustom to working an anchor if the location will support it.
If the wind is strong and I feel there is good reason to fish a wind-blown location I will, at times, drop anchor up-wind and pay out line until I'm in position; then I'll work the location at different depths and with different lures, i.e. fast bait such as a spinnerbait or crankbait, then a slow bait such as a worm or jig, then repeat the process but change bait types. Then when I've worked the area at all depths, and with different baits, I'll pull anchor and move to the next location which may only be two casts away. The process saves the batteries, and a lot of aggravation.
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/8/2014 at 4:59 AM, Traveler2586 said:Try to get accustom to working an anchor if the location will support it.
If the wind is strong and I feel there is good reason to fish a wind-blown location I will, at times, drop anchor up-wind and pay out line until I'm in position; then I'll work the location at different depths and with different lures, i.e. fast bait such as a spinnerbait or crankbait, then a slow bait such as a worm or jig, then repeat the process but change bait types. Then when I've worked the area at all depths, and with different baits, I'll pull anchor and move to the next location which may only be two casts away. The process saves the batteries, and a lot of aggravation.
I had 2 anchors with me , a spade and a dish type , the spade would not hold , when the boat would bounce it would move , there were some serious wakes out there that afternoon , 30 mph sustained and gusts higher than that according to a report from the marina , my wife and youngest daughter were with me as well , they were getting wet and fussy too LOL !!
I think I just need a bigger boat with a bigger TM to make them more comfortable 
Traveler2586 reply :
On 5/8/2014 at 8:38 AM, Nitrofreak said:I had 2 anchors with me , a spade and a dish type , the spade would not hold , when the boat would bounce it would move , there were some serious wakes out there that afternoon , 30 mph sustained and gusts higher than that according to a report from the marina , my wife and youngest daughter were with me as well , they were getting wet and fussy too LOL !!
I think I just need a bigger boat with a bigger TM to make them more comfortable
LOL on wet & fussy...
But is sounds like you just need more anchor line so you don't pull anchor with a wave. But if the bottom is hard it could be difficult to get a good hold.
I found the more I used the anchor the easer it got.
Cheers
Nitrofreak reply :
On 5/8/2014 at 9:39 AM, Traveler2586 said:LOL on wet & fussy...
But is sounds like you just need more anchor line so you don't pull anchor with a wave. But if the bottom is hard it could be difficult to get a good hold.
I found the more I used the anchor the easer it got.
Cheers
I had 50 foot of line out , that's all I had , you thinking 75 -100 ?
I dropped in 28 feet and I may have had another 6 foot of rope left before I would have been at the end of my rope .
I use an anchor , not accustomed to not using it but it would be fair to say that I have never used it under such conditions as Sunday was , thought about an even bigger anchor after that trip but more rope may just be the ticket !!
Traveler2586 reply :
On 5/8/2014 at 10:39 PM, Nitrofreak said:I had 50 foot of line out , that's all I had , you thinking 75 -100 ?
I dropped in 28 feet and I may have had another 6 foot of rope left before I would have been at the end of my rope .
I use an anchor , not accustomed to not using it but it would be fair to say that I have never used it under such conditions as Sunday was , thought about an even bigger anchor after that trip but more rope may just be the ticket !!
I believe a good rule-of-thumb is to let out line to five times the depth of the water. I use 100 ft. of 1/2" (I think) line. I have times where I let out all the line; but a lot depends on how soft the bottom is.
Choporoz reply :
Anybody have luck in Gunston Cove lately?
I spent much of Sunday getting skunked. Admittedly, it wasn't the best time of day (10AM to 4PM)....and, I have no familiarity with the water yet....but, it was a rather disappointing day. Wife and I rented a jon boat out of Pohick- threw on an electric motor and made a bee-line for the lily pads - worked all the way around to the piers at Belvoir - then zig zagged across and worked a few hundred yards of shore on the other side....and got nothing but a couple bites. I will say that I was surprised at how consistent and shallow the cove is. I always imagined depths and channels, but was kind of shocked to find nothing deeper than 7 foot the entire time. But, no bass. I don't believe they all run all the way out to the Potomac main channel, but man.....
Wayne P. reply :
On 6/24/2014 at 11:53 PM, Choporoz said:Anybody have luck in Gunston Cove lately?
I spent much of Sunday getting skunked. Admittedly, it wasn't the best time of day (10AM to 4PM)....and, I have no familiarity with the water yet....but, it was a rather disappointing day. Wife and I rented a jon boat out of Pohick- threw on an electric motor and made a bee-line for the lily pads - worked all the way around to the piers at Belvoir - then zig zagged across and worked a few hundred yards of shore on the other side....and got nothing but a couple bites. I will say that I was surprised at how consistent and shallow the cove is. I always imagined depths and channels, but was kind of shocked to find nothing deeper than 7 foot the entire time. But, no bass. I don't believe they all run all the way out to the Potomac main channel, but man.....
Time of day is not the basis of good catching. Learn the tides for that location and plan to be on the water around the low tide times. 3 hours before until 3 hours after.
Nitrofreak reply :
Report , June 28th at Lake Anna Va .
Water temps at the surface 87 give or take a degree depending on where you were , stained to partly stained , overcast early and bluebird skies as the mornings progressed .
I was there for 4 days total , fished a friendly tournament on that Saturday .
Results ended up finding the larger schools in shallower waters even though most of the bait fish were congregating out of deeper / clearer waters .
Pre-fished Thursday night , Friday morning , Friday afternoon , finding 4 spots total to fish out of Saturday morning to early afternoon .
Saturday morning stayed overcast with a very slight breeze up until around 11:30 am , I netted 11 fish total during that period in one spot , as the sun came up and became bright , I switched baits and chose a different approach .
Top water baits early , spinner baits , top water walking baits , and weightless flukes around grass , as the sun became brighter , jigs , 3/8oz. , T Rigged worms , shaky heads , all were productive , all baits were either weightless or 3/8oz. or less .
Top fish on the day was a 5lb. even LMB with a 4.12 coming in a close second , ended with a 19.12 lb. bag on the day , not what I wanted but it got me the money anyway LOL !!
Here is my best 5 on the day , the 5lb. came on a buzz bait , the 4.12lb. came on the jig .
madweazl reply :
Looks like this has kind of petered out. Recently move into the area and appreciate the comments for sure.
PGlaze reply :
anyone still use this forum?
Burtonxj reply :
Good walleye fishing going on at Great Falls.
hoodedmonkey reply :
Is this thread just dead now?
Nitrofreak reply :
There is not a whole lot going on this time of year, although with the current weather you will start to see it more and more, you can almost tell when everyone puts their boats away for their long winter naps too, all you see is how great the fishing is in Fla. threads for the southeast section LOL !!
Not that I don't enjoy reading our Fla. brethren anglers stories and gaulking at their catches mind you but, every year I keep telling myself that I'm buying a hut down there and make my friends in Va. Jealous as HELL !!! 
robsbell reply :
Any information about the restocking of Woodglen and Huntsman?
quanjig reply :
On 3/13/2016 at 3:08 AM, robsbell said:Any information about the restocking of Woodglen and Huntsman?
All the info I have read and heard about Huntsman is they have no plan to restock bass any time soon. They shocked and removed as may fish as they could from Royal at the end of September and relocated fish to Barton, Brookfield and Lake Braddock.
hoodedmonkey reply :
Well hopefully it picks up soon. My fishing buddy is recovering from a broken neck...so I need to make some new outdoor friends to play with ☺
georgeyew reply :
On 3/13/2016 at 8:58 AM, quanjig said:All the info I have read and heard about Huntsman is they have no plan to restock bass any time soon. They shocked and removed as may fish as they could from Royal at the end of September and relocated fish to Barton, Brookfield and Lake Braddock.
Darn it. I was planning on heading over to Royal tomorrow morning. Guess there is no need since the population is now way down.
Nitrofreak reply :
Update, Lake Anna has some developments in the mid lake region, I had seen schools on the top of the drop offs and mid sections of the old river channel where it has more vertical structure, with the front we had this past weekend I am assuming that they/some "could have been" on the flats and moved back to the drop, water surface temps were wild, ranging from 52.2 to 65.0 depending where you were, mid lake condition at the mouths of major creeks were mostly clear, in the back of the major creeks it was heavily stained, if you like off shore structure fishing like drop offs and ledge fishing, this is your time to shine and have some fun filling the wells with some bucket mouths !!
Choporoz reply :
Any intel on Algonkian? Not real conveniently located for me, but since the NOVA launch pass includes Algonkian Park, I thought I'd check and see if anyone here has been fishing from there.
hoodedmonkey reply :
It's decent fun. There's a couple large islands right there by the launch point. Weekdays are better than weekends, as it can get really crowded with families and larger boats. The boat launch is nice, large and paved, and there's a good sized parking area.
Getting there early and going upstream aways and floating back is good for smaller boats. There are some areas with thick grass/vegetation, so keep that in mind when picking out your tackle. Water depth varies and there are plenty of little coves and nooks.
DGIF will be around, so make sure you have all of your stuff with you to show you're a good legal fisherman, and last but not least, check the flow of the river before heading out, as it's way less fun when the water level is too high and the flow is super strong.
I've done a trip from Kephart Bridge toAlgonkian, it was an enjoyable day. And launched from the park and gone upstream. I've paddled a bit downstream from the park, but not far or long enough to give any solid information.
Hope that helps some.
Choporoz reply :
Thanks, HM! I'm in Woodbridge and the distance has been an excuse to stay around Occoquan/Gunston, but I need to get up and check it out.
DocMadz reply :
Thanks for starting/reviving this thread.
I live in Ashburn and will usually go to Goose Creek Canal or Beaverdam Reservoir in the evenings. There is a very small lake right by the Lotte Plaza grocery store here in the middle of a residential area which I go to regularly. The bass I caught in my profile pic is from there. I'll usually catch Bluegill over there but I guess I just got lucky that day with a Texas rigged senko which is my go to rig along with live worms.
I've been experimenting with a lot of the advice given on BassResource and am about to try out a Ned rig next and see if it can bring me in something.
Tight lines everyone
Choporoz reply :
Any of you NOVA bank fishermen try the 'ponds' at intersection of Prince William Pkwy and 28? Looks like big retention pond, but I used to see people fishing it/them often....not so much last few times driving by, though.
miketheangler reply :
On 6/22/2016 at 9:52 AM, DocMadz said:Thanks for starting/reviving this thread.
I live in Ashburn and will usually go to Goose Creek Canal or Beaverdam Reservoir in the evenings. There is a very small lake right by the Lotte Plaza grocery store here in the middle of a residential area which I go to regularly. The bass I caught in my profile pic is from there. I'll usually catch Bluegill over there but I guess I just got lucky that day with a Texas rigged senko which is my go to rig along with live worms.
I've been experimenting with a lot of the advice given on BassResource and am about to try out a Ned rig next and see if it can bring me in something.
Tight lines everyone
I just moved to Ashburn and haven't been able to catch anything in the waters around the Lotte Plaza. Haven't gone back into the lake though. Just stayed close to Ashburn Village Blvd for the most part.
David P reply :
Hey guys,
I just moved to Alexandria from California in July, and have only managed to beat the bank a few times since moving. I would love to get out and meet folks and fish if possible. Not opposed to driving an hour or two when timing works!
bigbasshunter reply :
On 12/11/2016 at 6:42 AM, David P said:Hey guys,
I just moved to Alexandria from California in July, and have only managed to beat the bank a few times since moving. I would love to get out and meet folks and fish if possible. Not opposed to driving an hour or two when timing works!
Check out Northern Virginia Bass Fishing group on Facebook
Bigbarge50 reply :
As a member here and of the NOVA group on FB, you will find the NOVA guys (myself included) can sometimes be a little inconsistent as life gets in the way and this site does have a lot of NOVA non fishermen come on here to collect info and go out and ruin spots with their disrespect of the limited natural resources. I would keep active on these sites, there are some great VA guys on here who are very generous with their knowledge. As our weather improves we can talk some specifics in NOVA.
SeeNoSun reply :
Time to get the NOVA thread going again. Anyone been to the Rez? I'm hoping to get out there on my Yak this weekend. It will be my first time on the Occoquan. Launching out of Bull Run Marina. I've got a contour map and a Garmin 43dv.
Are there any tips on patterns that are working now on the Rez?
Choporoz reply :
Rented jon boat from Fountainhead on Saturday. Gale winds, inactive bass, and a mud-puddle of a rez made for less than satisfying day. Vis was all about 6 inches. Should be clearing up somewhat by now, though....hopefully
RichF reply :
On 4/4/2017 at 12:35 AM, Choporoz said:Rented jon boat from Fountainhead on Saturday. Gale winds, inactive bass, and a mud-puddle of a rez made for less than satisfying day. Vis was all about 6 inches. Should be clearing up somewhat by now, though....hopefully
How much is it to rent a jon boat there? Does it come with a motor? Trolling Motor?
Choporoz reply :
I pay $11. But....I have motor, batteries, PFD, military discount....and have Fairfax County residency
I think you're probably looking at $40...maybe a little more for non-res, boat with motor and battery. I'd give 'em a call:
T 703-250-9124
E fountainhead@nvrpa.org
RichF reply :
On 4/4/2017 at 12:57 AM, Choporoz said:I pay $11. But....I have motor, batteries, PFD, military discount....and have Fairfax County residency
I think you're probably looking at $40...maybe a little more for non-res, boat with motor and battery. I'd give 'em a call:
T 703-250-9124
E fountainhead@nvrpa.org
Gotchya. That's not too bad for a day of fishing. Thanks for the info. Is there any grass in there?
Choporoz reply :
guess it depends what you're used to....from my perspective, there isn't a whole lot even in mid-summer....and a lot less right now. Maybe a touch surprising, with the warm spells we've had. I was only a couple hours south of here and one lake had June-like grass already.
RichF reply :
I much prefer the June-like grass. All the lakes I'm used to fishing back home in NY are full of thick milfoil. Some places it'll even grow down to 20 ft.
quanjig reply :
The res is on fire!! We had our second tournament of the year and it was another slugfest! First place was a 6 fish limit of 29+ with a 7.04 kicker! We had another 2, 7 pounders weighed in yesterday with another about a paper clip shy of 7!!
RichF reply :
On 4/4/2017 at 3:14 AM, quanjig said:The res is on fire!! We had our second tournament of the year and it was another slugfest! First place was a 6 fish limit of 29+ with a 7.04 kicker! We had another 2, 7 pounders weighed in yesterday with another about a paper clip shy of 7!!
That sounds awesome! I haven't really done any fishing down here (once on the Potomac, once on Anna). It's nice to know I have places close by that hold nice fish. Wish I had my boat down here! I'll have to do like @Choporoz and rent a jon boat for the day and check it out.
Choporoz reply :
That's crazy, Quanjig. I couldn't buy a bite out there on Saturday. Didn't talk to anyone that could.
I will say that yesterday on the Occoquan River was much better.
quanjig reply :
On 4/4/2017 at 4:00 AM, Choporoz said:That's crazy, Quanjig. I couldn't buy a bite out there on Saturday. Didn't talk to anyone that could.
I will say that yesterday on the Occoquan River was much better.
For my partner and I it was all about finding a little bit cleaner water. When I looked at the ramp at fountainhead on Saturday morning I wasn't sure what Sunday's fishing would be like. We tried fishing the really stained water but couldn't get any bites. Went further down, found some better looking water and slowly started figuring them out. Couple guys I know caught a few Saturday but they were all below fountainhead, tough to get to with just a TM, especially with the wind!!
sc1978 reply :
On 6/22/2016 at 10:17 PM, Choporoz said:Any of you NOVA bank fishermen try the 'ponds' at intersection of Prince William Pkwy and 28? Looks like big retention pond, but I used to see people fishing it/them often....not so much last few times driving by, though.
Hi
If you haven't gotten an answer yet, there is no fish there. Don't waste your time.
SeeNoSun reply :
Caught this one on The Rez yesterday. First bass in my Yak. I also caught a pretty nice crappie.
novafx4 reply :
QuoteCaught this one on The Rez yesterday.
I got my kayak and gear sorted out yesterday and am thinking of hitting Fountainhead this afternoon. I haven't been on the water in more than a year.
RichF reply :
I rented a boat from Fountain head yesterday and had a blast! I was pleasantly surprised since it was my first time there. Landed 12 between 845am and 430pm. My five biggest went around 19lbs, with a 4lb 11oz kicker.
quanjig reply :
First time I have ever put serious time behind a frog out there and it was crazy!! I wish I had pics of my best fish, the number of giants that I missed or lost was truly heart breaking!! I think I can fine tune a few things and keep a few more hooked up in the future!!
sc1978 reply :
Crappies were biting all day (4/20). Lake Brittle. Fished for 4hrs in my Kayak Hobie Outback. All were C&R. Manage to fish around 8 crappies (lost count) and 6 bluegills. Size range from 4" - 12". Using ultra light tackle 1" watermelon grub with crappie nugget. depth 3-5ft all were visible. Huge crappies in the lake, very surprise this lake had that many crappies and blugills.....Im a believer now....Snakehead is next on my hit list in this lake.
below is a quick video of one of my crappie.
https://youtu.be/L-DW_7Co9UQ
sc1978 reply :
4/23/17 @Lake Brittle, another productive day. Blugills, crappies, and LMB.....
quick vid of lmb
https://youtu.be/vlJA3vhvSsE
RichF reply :
The Occoquan Res. kicked my butt yesterday. Only had 5 bites. Caught three of them and jumped off two 3+ pounders. Pretty sure the bass are right in the middle of spawning. The carp definitely are. They were all over the grass splashing around.
Choporoz reply :
Got on the water each of the last four days in NOVA. It has been an interesting few days.
Thursday paddled down from Bull Run Marina in evening. Got two dinks and no good bites. Until .....well after dark...just north of BRM I hooked what I thought was a log...and then it ran. I was fairly certain it was another huge flathead and it wasn't until probably 4 or 5 minutes later that it broached and soaked me with a tidal wave splash that I started to think it might be a bass. I fumbled with a light as I struggled to get her alongside and not lose control. I've caught plenty of six to sevens in the rez, but I swear I have never seen live a bass like this. As I went to lip her (could have easily got entire fist in the mouth) she jumped away and broke off....no pics and no scale, so it never happened....but I'll be seeing that image in my brain for many years to come.
Friday, I got outboard running for first time this year, rented a boat and went north out of Fountainhead. Nearly seven hours and just three bass, none over about 2#. (Was a beautiful day, though and wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else...until I got back to marina and found that the kid there had given my driver's license to someone else...who lives in Leesburg. I did get them exchanged on Sat, but what a PITA.)
Saturday, I went out late in afternoon and paddled up from BRM. Managed one slab crappie by accident and not a single good bass bite.
Sunday afternoon, I gave the rez a rest and paddled Pohick. Winds were projected at 9-10....somehow, the weatherman neglected to mention the 30MPH gusts. It was miserable and essentially unfishable by yak. Until almost 5PM when it died down. For the next 2 hours, it was the most incredible two-hour period of bass fishing that I have ever experienced. 20+ LMB and 3 snakeheads. Smallest bass was 15". It got to the point where if I didn't get a solid bite on a cast, it was a disappointment. If it weren't for the snakeheads, I'd have caught a lot more bass. The d**n things fight like hell and take a few min to get off...and they tore up my Cut-R's. When I lost the last Cut-R of the package, I couldn't buy a bite on anything else. I was frantically, trying curly tails....cane thumpers....Senkos..rage bugs.... I managed to find an old Cut-R at the bottom of my bag and immediately started catching them again. Wish that I'd launched from Belvoir so I could have stayed out there all night. I was catching them all the way back into Pohick. While it had slowed a little, I still managed over 30 bass for the evening.
sc1978 reply :
Lake Brittle report - 4/29/17
thought I could fish lmb, but crappies and blues gill were biting all day....couldn't resist the action....
quick vid of my report
https://youtu.be/QnhPGzskUU4
georgeyew reply :
On 5/1/2017 at 10:07 PM, Choporoz said:and they tore up my Cut-R's. When I lost the last Cut-R of the package, I couldn't buy a bite on anything else. I was frantically, trying curly tails....cane thumpers....Senkos..rage bugs.... I managed to find an old Cut-R at the bottom of my bag and immediately started catching them again.
Sounds like the cut-r worms were the ticket! Gotta get some to try out.
Choporoz reply :
They usually are. That monster on Thursday bit Cut-R, also. I carry a number of different worms, but Cut R is by far, my favorite for most anytime I want it swimming.
georgeyew reply :
On 5/2/2017 at 3:06 AM, Choporoz said:They usually are. That monster on Thursday bit Cut-R, also. I carry a number of different worms, but Cut R is by far, my favorite for most anytime I want it swimming.
How do you rig it? Texas rigged with 1/4 oz and just swim like a swim jig?
Choporoz reply :
3/32 Owner twistlok weighted hook. Keeps it upright and comes through all but the nastiest stuff surprisingly clean. Even though it appears to be about the thickness of a senko, it doesn't do all too well on straight gap hooks. I much prefer a wide gap.
I used to trig 1/4 oz a lot, but I find that too be pretty heavy for most of my fishing anymore...sometimes even 1/8 feels heavy.
I flip it into cover. I drag it along the bottom. I swim it just over the tops of weeds. I hop it off the bottom...sometimes big pops...sometimes little hops...that tail will shimmy at any speed...swimming or falling.
fishwizzard reply :
On 5/5/2017 at 4:31 AM, Choporoz said:3/32 Owner twistlok weighted hook. Keeps it upright and comes through all but the nastiest stuff surprisingly clean. Even though it appears to be about the thickness of a senko, it doesn't do all too well on straight gap hooks. I much prefer a wide gap.
I used to trig 1/4 oz a lot, but I find that too be pretty heavy for most of my fishing anymore...sometimes even 1/8 feels heavy.
I flip it into cover. I drag it along the bottom. I swim it just over the tops of weeds. I hop it off the bottom...sometimes big pops...sometimes little hops...that tail will shimmy at any speed...swimming or falling.
If you can excuse a filthy Marylander snooping around this this thread, I wanna say thanks for the info on the Cut-Rs and the hook issues you were having. Bought a pack or two over the winter and just tried them the other day. I t-rigged them with a punch skirt to use as a weedless swimjig type thing. I was using twistlock flipping hooks and despite a few solid hits, I could never make a hook set. I will give it an other go with a wide gap hook. Is there a specific size you have found works best? I have a pile of 3/0 Moanar weighted swimbait hooks, but I really like the look of it as a fake-swimjig and want to give that an other go.
Choporoz reply :
http://moanerhooks.com/moaner-products/the-weighted-stroke-a-keel-weighted-hook/
These look perfect.
I bought a ton of 3/0 gammy's a few years ago and I'm still working through those (with HitchHikers.)
4/0 will work as well. Good, but not as sharp as Owners, which I'm moving to almost exclusively.
After working through most every brand of hook, I pretty much only buy Owners now. 3/0 in 1/16oz and 4/0 in 1/8.
fishwizzard reply :
Great, thanks for the info!
I am also almost totally, other than a few specialty hooks, an Owner guy.
sc1978 reply :
5/7/2017 Lake Brittle. Weather 62, water 61-64, wind 9-15.
Started slow as I was trolling for walleye. First time using umbrella rig. Trolled for 1hr and gave up. Started bass fishing. 1st set hook was a nice little fight then line snapped...2nd and 3rd hook made up for the 1st....
little video of lmb's
RichF reply :
Ugh Saturday looks crappy but I'm gonna rent a boat at Burke and check it out. I've heard there are nice bass in there, they're just hard to catch because of all the pressure. Do any of you guys know if the lake has grass?
Choporoz reply :
On 5/10/2017 at 9:31 PM, RichF said:Ugh Saturday looks crappy but I'm gonna rent a boat at Burke and check it out. I've heard there are nice bass in there, they're just hard to catch because of all the pressure. Do any of you guys know if the lake has grass?
Been over a month since I was on there...and grass was already coming up. TBH, I don't like fishing Burke much. It is close, convenient, pretty, undeveloped....but tough for me to fish. I admit that the last three times I was on, I was fishing from my yak it was windy as heck...but, even from a boat, I've always struggled there. I have marked fish on dramatic drops, humps, ledges....frequently...just don't catch them. I've caught a few from shoreline cover, but never anything to brag about. If you have sonar for the rental, I think you'll at least give yourself a fighting chance.
RichF reply :
On 5/10/2017 at 10:25 PM, Choporoz said:Been over a month since I was on there...and grass was already coming up. TBH, I don't like fishing Burke much. It is close, convenient, pretty, undeveloped....but tough for me to fish. I admit that the last three times I was on, I was fishing from my yak it was windy as heck...but, even from a boat, I've always struggled there. I have marked fish on dramatic drops, humps, ledges....frequently...just don't catch them. I've caught a few from shoreline cover, but never anything to brag about. If you have sonar for the rental, I think you'll at least give yourself a fighting chance.
Thanks for the insight. Yeah that's my biggest fear/challenge...sonar. The bodies of water around here (other than the potomac) don't have the structure I'm used to and it's obviously impossible to find anything offshore without a graph. I ran into this problem at the Occoquan Res the last time I went there. I assume a lot of bass get off the banks (like they normally do everywhere) as the season progresses. I spent a lot of time aimlessly dragging a football jig in the middle of creek arms hoping to hit some offshore rocks or stumps.
59 degrees, rain, and 15mph wind...at least I'd likely have the lake to myself. I guess no fish is still better than not fishing lol.
Choporoz reply :
I've taken a couple of steps to try to mitigate....just a little when renting boats around here. (My kayak has Lowrance, thankfully.)
- I bought cheapest Humminbird Fishin Buddy...around $100, IIRC. Useless for marking fish, but good enough for depth.
- For the rez (and Potomac...and Anna), I got the GMCO map http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/cats/fish/fish-va.htm#p4
- Not made for detail work, but a start:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelakepark/downloads/lakedepth.pdf
One last thing...don't waste too much time before getting on to Hunting Run. For me, that's the best place to rent/fish within an hour from here.
Search for @Wayne P.'s posts before you go, and you'll feel like you know it before you ever get your line wet.
I also like Anna, but the only place I've found that rents (other than pontoons) is Sturgeon Creek...and, while a decent enough option, that has some challenges.
RichF reply :
On 5/10/2017 at 11:30 PM, Choporoz said:I've taken a couple of steps to try to mitigate....just a little when renting boats around here. (My kayak has Lowrance, thankfully.)
- I bought cheapest Humminbird Fishin Buddy...around $100, IIRC. Useless for marking fish, but good enough for depth.
- For the rez (and Potomac...and Anna), I got the GMCO map http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/cats/fish/fish-va.htm#p4
- Not made for detail work, but a start:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelakepark/downloads/lakedepth.pdf
One last thing...don't waste too much time before getting on to Hunting Run. For me, that's the best place to rent/fish within an hour from here.
Search for @Wayne P.'s posts before you go, and you'll feel like you know it before you ever get your line wet.
I also like Anna, but the only place I've found that rents (other than pontoons) is Sturgeon Creek...and, while a decent enough option, that has some challenges.
Thanks a bunch for the info! I'll definitely pick up that Rez map. Right after I read your last response, I checked out Cabelas online looking for a portable depth finder. They have a great deal on a Lowrance Hook-4 with extras for $200 and I could get the suction cup mount to make the transducer portable for an extra $20. Super tempting.
I saw Hunting Run on google maps as I was scanning the area for new places to fish. It's close to Motts correct?
Choporoz reply :
Close on a map....not even close comparing bass fishing
RichF reply :
Anybody ever launch on the Occoquan Res at Lake Ridge park? I'd really like to check Sandy Run but I don't think I can rent a boat at the park there. Lake Ridge would be my closest option with the trolling motor.
Choporoz reply :
Been out of Lake Ridge a number of times. (Renting and kayaking.) Sandy Run very accessible from there. Loading is a pain unless you are renting their motor and battery. I usually row to the ramp and load there if it isn't busy.
Spent a few hours Friday on Gunston Cove. Only open water fish were from throwing traps into bait balls. But the bigger girls were very tight in laydowns. Pulled four bass out of one tree. This was the fourth one.
sc1978 reply :
@Choporoz nice fish. I plan on making trips to Occoquan regional park and target some snakeheads and bass. just waiting for good weather....this week should be beautiful....
RichF reply :
I never made it to Burke Saturday. I called friday afternoon to make sure they'd be open but they told me they wouldn't know until around 9 or 10am saturday. I didn't wanna wait so I decided to just go to Fountainhead again bright and early. Fished from 730AM to around 6PM and only boated 12. Lost a couple others. I hooked a giant fish flipping super shallow but am pretty sure it wasn't a bass. Never felt a bite and didn't set the hook very hard. My XH flipping stick was doubled over for a hot second and the fish made a massive swirl next to the boat and was off.
The bite was really slow until I decided to just chunk a spinnerbait around shallow wood in the afternoon. Not my favorite way to fish but it got me most of my bites. Biggest one hit right around the 3lb mark. The rest were 1.5 to 2.5.
I think I'll launch out of Lake Ridge next time. I'm really interested in going up Sandy Run.
On 5/15/2017 at 8:04 PM, sc1978 said:@Choporoz nice fish. I plan on making trips to Occoquan regional park and target some snakeheads and bass. just waiting for good weather....this week should be beautiful....
But that means more people will be on the water! lol. I only saw around 10 boats all day Saturday. It was kinda nice.
sc1978 reply :
On 5/15/2017 at 9:52 PM, RichF said:But that means more people will be on the water! lol. I only saw around 10 boats all day Saturday. It was kinda nice.
yeah, I thought the same thing. But I do have plans for stripe bass fishing down Northern Neck on Thursday AM...
Fisheye89 reply :
Hey everyone new member and fishermen here, just wanted to introduce myself. Only been fishing for a little over a year so I know I have much to learn. I've been doing a bit of reading on here and several other sites to gather as much information as I can. I know experience is the biggest advantage when it comes to fishing, so this season I have been doing my best to hit the water as much as I can. So far I have been out there at least once a week and some weeks 2 or even 3 days a week if I get the chance. While reading up on tips and advice from other fishermen has been helpful, I think actually being out there with some who has a good amount of experience would be a lot better(I'm more of a visual learner) Unfortunately none of my fishing buddies have a lot of experience and usually rely on me for advice.
Example- I was out early one morning at Algonkian park fishing a stream just before it goes out into the river. It had rained pretty hard the day before so there wasn't much water clarity if any at all. I started out with live worms and when they didn't produce anything I switched to a spinnerbait. When that didn't work I tried a football jighead, still no interest. All while I could hear the fish jumping out of the water catching their breakfast. At one point I even saw one leap out of the water and make a huge splash as if to mock me. What did I do wrong or not do???
Choporoz reply :
I've never fished Algonkian. I've asked about it here on BR and got crickets....Anyway, I threw the kayak on top of the car a week or two ago and went up there with every intention of hitting it. After looking at the somewhat swift chocolate milk, I slowed my roll a bit and started talking to everyone that I could find with a boat or fishing rod or just hanging anywhere near the ramp. Nothing I heard led me to believe that putting in there would be a good use of my time. Between the current and the lack of bass, according to those somewhat familiar, I decided not to bother. Now, they could have been way wrong and that stretch might be filled with bass, but I didn't see any reason to question them. I'd bet a good bit of money that you saw evidence of catfish and/or carp, jumping and rolling, and otherwise breaking the surface. You can spend a LOT of time in these parts chasing splashes, only to learn that you've been casting at carp. That's experience...not hearsay...:)
Good luck, and welcome. Lots of information in this thread and others.
Burtonxj reply :
I work at Algonkian. Pretty good fishing around the launch but it gets better down around the breaks. Sugarland Run is also fun to take a yak up in.
TONS of carp in the slackwater.
SeeNoSun reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:30 PM, Burtonxj said:I work at Algonkian. Pretty good fishing around the launch but it gets better down around the breaks. Sugarland Run is also fun to take a yak up in.
TONS of carp in the slackwater.
Are there Largemouth and Smallmouth in Sugarland Run? I was thinking of taking my Yak up there. Anymore info would be awesome.
RichF reply :
You guys are right...Burke Lake is a turd. I ended up there Saturday because the employee at the Res decided not to show up for work. Wow Burke is a zoo. Such a tiny lake to have so many boats, canoes, and yaks on it. No peace and quiet at all. My buddy and I only caught 3 bass and a walleye in 5 hrs. Definitely not worth the $29 bucks for park entry and boat rental.
Oh how I miss NY
Choporoz reply :
I spent Saturday on Hunting Run. Couldn't believe how many trailers in the lot when I got there around 10. Most boats were deep in the bays and creeks, so I figured that's where I'd start...late spawners, maybe? Couldn't do jack in the shallows, nor shore laydowns. But, I began to notice that every single time I crossed 11' mark, my fishfinder would beep. Almost like a depth alarm. So I anchored off a windy shore and started dragging big worms through 10-13 feet of water. Turned out to be a solid pattern for the next four or five hours. Caught more good fish (2-4#) than I ever had there.
Sunday, I hit Occoquan River for a few hours in the afternoon, and took a bunch of decent fish from cover on the Fairfax side of the river. Nothing over 3, however.
Found some big gars cruising grass flats...pretty cool to watch...just glad I didn't hook into one.
georgeyew reply :
On 5/22/2017 at 10:37 PM, RichF said:You guys are right...Burke Lake is a turd. I ended up there Saturday because the employee at the Res decided not to show up for work. Wow Burke is a zoo. Such a tiny lake to have so many boats, canoes, and yaks on it. No peace and quiet at all. My buddy and I only caught 3 bass and a walleye in 5 hrs. Definitely not worth the $29 bucks for park entry and boat rental.
Oh how I miss NY
It is super busy most of the time. Not to mention all the runners and bikers all along the trail. It's hard to bank fish as well.
RichF reply :
On 5/23/2017 at 12:40 AM, georgeyew said:
It is super busy most of the time. Not to mention all the runners and bikers all along the trail. It's hard to bank fish as well.
Yeah, the hikers and runners added a bit of annoyance for sure. They obviously didn't get in the way or anything but just hearing all the talking, shouting, and overall noise was frustrating. Hard to enjoy nature when everyone from the city fills the greenspace.
Choporoz reply :
Also makes taking a leak more 'interesting' than it is on most lakes
Wayne P. reply :
On 5/22/2017 at 11:29 PM, Choporoz said:I spent Saturday on Hunting Run. Couldn't believe how many trailers in the lot when I got there around 10. Most boats were deep in the bays and creeks, so I figured that's where I'd start...late spawners, maybe? Couldn't do jack in the shallows, nor shore laydowns. But, I began to notice that every single time I crossed 11' mark, my fishfinder would beep. Almost like a depth alarm. So I anchored off a windy shore and started dragging big worms through 10-13 feet of water. Turned out to be a solid pattern for the next four or five hours. Caught more good fish (2-4#) than I ever had there.
Sunday, I hit Occoquan River for a few hours in the afternoon, and took a bunch of decent fish from cover on the Fairfax side of the river. Nothing over 3, however.
Found some big gars cruising grass flats...pretty cool to watch...just glad I didn't hook into one.
I was at Hunting Run Saturday from about 8:30 to 4:00. Caught a lot in that size range also. Total 55 bass, one pickerel, and one bluegill.
sc1978 reply :
went to my usual lake, Lake Brittle. got busy in the afternoon. fished for only 2hrs. foul hooked small carp on its side and fished 1 lmb.
vaparrothead reply :
Just returned from Huntsman Lake; didn't expect a lot and I was surprised when I landed a pound to pound and a half large mouth just off the rocks at the dam end of the lake. Didn't take a camera; why would I? Anyway there are bass in Huntsman!!
PECo reply :
On 6/2/2017 at 5:31 AM, vaparrothead said:Just returned from Huntsman Lake; didn't expect a lot and I was surprised when I landed a pound to pound and a half large mouth just off the rocks at the dam end of the lake. Didn't take a camera; why would I? Anyway there are bass in Huntsman!!
A buddy who just moved down to central Virginia told me that a guy fishing from the fishing dock next to the ramp at Briery Creek Lake landed a 12-1/4 pound largemouth bass last Saturday. Supposedly, the guy took photos and released it. I'm still waiting for a photo of it to show up online somewhere.
I guess that Virginia isn't just for lovers.
David Brown reply :
First time posting on here so forgive me if this should go somewhere else.
Been fishing from the yak a few times this year (Germantown and Frederick) but I'm overdue to get the kids out. Been in NOVA for a year and a half and haven't found any place to take them where we can pull in a mess of sunnies and the occasional bass that isn't elbow to elbow...or skunk city. Any recommendations? Also thinking about renting a jon boat somewhere (cause heading out in the boat is half the fun for them) if anyone can point me in the right direction. Thanks!
RockvilleMDAngler reply :
Open tournament on Saturday out of Hope Springs Marina if anyone is interested, should be a good time:
http://va-outdoors.com/threads/19547-VAO-2017-Potomac-River-SummerSlam-Smackdown-Tournament-**Open**
Choporoz reply :
On 6/6/2017 at 9:12 AM, David Brown said:First time posting on here so forgive me if this should go somewhere else.
Been fishing from the yak a few times this year (Germantown and Frederick) but I'm overdue to get the kids out. Been in NOVA for a year and a half and haven't found any place to take them where we can pull in a mess of sunnies and the occasional bass that isn't elbow to elbow...or skunk city. Any recommendations? Also thinking about renting a jon boat somewhere (cause heading out in the boat is half the fun for them) if anyone can point me in the right direction. Thanks!
I don't fish for panfish, but I catch 'em on the Occoquan with regularity. I'd rent a boat from either Fountainhead or Lake Ridge; pretty similar - mostly would depend on whether you live in Fairfax or PW county. If you're out more towards Loudon, you can try Brittle - but, IIRC, the boat rentals there were kinda expensive for my tastes.
Wayne P. reply :
Hunting Run Res, Motts Run Res, and Ni River Res near Fredericksburg rent jon boats.
sc1978 reply :
Lake Brittle - weekend crowd....fish early or fish later in the evening. I fish from Kayak. getting ready to focus on snakehead. I have seen smallies near the docks, I havent seen any in double digit length..
David Brown reply :
On 6/7/2017 at 10:40 PM, Choporoz said:I don't fish for panfish, but I catch 'em on the Occoquan with regularity. I'd rent a boat from either Fountainhead or Lake Ridge; pretty similar - mostly would depend on whether you live in Fairfax or PW county. If you're out more towards Loudon, you can try Brittle - but, IIRC, the boat rentals there were kinda expensive for my tastes.
Thanks! Been meaning to go there...and maybe I'll be able to get a cast or two in between baiting hooks.
On 6/8/2017 at 1:12 AM, sc1978 said:Lake Brittle - weekend crowd....fish early or fish later in the evening. I fish from Kayak. getting ready to focus on snakehead. I have seen smallies near the docks, I havent seen any in double digit length..
Thanks. It's always gangbusters there and I haven't been for a while...but may be the weapon of last resort.
Burtonxj reply :
On 6/2/2017 at 5:31 AM, vaparrothead said:Just returned from Huntsman Lake; didn't expect a lot and I was surprised when I landed a pound to pound and a half large mouth just off the rocks at the dam end of the lake. Didn't take a camera; why would I? Anyway there are bass in Huntsman!!
Sure are! Used to fish it quite often in High School. Haven't fished it since they drained it though.
Choporoz reply :
On 6/12/2017 at 3:50 AM, Burtonxj said:
Sure are! Used to fish it quite often in High School. Haven't fished it since they drained it though.
Gnarly!
quanjig reply :
Didn't know they restocked Huntsman. I know it was supposed to have been re-populated with the the fish they removed and put in Mercer but that was a future endeavor by the county.
TOXIC reply :
For you small water guys, I used to be the expert on tiny water!! 
I fished out of a Bass Hunter PVC boat and a 40lb thrust TM. Here's my list:
Brittle. Literally 5 miles from my house. Has boat rentals is stocked with Walleye and most recently someone intorduced Snakeheads. Lots of catfish, good panfish and crappie. Best areas are the coves around the 2 points that are in the center and the bank from the coves to the dam. Where the creek feeds in from the top there is a MASSIVE flat that is pretty much dead water.
Germantown Lake/Crockett Park. I called this my "grocery store" lake. Whenever I needed to restock the freezer with crappie, I'd head there. Boat rentals. Good bass, catfish and sunfish. Best areas, creek channel of feeder creek for bass and I trolled for most of my crappie.
Lake Curtis. No boat rental. I did fairly well there on a regular basis up in the back and at the dam.
Lake Orange. Boat rentals. Good Bass and crappie, lots of deep standing timber.
Lake Pelham. No boat rentals. Permit required. I caught a lot of white Perch, bass and crappie out of this lake. Another one of my "grocery store" lakes.
Mountain Run. Same as Pehlam but smaller. Was less productive for me.
I fished a few more that I can't recall of the top of my head because I haven't frequented them since getting the big boat. If I can help anybody out just ask.
David Brown reply :
Thanks for the Tiny Water tips!
Ended up at Lake Frederick for a few early hours Friday morning with The Boy. Left the kayak at home and rented a jon boat. Had a good morning with five bass and a slew of sunnies. Wasted a little bit of time being stubborn about the top waters--absolutely no top water action but eventually made peace with it and moved to senkos which saved the day.
We got off the water late morning and the parking lot was jammed! I can't imagine what it's like on weekends. Frederick is probably best as an early morning midweek destination.
David Brown reply :
Thanks for the Tiny Water tips!
Ended up at Lake Frederick for a few early hours Friday morning with The Boy. Left the kayak at home and rented a jon boat. Had a good morning with five bass and a slew of sunnies. Wasted a little bit of time being stubborn about the top waters--absolutely no top water action but eventually made peace with it and moved to senkos which saved the day.
We got off the water late morning and the parking lot was jammed! I can't imagine what it's like on weekends. Frederick is probably best as an early morning midweek destination.
Choporoz reply :
Got sorta quiet in here....
I haven't been out as much the last six weeks as I'd have liked. But, I'm really looking forward to the next six or eight....or twelve.
Spent more time this summer on the Occoquan River than anywhere else. Had a great numbers day out there a week and a half ago. Nothing over 4#, but plenty from 2-4. There was a big tournament going on, so I was having to work my yak between a lot of bass boats...in fact one guy ran right up on me...as he trolled by, maybe 6 feet out from me, he said "Hope you don't mind...we're fishing a really big tournament"....like that excuses rude behavior. Anyway, seems like every boat was throwing drop shots or wacky worms...neither of which I have much time for. Never seen so much fast drop shot fishing. I did just fine on shaky head, Keitechs SI's and jigs, thank you. No question, the fish were pretty scattered, however. Only going to get worse before it gets better.
Spent one evening in Gunston Cove...best fish were all in/around/above the nastiest grass....rare decent day with a frog...for some reason, my frogs don't get bit much in the Potomac.
Was on Hunting Run all day Saturday. Thumb got tore up pretty good...funny thing was that I had different things on 7 or 8 different rods and nothing much worked...except Rage Tail Anaconda...didn't matter if it was 7" or 10"...find the outside edge of the weeds and lift/drag...set the hook....repeat.....other curly tails (Culprit) got a bit of attention, but not like the Anacondas.
sc1978 reply :
yeah, we have to get this thread going again, I myself have been in and out of the waters with a few hooks of 1-2lbrs, I have lost many battles on lite lines. Most of my trips are @ brittle, Occoquan Res & River with little to no success (still studying the area). I'm in the faze where I am testing out homemade lures. below is my recent outing @ brittle. First hook, I lost the battle due to lite line, second was a success @ 1lb (est), third was unknown species (lost battle).
sc1978 reply :
Another outing at my local lake. went out around 0600, fished till 1200. Went out to try some homemade spoons and other lures. spoons were a miss except the tiny rigged for panfish. The other custom lure I made was just a 3/4 ounce bullet sinker with jig skirt (black) and a size 5 treble hook (plain and simple). 1.7lb and 2.5lb took a good hit and landed them. tiny spoon hooked up a dink.
Choporoz reply :
Spent a few hours Fri evening in Gunston Cove. Got skunked out there for the first time in a long, long time. Lots of movement in the pads, but I suspect that I spent way too much time targeting carp.
Put the kayak in the Occoquan River at ORP Saturday morning and didn't fare much better. Boat traffic was worse than mid-summer. Never thought I'd say it, but I can't wait for the temps to start dropping. Bass have gotta be getting hungry.
@TOXIC's snakehead pic in another thread reminded me....last week at Hunting Run, I didn't hook up with any, but I saw snakeheads there for the first time. I'm sure they've been there for a while, but I was totally unaware.
Burtonxj reply :
Fished the breaks after work yesterday..10 total biggest went 16".
Gonna spend some time fishing at Great Falls here soon.
RichF reply :
Hit up the Occoquan Res Saturday. Had an ok day. Boated 8 bass total. Biggest was just under 5lbs, the rest were between 2 and 3. Only caught 1 of those fishing shad imitating baits. Rest came off a jig which made me happy (since that's my normal game).
Choporoz reply :
Nice. I was out there Friday and again Sunday. I had similar results...for both days, combined Sticking a 5er on a jig in thick wood yesterday made it all worthwhile, though.
RichF reply :
That's exactly how I got my 5er!
Choporoz reply :
I was out Saturday, also, but not on the Rez. Took the yak across the river and fished Mattowoman out of Slavens. A bit slow there, also. One nice fatty, though. I did get some huge hits on chatterbait, but couldn't hook up. Once I finally did, I realized why...I fought a beast for a couple minutes, but it came off. Bait and line came back slimed....bad. I'd never had cats hit chatterbaits before.
RichF reply :
My buddy went out last fall on the Potomac and caught 25LB cat on a chatter bait in 3ft of water! Crazy. That's a nice looking bass btw. Super healthy. Like a beautiful northern NY bass haha.
TOXIC reply :
Chatterbaits (any bladed jig) are catfish magnets on the Potomac. But then again so are spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastics!!
gbassman519 reply :
yes I got a snakehead from hunnington run rev.also wt. about 5 lbs.
Riazuli reply :
Let's get this thread going again! Tis the season 
I'll be taking my kayak out Saturday, with the wind being calm that day. I'll be on the water all day and will report back afterwards.
Choporoz reply :
Where are you headed out from? I'm pretty conflicted right now
RichF reply :
I went out of Fountainhead on Sunday. Only caught 1 decent bass and 3 other dinks. I'm fishing the BFL as a co-angler on the Potomac this saturday. The cold spring is cramping my style.
InFishingWeTrust reply :
On 4/19/2018 at 8:10 PM, Riazuli said:Let's get this thread going again! Tis the season
I'll be taking my kayak out Saturday, with the wind being calm that day. I'll be on the water all day and will report back afterwards.
Same here. Plan on hitting the shenandoah. Pulled my first top water fish of the year last Saturday.
SeeNoSun reply :
I took the yak to the Rez out of Fountainhead yesterday (4/18). Extremely muddy conditions and 56 degree temps. Going to try again next Monday and hope it clears up some. No rain in the forecast before that. Anyone know how long it usually takes the muddy conditions to improve on the Rez in the spring? Any ideas on lures/patterns for cold water that looks like coffee with too much milk?
Choporoz reply :
On 4/20/2018 at 12:24 AM, SeeNoSun said:I took the yak to the Rez out of Fountainhead yesterday (4/18). Extremely muddy conditions and 56 degree temps. Going to try again next Monday and hope it clears up some. No rain in the forecast before that. Anyone know how long it usually takes the muddy conditions to improve on the Rez in the spring? Any ideas on lures/patterns for cold water that looks like coffee with too much milk?
Should be somewhat clear in mid-September. Seriously, its never really a very clear lake. Yoo-Hoo, is what someone on here called it. The floating debris can be a bigger hindrance than the clarity. Not just for motoring. I was trying to fish a point last spring and the log jam that came in went from shore to shore; I couldn't even get a lure to the bottom.
Jigs are always my favorite there no matter what the color of water. When the mud is worst, I tend to go in two different directions -- chatterbait if they are even a little active; and shakey head when they aren't.
SeeNoSun reply :
Thanks for the reply... I should probably "clarify" my post. I would consider the usual water conditions on the Rez as pretty stained. I have only fished it for a year and have launched out of Bull Run, Fountainhead and Lake Ridge. I found it can be more "Yoo-Hoo" ish throughout the season out of Bull Run. Conditions tend to improve around Fountainhead down to Lake Ridge, however, I did not start fishing those areas until after the post-spawn last season. The conditions I saw yesterday were the muddiest I have ever seen from Sandy Run up past Fountainhead to Wolf's Run. I'm hoping it is just the recent heavy rains.
I've had success on Jig/Pig and Spinnerbaits throughout the lake. For a noisy lure I like Buzzbaits but its a little too cold for that IMHO.
Riazuli reply :
On 4/19/2018 at 9:45 PM, Choporoz said:Where are you headed out from? I'm pretty conflicted right now
I'm heading out from Leesylvania state park - Powells creek and Neabsco will be by focus for now. I am planning to drive over to the Maryland side to give Mattawoman a swirl when I can.
On 4/20/2018 at 12:24 AM, SeeNoSun said:I took the yak to the Rez out of Fountainhead yesterday (4/18). Extremely muddy conditions and 56 degree temps. Going to try again next Monday and hope it clears up some. No rain in the forecast before that. Anyone know how long it usually takes the muddy conditions to improve on the Rez in the spring? Any ideas on lures/patterns for cold water that looks like coffee with too much milk?
I just asked the same question in another thread - it was basically confirmed that I am going with dark, loud/strong vibration, and big for chocolate milk, which the Potomac is the color of right now. I had also asked when that might clear up... It's been really windy and rainy consistently but things are looking to calm down this week, so I'm hoping we get some clearer water within a couple of weeks (the grass getting bigger will help too).
sc1978 reply :
I use spinnerbait for muddy/stained waters. slow retrieve. 70% of the time it works....muddy waters are all around us for now since that last storm we had. I have been out to 3 different places since storm, like brittle, Rez (bull run), my local ponds are all muddy/stained. For now I think Im going to focus on fishing me some trophy stripers down lower potomac (below 301 bridge) this sunday. Good luck to all of us...
Riazuli reply :
On 4/20/2018 at 7:33 PM, sc1978 said:I use spinnerbait for muddy/stained waters. slow retrieve. 70% of the time it works....muddy waters are all around us for now since that last storm we had. I have been out to 3 different places since storm, like brittle, Rez (bull run), my local ponds are all muddy/stained. For now I think Im going to focus on fishing me some trophy stripers down lower potomac (below 301 bridge) this sunday. Good luck to all of us...
Saturday is looking good as far as wind goes, fellas. I'll be out all day if I'm able to. Does anyone have any idea if I can launch my kayak from Neabsco without a fee? I've got a state park pass for Leesylvania, but I'm hoping to try the other side of the park - seems like there might be access through the park. Will call tomorrow. I likely be getting a pass for the rez/lake ridge too
bigfruits reply :
burke lake can be cruel but she gave me a nice treat yesterday in about 4 ft of water. 5lb 15oz.
Choporoz reply :
Holy cow! My experiences on Burke have been....challenging....and small...:)
Fellas, don't let the brown water of the Rez dissuade you. I had one of my better days on there Saturday. Yesterday was much slower, but still hooked a couple decent ones. I'm interested to see how the tourny weigh-in went.
SeeNoSun reply :
On 4/23/2018 at 10:09 PM, Choporoz said:Holy cow! My experiences on Burke have been....challenging....and small...:)
Fellas, don't let the brown water of the Rez dissuade you. I had one of my better days on there Saturday. Yesterday was much slower, but still hooked a couple decent ones. I'm interested to see how the tourny weigh-in went.
I went out today. While it was stained (closer to what i would consider normal) it was nowhere near the muddy conditions on my 4/18 trip. I actually prefer stained water but still didn't have much action today. It was pretty windy so yak positioning and casting accuracy was really tricky. I'm thinking Friday afternoon may be my next trip to the Rez. Not sure if I'll launch out of Lake Ridge or Fountainhead yet. I'm leaning toward Lake Ridge since I haven't been down that way this season.
RichF reply :
Is it worth paying for the key to Bull Run?? I'm getting bored puttering around Fountainhead.
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