Any Va Members Fish Lately?

[Addicted to Smallies]

Just got my all-time personal best from my local NOVA pond... see the thread linked below for a pic. Black/Blue Flake Senko on an light action rod, expecting to catch the usual 1-2lb fish. She broke the line in heavy weeds, and I jumped in and grabbed the line without even thinking and fought her the last 20 yards with my bare hands. Most exciting day of fishing I've had this year in Northern Virginia. She came in at 7 lbs, 1 oz according to my little digital scale.

http://www.bassresou...ocal-nova-pond/

[Zoff]

Leesville ALL day today. Me and my bud got about 15 or so. 9 of them over 3 pounds each. Started on cranks... 1.5 KVD Chartreuse Blackback... up in Old Woman's Creek. While there we switched to Green Pumpkin Carolina Rig and just knocked the fire out of them. Big surge because of the dams letting in and out water shut the bite off. We moved to some coves and started burning them up with (Me) a Caffeine Smokey Shad and (Him) a white Zoom fluke in the natural cover and both of us with wacky Sinkos around the docks. Color didn't seem to matter so long as it was dark colored. He used black and I used a dark brown/orange craw color. Lots of fish guarding fry in the natural cover. Big females in the deep areas around the docks. Going to back off the bass for a day and catfish tomorrow evening.

[Rocky1965]

Fishin' @ the KOA campground here in Staunton VA she' only a half punder and just a few min before my daughter landed one a lil over a pound LOL her 1st Bass ever! She was so excited! She and i were the 1st two to hit the lake this mornin'(6am) and the 1st two to land some Bass Everyone else was landin' Bluegills... Cant wait to hit it again tonight! http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocco20037/7279629032/in/photostream

[Bigbarge50]

Just got my all-time personal best from my local NOVA pond... see the thread linked below for a pic. Black/Blue Flake Senko on an light action rod, expecting to catch the usual 1-2lb fish. She broke the line in heavy weeds, and I jumped in and grabbed the line without even thinking and fought her the last 20 yards with my bare hands. Most exciting day of fishing I've had this year in Northern Virginia. She came in at 7 lbs, 1 oz according to my little digital scale.

http://www.bassresou...ocal-nova-pond/

Great fish and an amazing story..... the stuff of legend. That last 20 yards must have been intense. Congrats.

[Nitrofreak]

Fishin' @ the KOA campground here in Staunton VA she' only a half punder and just a few min before my daughter landed one a lil over a pound LOL her 1st Bass ever! She was so excited! She and i were the 1st two to hit the lake this mornin'(6am) and the 1st two to land some Bass Everyone else was landin' Bluegills... Cant wait to hit it again tonight! http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream

Really great story congrats to you and your daughter !!!!

I love taking my girls fishing too, one of the first times I had ever had my youngest daughter on the boat she pulled in a 5lb striper on light tackle, using a stinking live worm for goodness sake, man I was just waiting for something to go SNAP !!! lol.

There is no better time to be a dad than the times when they catch their first fish, no matter how big or small, the look on their face and the few and far between smiles says it all, and we get a moment to last forever.

Nice job dad !!!

[justin apfel]

Fish in Virginia beach have been schooling up on bait balls. I've been doing really well on Lake Forkagic Shads fishing them weightless on a 4/0 wide gap through the bait balls. I've been catching 1-3 fish off each bait ball pretty much

[Nitrofreak]

Nice job Justin !!!

Glad to hear you are having some success !!!

Thanx for the tip too !!

[heyitskirby]

Fish in Virginia beach have been schooling up on bait balls. I've been doing really well on Lake Forkagic Shads fishing them weightless on a 4/0 wide gap through the bait balls. I've been catching 1-3 fish off each bait ball pretty much

I read Back Bay is getting ready to make a come back....you been out there at all? Or has anyone else, for that matter?

[jay-b]

I read Back Bay is getting ready to make a come back....you been out there at all? Or has anyone else, for that matter?

speaking of Back bay, me and my GF went out yesterday out on muddy creek road and fished the inlet with the overpass. were still new to freshwater fishing, been doing saltwater my whole life. But here was our only catch of the day ( had a few bites but couldnt get it to hook, tips anyone??)

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/47502/2881041380058979680S500x500Q85.jpg' alt='2881041380058979680S500x500Q85.jpg'>

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/47502/2881041380058979680S500x500Q85.jpg

[jay-b]

Sorry the fish was dirty, it was flopping around in the dirt...but catch n release. Any tips on some good spots in Va. Beach, Chesapeake? I been to bobs fishing hole a few times and fished from the docks and got skunked. Fished the pond n canals in the NWR park, but got only small crappie on minnows. Any good neighborhood lakes or rivers in va beach? bobs fishing hole and backbay is quite a drive.

[dezzutdj]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and want to find some new spots to hit in the springfield/burke area. I live right next to mercer and huntsman, and love to fish there, but I want to try some new places. Let me know some places you all have hit recently and how ya did.

[shimmy]

my heart goes out to you if all you are fishing is Burke. You ever consider Beaverdam? It's as nasty as Burke the first few times you try it but it gets better. Burke on the other hand, after fishing it 3 times with very few fish each time, and the pressure fishing that was there, i got bored real quick. If you want tips on fishing Burke, PM quanjig and he may give you some pointers. The lake is apparently at its best once they close the main launch ramp in the fall. But by no means do i know what's happening out there. Beaverdam, while i stunk it up the first few times i went, it was less pressure and was beautiful. That kept me coming and i have never looked back since. Other guys know Mercer and the other smaller lakes around there and hopefully they chime in for you. Northern VA is very tough to fish and the fishing only seems to get real good on the Occoquan and Potomac. They are both forgiving year round while other lakes are contingent upon the season.

[justin apfel]

I read Back Bay is getting ready to make a come back....you been out there at all? Or has anyone else, for that matter?

No I haven't been able to get out to back bay this year yet but I heard the city just stocked it with I think 1500 bass. That number could be wrong but I did well in there last year so it's definitely worth a try. And yes it is definitely making a good comeback

[Hyrule Bass]

spent last weekend fishing at SML. Didnt really get to fish as much as i wanted. My uncle has a house on the lake there and decided to have someone come do some work to his dock, where i fish from by day. Typically theres lots of nice bass swimming around the dock and in this cove. I couldve fished from the actual shoreline but didnt want to deal with the trees and shrubbery. but between the pressure washing, building a small addition to the walkway on the dock, and staining the dock(which took three friggin days) i didnt get my usual fishing time in for bass, as i typically fish for cats and whatever else wants to bite at night. I probably would have never went if i knew he was having all that done this weekend. but atleast i did get some good rest and relaxation, which was much needed and a mental refresher. So while things werent ideal to me, i still managed a variety of fish. the main problem being they were all small. im not sure i caught a fish of any kind over 12 inches in 4 days of fishing. just wasnt my weekend.

I did manage to pick up a few bass around the dock when i did get the chance to use it, including my first ever bass on a jitterbug, the rest came on various soft plastics. never had any luck on jitterbugs before though. also threw around a rebel tad fry on my lightweight setup and caught some bluegill and white perch. by night time the dock was dry and i was able to atleast get my nightly catfishing in when i visit there. the problem was the size of the fish, i normally catch a truck load of 3lb channel cats every memorial day weekend, i couldnt even get a 1lber this weekend. also caught a couple small flatheads.

also went out on the boat two evenings with my uncle. after trolling around for striper with no luck we decided to cast some shorelines he has had luck on before this time of year. after a few casts he gave up and i continued fishing. managed to pull in a 1/2lb or so bass and quickly threw it back. next cast my strike king 5xd crank went over a tree limb hanging out over the water and was hanging there. i told my uncle watch out im bout to give it a jerk. next thing i know i got the front treble stuck through my shirt, jeans, and in my leg, the rear treble was in my shirt and hooked into the back pocket of my jeans. luckily i was barely skin hooked and got the trebles out. avoided potential disaster there. while ripping the bait out of my back pocket and shirt the treble broke. decided to tie on a red eye shad, chrome with black back. a few casts and next thing i know my rod separates(2-piece rod, maybe loosened from yanking the crankbait from the tree) and the top part goes flying down my line through the air and into the lake, a couple quick cuss words and i start reeling in fast as i dont want my rod getting caught up in the downed trees along the banks there. my uncle looks at me and says, dont catch no fish like that. well, turns out i reel in a small striper that i couldnt even feel fight because of the rod down on the line. little guy mustve been real hungry. had trouble getting the treble hooks out of his lips/mouth and by the time i did he was a floater, which sucks because this was one pretty little fish and couldve been a nice trophy or meal someday in a few years. anyways, being frustrated i told my uncle lets just go in, as it was about 10pm. next evening out on the boat resulted in a skunk.

so while the fishing wasnt great for me, i did get out on the water. and i did get to relax a few days without the worries of everyday life at work and home. i still had fun, but cant remember ever having such misadventures on a fishing trip. all the fish being small is what bothered me the most though lol. biggest fish of the weekend belonged to my 3 year old niece Zoey who caught a 15 inch catfish on her Dora pole...

[Nitrofreak]

That Dora is one crazy mixed up girl !!!

Wow, what an eventful trip, look at it this way, all the bad luck should be gone, it sounds as if you used enough of it to get you through the rest of the summer anyway.

Next time out, you will knock em dead im sure, thanx for sharing the story, I enjoyed reading of your... misfortunes LOL. just kidding.

[MikeW]

i fished out of fountainhead monday for a few hours, only ended up with 2. surface temps read around 80 on my fish finder when i left. figure its too hot to be throwing senkos off the shores and in the shallower waters, although people seemed to be doing that all day. i saw most of the fish hovering in the 10-20ft range(but not at the bottom). Any suggestions on how to target them. my crankbaits dont usually dive past 10ft, i could try doing a texas rig but i figure it will be hard to tell what depth its at

any suggestions on what i can throw at them?

thanks as always!

[Eddie-NoVA]

i fished out of fountainhead monday for a few hours, only ended up with 2. surface temps read around 80 on my fish finder when i left. figure its too hot to be throwing senkos off the shores and in the shallower waters, although people seemed to be doing that all day. i saw most of the fish hovering in the 10-20ft range(but not at the bottom). Any suggestions on how to target them. my crankbaits dont usually dive past 10ft, i could try doing a texas rig but i figure it will be hard to tell what depth its at

any suggestions on what i can throw at them?

thanks as always!

I'd be throwing cranks or spinnerbaits if fish are at that depth. I'll be taking pops out monday, water should have cooled down a bit after that last few nights.

[MikeW]

yeah, i was thinking the same thing, but i dont remember if i tried that or not. i plan to go out back sat morning, should be a lot cooler and hopefully ill have better luck!

[Bigbarge50]

Drop shot and wacky rigs.... or could carolina rig.

I have luck on the res deep spiinerbaits the channel.

[Nitrofreak]

i fished out of fountainhead monday for a few hours, only ended up with 2. surface temps read around 80 on my fish finder when i left. figure its too hot to be throwing senkos off the shores and in the shallower waters, although people seemed to be doing that all day. i saw most of the fish hovering in the 10-20ft range(but not at the bottom). Any suggestions on how to target them. my crankbaits dont usually dive past 10ft, i could try doing a texas rig but i figure it will be hard to tell what depth its at

any suggestions on what i can throw at them?

thanks as always!

This is the time of year that gets everyone throwing everything they have, eventhough your crank bait will not seem to go beyond 10 ft. you may be able to get that crank even deeper by putting your rod in the water about 2 feet.

Spinners are going to be useful this time of year as well, if you can see the fish on your sonar, then fish the spinner like you would a spoon, this works great for fish feeding in the O2 rich layer of water, keep in mind fish this time of year are feeding in that layer of water for short periods of time, so keep a close eye on that sonar.

Soon you will need to know your structure in the waters you fish, if not by now, they soon will be holding to all kinds of structure, then the T-rig and rage rig will be good tools to use.

If the fish were not on the bottom, how far off the bottom they were will usually help me figure out what rig to use, on the bottom, T-rig, jigs, Rage rigged Rage tail plastics, and depending on depth and bottom structure, spoons too, 2-4 ft off the bottom C-rig, drop shot, swim baits, spoons, spinners, suspended fish, (in between or middle depths) medium to deep diving crank baits and suspending jerk baits, also I like to get their attention with spooks, you can call up a good amount of fish form 15 to 20 feet, stick baits are awesome as well.

[Hyrule Bass]

That Dora is one crazy mixed up girl !!!

Wow, what an eventful trip, look at it this way, all the bad luck should be gone, it sounds as if you used enough of it to get you through the rest of the summer anyway.

Next time out, you will knock em dead im sure, thanx for sharing the story, I enjoyed reading of your... misfortunes LOL. just kidding.

haha i hope all the bad luck is gone. i was actually excited to get that little striper as i didnt get one at all last year and put in more time for them than any year in the past, go figure. another thing against me was the batteries on the trolling motor werent charged enough to use it, just drifting along the boat would get out of position too often. the fact my initial plans got stymied could have factored in also, i didnt put in enough time to figure everything out after that...

[quanjig]

Mike W, you can still catch fish shallow with a senko. Be aware of what the fish are doing and locating the fish can be easy. Water temp in the low *80 range, fish in the middle of pre spawn, spawn, post spawn?? Look at some of the deeper edges of flats on main lake and some of the secondary points in the bigger creeks. If they have any wood or grass, all that much better.

[MikeW]

thanks for the tips all!

with the water all brown(and guessing going to still be tmrw), it was impossible to sight fish for the spawning bass in the shallows. i hit up a few usual spots that i've caught fish with senkos before earlier in the day before it got too hot, then i switched to using my fish finder and exploring points and drop offs.

ill let you know what i tried/how well i do tomorrow!

[Wayne P.]

When the fish are not on the bottom or not shallow, the newest hot tactic is the Alabama Rig.

[Kyle Mahaffey]

Fished this morning on base. Caught a 2 lb. bass. Had at least a 12+ catfish but it snapped my 6 lb test 3 feet in front of me. Once I set the hook on the cat. All you heard was the drag going out. That was an awesome fight. But I used a new small black buzzbait but for some reason, I couldn't keep it on the top. It acted more like a spinner bait. Caught the bass on a weightless 6 inch grub. Got a lot of short strikes. Maybe next time use a smaller bait? It was a pumkin colored with red flakes.