VAngler15 Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 I went to Beaverdam in mid-September, and to my surprise, a k-9 cop was parked right by the Mt. Hope entrance. I asked him if fishing is allowed on this side, to which he responded, "Yes." But I've got two points that convince me otherwise: 1. Nothing from Beaverdam has been posted since Mid-August on Fishbrain. 2. The dam has been under closure for some time now because of the construction going on. Since I'm not taking any chances, is the place still open for fishing? And if not, when will it re-open? (Note that construction was scheduled to end in 2019 and there hasn't been an update since September). Quote
Super User Sam Posted January 10, 2020 Super User Posted January 10, 2020 Best I could find about the situation: https://www.novaparks.com/parks/beaverdam-reservoir/updates/beaverdam-reservoir-update-october-2019 1 Quote
VAngler15 Posted January 10, 2020 Author Posted January 10, 2020 Thanks. I guess they really haven't finished what they started due to the water levels. I'm gonna risk it and continues fishing by the shore at the Mt. Hope side. I've caught some nice bluegill, but I was really hoping that I could bring my pedal kayak some time. Good day! Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted January 29, 2020 Posted January 29, 2020 Spring of 2021: Estimated Reservoir Park construction completion and opening Quote
Super User Choporoz Posted January 29, 2020 Super User Posted January 29, 2020 I don't see anything on the NOVA parks site that leads me to think that I wouldn't try fishing it. Unless you're bypassing clearly marked 'closed' signs/ramps, why not? Quote
VAngler15 Posted March 4, 2020 Author Posted March 4, 2020 On 1/29/2020 at 12:32 PM, Choporoz said: I don't see anything on the NOVA parks site that leads me to think that I wouldn't try fishing it. Unless you're bypassing clearly marked 'closed' signs/ramps, why not? Since there's a vehicle barrier near the Mt. Hope entrance, I think I'll stick to fishing by the bank until the water access is reopened. But thank your for everything, everyone! Quote
marsfromva Posted March 5, 2020 Posted March 5, 2020 Post if you've had any luck, even if it's just bluegill that's biting. Quote
VAngler15 Posted March 14, 2020 Author Posted March 14, 2020 On 3/5/2020 at 4:19 PM, marsfromva said: Post if you've had any luck, even if it's just bluegill that's biting. I've just been getting skunked fishing from the shore. I thought I was gonna catch something yesterday when it was warm, but not even a bite. I think once spring hits they'll be more tempted. Quote
marsfromva Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 On 3/14/2020 at 10:32 AM, VAngler15 said: I've just been getting skunked fishing from the shore. I thought I was gonna catch something yesterday when it was warm, but not even a bite. I think once spring hits they'll be more tempted. Thanks, I was thinking of hitting up the Loudoun County circuits...(public access ponds & maybe Goose Creek) after getting one shad at Fletcher's yesterday. Quote
TheTripletDaddy Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 Assuming you folks have been following, but Beaverdam Reservoir is completely open again (for the last 4-5 weeks). Though, it's been tough going for the 8-10 times I've been out there. Had one 3lb'ish largemouth, less than a handful of 1-2lb'ers, one catfish, and several crappie. Besides a decent sized crappie I snagged while trolling the west wall heading north towards the dam, everything else I've caught has been on the south side of the reservoir. 80% by cranking and only one in the grass beds. Could be me, but I think the closure/drainage over the last few years really put a hurting on the fish population. Also, I was told by someone on the lake who talked to the folks who did the electronic survey that there are at least three generations of fish missing. It won't keep me off of the water, but it's going to be rough for a while. 1 Quote
simek3ru Posted July 15, 2020 Posted July 15, 2020 @TheTripletDaddy - I heard the same on the fish population. Do you know if you can launch a boat yet? Thought I saw they were building a ramp? Quote
TheTripletDaddy Posted July 20, 2020 Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/15/2020 at 9:37 AM, simek3ru said: @TheTripletDaddy - I heard the same on the fish population. Do you know if you can launch a boat yet? Thought I saw they were building a ramp? I haven't seen any ramps being built, but I've been fishing in my Bass Raider 10e and have seen others in some jon boats--all with electric motor--not to mention all of the kayakers. Also, I checked in with Dustin, who's the main NVRPA contact for Beaverdam, about the electronic fish survey they did in April and any restocking plans. This is what he sent back... "With regard to the fish study, it was performed on April 21st and the results were favorable considering the extended drawdown. VA DGIF performed an hour of electrofishing which resulted in a rate of 31 bass per hour with 17 of those being Preferred Fish (PF) which is equivalent to 15" or greater in Largemouth Bass. With the firm re-open date being uncertain in their planning period last fall, VA DGIF was unable to secure any stocking resources for this year however in consideration of the pending re-opening they will be diverting any excess stocking resources they have to Beaverdam this year and will include it in the planning later this year for the 2021 District Stocking Plan." I'm not sure how "31 bass per hour w/ 17 of those being 15 inches or greater" compares to other fisheries, but it sounds good and, more importantly, like I need to step up my game considering I've only caught one that was 15"+ in the last six weeks. 3 Quote
bluezed Posted July 23, 2020 Posted July 23, 2020 How is the bank access at Beaverdam? Is there any way to get to the dam area or the west side? Quote
TheTripletDaddy Posted July 28, 2020 Posted July 28, 2020 On 7/23/2020 at 9:59 AM, bluezed said: How is the bank access at Beaverdam? Is there any way to get to the dam area or the west side? Yes. For west side bank access, you can take Reservoir Rd off of Evergreen Mills. I went exploring a couple of weeks ago and it's a part-paved/part-gravel road that dead ends at the reservoir. There are a ton of no parking signs, but there were several parked cars there where I turned around. There's also a locked gate to an open area where some kayak rental company seems to have gained permission to access and pull their cars/boats beyond the gate. As far as dam access, I see people walking on the east side of the dam all of the time when I'm fishing the north end. I'm assuming they're accessing it by parking at Edgar Tillet Memorial Park and walking north. 1 Quote
VAngler15 Posted July 29, 2020 Author Posted July 29, 2020 23 hours ago, TheTripletDaddy said: Yes. For west side bank access, you can take Reservoir Rd off of Evergreen Mills. I went exploring a couple of weeks ago and it's a part-paved/part-gravel road that dead ends at the reservoir. There are a ton of no parking signs, but there were several parked cars there where I turned around. There's also a locked gate to an open area where some kayak rental company seems to have gained permission to access and pull their cars/boats beyond the gate. As far as dam access, I see people walking on the east side of the dam all of the time when I'm fishing the north end. I'm assuming they're accessing it by parking at Edgar Tillet Memorial Park and walking north. Is there a path to take walking/biking to Beaverdam by Edgar Tillet? That'd be a life-saver, since I've always taken the d**n Mt. Hope trails and the Reservoir Rd entrance to get to some spots. Mt. Hope entrance is garbage for bank fishing and I've yet to catch anything besides the occasional bluegill in the 4-5 times I've tried it. Quote
Bigbarge50 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Prior to all this construction that body of water always had a reputation of being a tough place to consistently fish. All the draw downs and construction would seemingly have made it worse. It is disappointing to hear about some kayak rental company out there. It used to be a pretty unused gem of a spot. Pretty soon it seems everywhere in NOVA will be over developed and will not be too many places for fishermen to go. Quote
VAngler15 Posted August 1, 2020 Author Posted August 1, 2020 On 7/30/2020 at 2:40 PM, Bigbarge50 said: Prior to all this construction that body of water always had a reputation of being a tough place to consistently fish. All the draw downs and construction would seemingly have made it worse. It is disappointing to hear about some kayak rental company out there. It used to be a pretty unused gem of a spot. Pretty soon it seems everywhere in NOVA will be over developed and will not be too many places for fishermen to go. Yeah, unfortunately with what they're planning on doing it's gonna change a whole lot. There's a lot of nearby ponds in golf courses and neighborhoods where you can catch pigs, but there's absolutely no other place where you can really go on a kayak and fish on the water to your heart's content. Quote
CountryboyinDC Posted October 17, 2020 Posted October 17, 2020 I went out this morning, obviously haven't been reading the news. The gate was closed with 2 cop cars in front of it. Maybe this will save someone else the trouble of going out there. www.wusa9.com/amp/article/news/local/missing/missing-paddle-boarder-brings-concerns-for-beaverdam-reservoir-visitors/65-7453650e-4620-420a-a31e-cd8a3df9f4a3 Quote
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