Fishing locations south of NOVA?

[euroshowoff]

I'm in stafford and mostly fish the potomac since I have a launch a mile away in Aquia. I'm thinking about making my way down to Hope Springs marina and getting closer to the potomac. Are there any recommended spots to fish on the potomac in my area, and are there any other lakes besides Lake Anna to fish out of? I have a 2013 165 with 40hp Merc, so restrictions might apply. 

[Wayne P.]

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/

[Sam]

You can also get the Freshwater Fishing in Virginia booklet from VDG&IF at Wal-Mart, Dick's, Gander Mountain or your favorite tackle shop.

You may want to put in at Willow Marina which is much more friendly, and not as expensive, as Hope Springs Marina.

You can go up creek and fish the narrow creek or head towards the river and go left into Arkendale Flats or right and fish the area to your right as you leave Aquia Creek. Always monitor the weather and wind as the Potomac can sprout white caps in a New York minute.

Grass will be all over the place so be ready to throw topwater and your plastics (drop shots, shaky heads, Senkos, etc.) into the holes in the grass.

Hit the docks in Aquia on your way out to the river.

Go to the tide website for the Potomac and look for some favorable tides on the days you want to fish,

http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/potomacsites.html

And you can try your luck on One Fish Anna or head south to the Rappahannock, Mattaponi or Pamunkey rivers. Get  your GMCO maps of each so you can find where to launch your boat.

Good luck.

[Bigbarge50]

type in a search of this board...... literal library of info there.  

[Logan S]

Depends on how far you want to drive...If you limit yourself to a short drive there's not much besides the Potomac and Anna.  I believe there's a few electric-only lakes in NOVA (Burke Lake?) but I have no experience on them.  The Rappahannock is a cool river for a change of pace, but it's not in the same class as the Potomac in terms of overall bass fishing.  

Outside of that you're looking at further drives.  There are a ton of great fisheries in this region if you're willing to drive to them...North, South, East, and West.  

[bmcphoto]

Most of the lakes in this area are electric motor only, but you can launch a bass boat with the motor trimmed up. The good thing is the majority of these lakes are small enough you can cover with a good bank of batteries. Occoquan res. Has 10hp limit, as does Briery creek and Sandy run reservoirs.

the Potomac itself is its own ecosystem offering smallmouth and walleye in the upper tidal reaches, to major saltwater species where it meets the bay. Not to mention all the tributaries. You could spend years exploring and fishing that river.

[euroshowoff]

thanks guys. i've been fishing aquia creek for some time now both kayak and on the boat. how hard is it to find places along that potomac that are good spots to catch bass? Should I just look for shade and cover areas, or should I look where other boats are parking out and fish those areas

[bmcphoto]

The rule on the Potomac is, if there is grass, there is bass

[euroshowoff]

17 hours ago, bmcphoto said:

The rule on the Potomac is, if there is grass, there is bass

haha

[WDinarte]

On Monday, July 18, 2016 at 10:46 PM, bmcphoto said:

The rule on the Potomac is, if there is grass, there is bass

Yes, Sr.

[fishnkamp]

Consider launching at Leesylvania State Park, drop your trolling motor and fish it. You certainly can run into Neabsco creek, Powells Creek or run over to Mattawoman Creek on a good day.

Next consider launching in the Occoquan River, fish the marina, down wood as you go up river then the bridges as well as the Belmont Bay grass beds, and there are several creeks leading into Belmont Bay. Try launching at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton.