NOVA Newbie

[Paul Naj]

Hi gang. I'm relatively new to the area and just found this forum. It's nice to have a site where locals are fishing the same waters as you. I hope I can add to the mix.

I'm actually in the process of rediscovering my freshwater roots. I grew up in northern NJ and fished for LMB and SMB in NJ, NY and CT. I was getting pretty good with the northern bass before I moved to the shore in NJ 17 years ago and the saltwater fishing took over for me. I became a striped bass nut and living 7 miles from the beach made it hard for me do much freshwater anymore. Even in my limited freshwater time over the past 5 years I managed 2 fish over 7 LBS. The past 10 years have also brought me 12 striped bass over 30# and 2 over 40# to a high of 43#. I also did a bunch of offshore stuff for tuna etc.

I'm discovering some pretty nice water down here, just bought a kayak and can't wait to get a chance at a few NOVA slobs. Cheers.

[cjbs2003]

Welcome to the area, which is chock full of black bass fishing opportunities...  But the Potomac and Chesapeake are not that far from Sterling so if you still want to pursue Stripers or as we call them around here, Rockfish... They are here for the taking.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey Paul if you don't mind a ride man we got plenty of lakes and reservoirs down here in the Fairfax/Woodbridge area.  Occoquan Reservoir (Fountainhead and Lake Ridge), Potomac and Occoquan Rivers which have some bank fishing available, and some great lakes large and small.  Pm me if you wanna get out sometime.  My dad and I sometimes have a third seat open on our boat during the weekends and we are cool about letting others tag along if so.  We normally launch out of Leesylvania (Potomac) or the Occoquan at the Regional Park on 123.

Going out to Mattawoman Creek next weekend if weather permits.  If not we will launch out of Burke.

[rondef]

To the forum.  There is a lot of good fishing in the Northern Virginia area.  Like my son (JCrzy4Bass) said we have an open seat available sometimes in my boat let me know if you want to go out with us one day.

Ron

[Chai]

im also new! and i always fish off the bank (don't own a boat ) at burke, braddock, huntsman, fountain head but can never find Pohick. Do you guys mind if i tag along on some of your outings?  

[rondef]

Hey Chai   to the forum, the same offer is out there for you.  If you or Paul are interested send me a PM with your number and I will call when I have a seat available.

Ron

[Paul Naj]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I look forward to contributing to the group and would love to get to fish with you guys in the future.

Rondef, thanks for the offer to tag along. I explained to JCrzy4Bass in a PM that I'm not big on the 3 in a boat deal but greatly appreciate the generous offer. I'd love to hook up with you guys and drop my kayak in and fish together that way.

I fished a reservoir near here the other day and was reminded of something that I'm not very good at and want to work on, and that is fishing non-visible structure. I'm pretty good with different shoreline structure, visible structure and weedlines but I struggle with deep and susspended fish on points, road beds etc. I just got my fish finder and will be mounting it on the yak soon. I'm hoping that adding that dimension to my view helps me figure it out. It's an important skill in reservoirs where the water level fluctuates throughout the season.

It's funny that I struggle with that because I could usually find striped bass consistently both ocean front and in Sandy Hook and Raritan Bays in NJ and rarely look at the GPS.

[Sam]

Paul,

Welcome to the forum. We can always use another Virginia guy.

As for fishing, the guys are right on. However, do you own a bass or other boat you can use to fish rivers and lakes?

Down south from where you are is Lake Anna and the Rappahannock, Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers plus the Chickhomoney Lake and River.

And don't forget the James River, too.

Check out the apartment complexes and commercial parks as they have ponds with fish, too.

Let us know how you do, too.

[Paul Naj]

Thanks Sam. For now I'm limited to smaller lakes and rivers since I'm paddling. Fortunately there's plenty of options within a reasonable drive. I'm also less than 2 hours from the Susquehanna flats up in MD which has an awesome catch and release striped bass fishery this time of the year. I do want to take advantage of some of the great smallmouth fishing in this state as well.

Here's my ride:

[skillet]

WELCOME to the forums!!!

                            As Ever,

                             skillet

[HokieDJ]

Just wanted to chime in but I'm another Nova fisherman  new to the board.

My friend and I fish along the shore so any good shore spots please share for the unfortunate ones like us who don't have a boat

I'll throw out a spot we like which is ft belvior.  The bass are starting to come around to that spot.  Last week we caught a couple of 1.5 lber's but one guy there caught a 5 lb from shore.

Has anyone fished BeaverDam Creak up in Ashburn area?  We're heading out there today to see what's it like.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey Hokie,

My friend used to let us get in on base til' he turned 18, then he couldn't get on anymore.  There is some great bass fishing there on base, as well as fishing for carp, striper, perch, and catfish.  BIG carp and catfish.  But the bank fishing for bass there is indeed pretty good.  My wife caught a 3lber first time we went out there.

Do you have access to the base? :

I know some pretty good ponds in the area if your interested in the Woodbridge area, just pm me.

[VABasser]

Is there only bank fishing at Belvoir or is there a boat launch as well?

[JCrzy4Bass]

They have a boat launch.  My friend's dad actually has his boat stored over there and launches out of there all the time.  Not sure where it is exactly but it's the first thing you see when you get down to the water.  Parking lot will be on your left.

[Tpayneful]

Welcome to the board Paul!

I am more of a Central Virginia Angler.  My home is halfway between Fredericksburg and Richmond.  In NOVA I only fish the Potomac out of Occoquan and Aquia but that is by far the best fishing around!  You can catch large numbers with some large ones in the mix.  

The other guys on here can give you tons of information on the lakes in NOVA.  One lake that you guys should try out is Lunga on Quantico Marine Corp base.  Some friends of mine in Fredericksburg LOVE that place!  Good luck and I hope you find places to fish that you like.

Welcome to you as well Chai!

[snowslider]

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd chime in here as well. New to the board, but I've been bass fishing for as long as I can remember. My grandpa taught me when I was only a few years old.

Now it's my turn to teach my daughters. My oldest is about to turn 4 and we've been practicing her casting in the back yard - she calls it catching "yard fish". She's getting pretty good (for a youngster), and she can't wait for me to take her fishing again.

I live up in Herndon, but I have folks in Fredericksburg who live on a private lake. There's only one other guy who fishes that lake, so it really is more like catching than fishing there.

With three daughters under the age of 4, I don't get out as often as I'd like, but I'm always looking for a fishing partner. I'd be happy to show someone the hot spots on my folks' lake when we make it down to Fredericksburg.

[Daiwa]

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd chime in here as well. New to the board, but I've been bass fishing for as long as I can remember. My grandpa taught me when I was only a few years old.

Now it's my turn to teach my daughters. My oldest is about to turn 4 and we've been practicing her casting in the back yard - she calls it catching "yard fish". She's getting pretty good (for a youngster), and she can't wait for me to take her fishing again.

I live up in Herndon, but I have folks in Fredericksburg who live on a private lake. There's only one other guy who fishes that lake, so it really is more like catching than fishing there.

With three daughters under the age of 4, I don't get out as often as I'd like, but I'm always looking for a fishing partner. I'd be happy to show someone the hot spots on my folks' lake when we make it down to Fredericksburg.

Well welcome!

[rondef]

Snowslider,

to the forum. I would love a shot at that lake. I could return the favor and take you out on the Potomac if you like.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

8-)

[okrod]

Hi gang,  I'm new to th board and had a question of those of you who seem to know the area.  I'm getting back into fishing after having a kid (takes all your free time) and live in Burke and have a question about the spawn.

I hear everyone talking about it and the shows all talk about it in generalities, but can someone give me an overview of what's important to know for our area?

Thanks, okrod

[rondef]

This is going to be my first time fishing during the spawn.  I know right now that the bass are feeding pretty good, they are in a pre spawn mode in this area.  You should be able to start pulling in some nice size bass with crankbaits, jerkbaits and t-rigged plastics.  The spawn will begin once the waters warm up a bit more, I would imagine that they will begin to spawn in a few weeks.  Right now a lot of our lakes are still in the high 40s to low 50s and that is not warm enough for them to begin to spawn.  Once they are on the beds you are going to practically have to drop your bait on the bed or run a spinner or buzzbait right above them to get a reaction bite.  Bassmaster magazine has a good article on fishing the spawn this month, you should read it.

[JCrzy4Bass]

That article was pretty good. Alot of the "spawn" articles I have read lately say that a carolina rigged, or texas rigged lizard will produce good during the spawn. Also a tube bait in a sandy color to imitate spring craw, as well as a yankee rigged shallow running crank like a manns (looks like it's feeding on the bass eggs). If you type in yankee rig on google you should find a diagram of how to set it up. You need a three way swivel for it.

Other than that I'd imagine craw type baits and other plastics should work well (my first time fishing the spawn as well).

The biggest thing about the spawn is the fact that it's actually broke up into stages. I've been trying to read as much info as possible on it, but in that same bass magazine Terry Scroggins breaks it down really well as far as the beginning of the spawn (bass move from deep to staging areas), the "mating" period or time when the bucks and females both pair up, the spawn itself, and then post spawn which is similar to the first period where bass will move back out onto staging points or suspend over deeper water (one will stay back to protect the eggs... or at least be around the bed until the babies hatch).

From what I've read topwater can be pretty good during certain parts of the spawn too, I just forget exactly when.

Get some polarized glasses and if your bank fishing it's gonna be all about presentation. I'm hoping to nail my pb in one of two lakes this spring that I have been eyeing and watching the bass at over the last few weeks. I think I'm on the right track. We will see. Good luck. If you wanna hook up for some spawners shoot me a pm and maybe we can get out one day in the next few weeks. Goes for the rest of ya'll too.

One other thing.  I've read a lot on this forum about having to be patient during this time.  Some of the bass will be guarding the nests very close but some may not pick up your bait or just defensively tap it or move it and not really take it in.  Vary your presentations, be patient, and wait for them to take the bait.  This is probably one time during the year where you can make a couple attempts if you were to miss the first bite.  As Ike would say... "Never give up"!

[okrod]

Thanks this is great info.  I'll check out the BassMaster article for sure and keep patient until the whether warms up a bit.  

I struck out at the Burke Lake public boat launch Saturday and was wondering if this area is over fished (several people there) or if there are better places around the lake that doesn't take a 2 mile hike?  

[JCrzy4Bass]

I struck out at the Burke Lake public boat launch Saturday and was wondering if this area is over fished (several people there) or if there are better places around the lake that doesn't take a 2 mile hike?

You guessed it. Burke is VERY pressured. Probably one of the most pressured lakes in nova if not the most. Best off fishing deep water, better off on a boat. If your on bank, your best bet is to walk to the opposite side of the lake or to drive over there (not sure about parking on that side though). That's the side that recieves less pressure. Alot of boater's fish the island too so that gets beat up quite a bit. If you want a "large lake" that has a better cph ratio your best bet would be to launch out of the Occoquan Reservoir at Fountainhead, Lake Ridge or Bull Run (be wary of the crew teams at Bull Run this time of year though). Not exactly the friendliest or polite bunch.

The Rez gets a bit of pressure but the catch rates are better imho and it's an easier fishery if you work for it. Should be getting better there after this week when the water warms up (temps in the 60s and 70s most of this week). Rain later this week, let's hope it's warm.

Most of the better lakes in the area are smaller and only allow small craft like canoes and jon boats.

Other lakes to look into if you don't mind a longer ride (electric only) are Orange, Abel, Lakes at Quantico (if you get the required permit to fish them) and Hunting Run.

[VABasser]

They have a boat launch. My friend's dad actually has his boat stored over there and launches out of there all the time. Not sure where it is exactly but it's the first thing you see when you get down to the water. Parking lot will be on your left.

Do you know if there's a fee to launch there.  I know the launches on Quantico are all free.  Where exactly does it put you on the Potomac, on the main river or in a cove or creek?  Just wondering because my dad's in the Marine Corps so I have access