Beaverdam Creek Reservoir, NOVA

[WalleyeChaser]

Fished all morning at Beaverdam Creek Reservoir in Ashburn, VA this morning. Water was high and clarity was low due to all the rain. Found it tough finding fish and a consistent pattern but was able to get 5. First fish and biggest of the day went 5-3. Picked up a nice smallmouth by the dam too. Not a bad day but I thought that there would be more up in the weeds feeding.  

I will be hitting the water again in the morning.

Tight lines to all!

[Sam]

You must have been with a friend who took the pics.

How did he do?  

Great pics for Christmas cards this year.      

[stunning]

       I used to fish there alot. Will be doing it again soon. We should hook up and go together sometime. I have a narrow body Jon boat that is perfect for that Rez. Also get in touch with Paul Naj on this site. He knows something about that place that I don't.

     Pm me, you an I live pretty close together. Do you do any night fishing?

[NewAngler]

When fishing on the weeds, what kind of lure should I use? What is best?

[stunning]

   When the bite is hot alot of things work well. I found pitching a spinnerbait (not used by a lot of anglers) into the edge of the weeds and pockets and twitching it fast from the weed edge back to the boat. The strike occurs 1-2 feet from the weed line. Stout rods and 15-20 lbs line is a must. When the shallow jig bite is hot, 3/8 jigs or Brush Hogs work well. I spray them both down with Jacks Juice to help them slip through the weeds better. C-rigs seem to pay off for some and deep water cranking in the heat of the summer.

[drewmc34]

I fished beaver creek res. all day on friday working the weedlines with not the best of luck. I landed 2 nice fish, and lost 2 at the boat. I was using senkos, flukes, and a buzzbait. I also got a nice sunburn!

I saw a ton of top water activity and started throwing everything i had in the tackle box at em. finally i got them to hit on a beetle spin. They were whitebass? or baby stripers. None of them had any size though, but they entertained me since the bass fishin was slow. Also caught a decent crappie.

Anyone ever go on this lake with a depth finder? I always wondered exactly how deep that place got?

if you care to share what are some successful techniques people have used at this lake. After a full day of fishing and only getting two, i gotta be doin something wrong.

[stunning]

You'll see 40 ft at the dam. As for what works, read the post above.

[Red Bear]

i remember fishing there as a kid with my uncles and the place was much more accessible. i rode by there not long ago and looked around by the church but did not fish. the water was really high compared to when i was a kid and a lot of weeds were in the water along the edge. i do plan to eventually fish there sometime this summer. i dont remember seeing many nice sized bass caught out of there back then, its nice to know there are some in there now. from what ive seen, the best fishing there is from a boat/canoe/kayak/etc. mainly because the place is so inaccessible. loudoun and fairfax counties really should get together and clean that place up a bit

[Dan:]

clean it up? It's brush and trees, not garbage. There is another ramp on the other side of the lake from the church but I don't know how frequently the gate is open anymore.

I like the fact that it isn't very friendly for shore fisherman and they have restricted access for bigger boats. It makes it more peaceful and keeps the catfisherman and other weekenders away.

They won't improve it because it is owned by FFX county but they won't build on Loudoun County land.

[Red Bear]

clean it up? It's brush and trees, not garbage. There is another ramp on the other side of the lake from the church but I don't know how frequently the gate is open anymore.

I like the fact that it isn't very friendly for shore fisherman and they have restricted access for bigger boats. It makes it more peaceful and keeps the catfisherman and other weekenders away.

They won't improve it because it is owned by FFX county but they won't build on Loudoun County land.

thats what i mean by clean it up, cut some of the brush and trees away to clean up the shoreline a bit. i hate that it isnt very friendly for shore fishermen because i know it used to be in the 80s when i fished there regularly. i dont have a boat and such right now, so thats why i take that stance. i also know why they wont clean it up/improve it/or however you want to say it. which is why i said i wish loudoun and fairfax would get together and work something out. they dont even have to build anything, just make it more accessible along the water, i dont mind walking around the muddy trails there. i also know about the otherside as well. you used to be able to park right next to the water pretty much. if it wasnt for people insisting on swimming there and drowning in the past it may be more accessible these days. i got a friend who has saved a couple of hispanic people from drowning there before. the place seems like a much better fishery now than it did before though, when i was a kid as the place was still young itself. also i dont think its fair of you to hate on shore fisherman just because they dont have the means of a boat, i can think of a million simple reasons to hate on boaters if i wanted to, but it really accomplishes nothing.

[Dan:]

I'm not hating on shore fisherman. I am a shore fisherman. I can only fish Beaverdam when I go with some of my buddies who have boats--which is rare. What I don't like are the typical shore fisherman in this area. Most of them do not respect the fisheries or their regulations.

I like it being left to nature. If they made it friendlier for shore fisherman there would be 4 times the trash, big fish being taken to be eaten, and too much traffic (both on the banks and in the streets/parking lots) . There is hardly enough parking as it is.

[slomoe]

I agree with Dan 100% & I don't have a boat either.

[Red Bear]

I'm not hating on shore fisherman. I am a shore fisherman. I can only fish Beaverdam when I go with some of my buddies who have boats--which is rare. What I don't like are the typical shore fisherman in this area. Most of them do not respect the fisheries or their regulations.

I like it being left to nature. If they made it friendlier for shore fisherman there would be 4 times the trash, big fish being taken to be eaten, and too much traffic (both on the banks and in the streets/parking lots) . There is hardly enough parking as it is.

im sure you dont mind the shore being opened up some at the other places you fish, so why not beaver dam too? the parking was also better there at one time if i recall correctly.

[Dan:]

Because as of now Beaverdam is one of the only bodies of water in the area that doesn't receive a TON of fishing pressure and coincidentally, it is one of the more serene and peaceful places to fish; not to mention the fact that is is one of the best fisheries in the area...I guess in my view, there are enough places to bank fish in the area that have been ruined by high numbers of irresponsible people and just plain over usage. I see Beaverdam Creek as an oasis among our highly pressured, trashed, busy, and overfished waters.

[Mepps]

Walleye Chaser, nice fish, especially that smallie. I forgot that they are in there! ;D

In regards to the conversation taking place. I really cut my teeth there, fishing it since I was about 6 or 7 (i'm 30 now) and have watched a very odd evolution take place there. Dan is correct in the fact that is now quite a nice eco-system, and it should be protected as much as possible. It was nearly overrun by trash, 4 wheeling guys, and inconsiderate people in general. I personally believe its about to get overfished once again with the new neighborhoods popping up all around the immediate area.

Oh and Red Bear, I understand your point, and agree to some extent, but I doubt anything will be done to clear the shoreline anytime soon.

[mudkart]

Because as of now Beaverdam is one of the only bodies of water in the area that doesn't receive a TON of fishing pressure and coincidentally, it is one of the more serene and peaceful places to fish; not to mention the fact that is is one of the best fisheries in the area...I guess in my view, there are enough places to bank fish in the area that have been ruined by high numbers of irresponsible people and just plain over usage. I see Beaverdam Creek as an oasis among our highly pressured, trashed, busy, and overfished waters.

To illustrate Dan's point, just take a walk around L. Royal sometime. Really, anytime. Lots of bank access, lots of trash, lots of poaching, lots of pressure. This lake treated me well last year, but, in my limited experience w/ Royal, the problems are at least five-fold this year. Last time I was out I counted twelve other anglers within view.

***WARNING, begining rant *** I'm fishing the bank w/ our 5 y.o. son, a guy sets up ~ 10 yards from me and begins to cast within my spot making huge splashes w/ what appears to be a 1oz sinker attached to something, then reeling it back fast, then casting again. ???? I give him my best "What the ****"? look w/ arms raised: he replies "Big lake...Free....Government". OK, whatever. Our son leaves to replace a bait and this guy goes around me to take his spot. I'd had enough, I give him a look of death, start walking towards him, he packs up and moves again. Jeez. *** END rant***.

So, yeah, I'm w/ Dan and Slomoe on this one.

[kvmapr1]

This is a dead cold thread, but I just had to add a little more to it since I recently fished BDC Res for the first time.

I've visited the res twice in the last month and got skunked both times, nothing better than a few pan fish hits on my spinner bait. But I saw lots of surface pops and jumps on both outings, and on my second trip I even tried some surface bugs but with no luck.

I'm happy to learn that the surface action is probably white bass (which Virginia fisheries reports a lot of in that lake) and that they're hitting beetle spins. While I'd rather be catching LMB, I'll take to white bass when the action is slow.

KVMAPR

[LoudounFisher]

I supposed I could call Beaverdam my home lake since it's the closest to me. I just started getting back into fishing this year. After the motorcycle racing season ended I've been going there as much as can since I bought a kayak. The last few times I've had a Eagle Cuda 350 w/GPS that I mounted to the kayak. The only lure that's been working for me is the crankbait in my avatar. My first fish this year was a crappie on that crankbait. I caught two bass on it last weekend.

The best time for catching them has been in the last few minutes of light when I was about to call it a day, though the bass mid-morning Sunday was the exception.

I've never fished the area south of the bridge. Are there any good spots in the southern half?

[drewmc34]

I fished the beavercreek dam res this past friday, I caught one decent fish (2 lb) and 1 dink. Both were on a sassy shad on a jig head. There was no top water action. I also tried a stickbait, senko and a jig without any luck. The wind kicked up and made it pretty miserable so i was off the lake by 2 pm.