Hung up Paul

Enlighten me... What is a "lake tarpon"??

I know this should be in the other species forum but since most of the N VA people hang out here and it is the off season for bass I thought I'd throw it out. Mods feel free to move if necessary. Up north yellow perch are active throughout the winter and many people ice fish for them. They are real good eating too. I was just wondering what the winter perch fishing was like around here. I thought it would be fun try and catch some assuming they are more active than bass. Any hints? Paul

Have fun! Wish I could make it but my father in law will be in town this weekend.

I only got to spend a little over an hour on the lake but I was able to catch a little one at least. Caught it on a REBEL Rocket Shad which is basically a poor man's rat l trap. It was good to meet a few of you guys on the board. Hope you all had better luck after I left. Paul

I was out drinking tonight, so it'll be iffy if I'll be there, but I'm d**n well going to try since it's only a 5 minute drive from my house. See you guys on the lake! Paul

So... what exactly is a shakey head? Is that just what you call a jig head with the eye at less than 90 degrees? I've never been much of a jig fisherman, but I did used to catch smallies on them with porkrind trailers. I'm game to learn something new!

Congrats! How did you apply for it? Did you have to have it officially weighed/measured? Anyone have a link for minimum statistics for trophy fish of different species in VA?

I might be able to make it out on Sunday morning.

slomoe... Is it safe to eat fish out of the occoquan? I'd love to cook up a Perch dinner some time.

Ugg! On Monday night I drove almost 2 hours to buy a boat way out in the sticks of Maryland. When I got there I found a 14ft v-hull that had every seem and rivet thickly covered with some kind of hardened goop. It obviously had some leaking issues at some point. I knew the $600 price tag was too good to be true. Hopefully this one will turn out better... http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/boa/482443580.html

I read somewhere that it's a hard lake to catch bass because baitfish are so plentiful and the predators don't need to do much work to get a full belly.

Nice work dude, you're on fire!

How often do you guys hit Burke Lake? I've heard that it's kind of a tough lake to fish even though it holds some monsters. The best way has got to be by boat I would guess. I've gone a few times during the Summer mainly off the fishing pier. One guy caught a 7 or 8 lb. Large Mouth on a live minnow one morning in August. I couldn't believe the size of that thing. I've caught a few crappie on small spinners and a 1lb. LM on a night crawler.

I need to start adding to my Amazon.com wishlist!

Nice catch there! Man, I've lived in Burke since 2002 and I'm just learning now that I'm in the middle of a bunch great fishing lakes. I should have been at this game years ago!

Sorry, couldn't make it. I had to watch the kids. Let us know how you did.

I found Mercer on a map, but where is the park entrance? Off Lee Chapel? I probably won't be able to make it, but I'll try. Paul

I was thinking of getting one of these for my inflatable and just storing it in my tackle box... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000752MKO/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=IW4BC61TNLUO9&colid=26FMOYV0HHS9D

Perfect! This thread pretty much answered all my questions for the time being. I'll most likely be buying this 14 ft v-hull next week: I'd rather have a flat bottom jon, but this one should get me through a couple seasons. Price seems reasonable at $600. I'm sure I'm going to have more questions about modifications, but this thread should get me started in the right direction. Thanks! Paul

when I lived in upstate NY there was a fish we called "sheepshead" that everyone hated. I think that's just a regional nickname though... I think they actually called freshwater drum. I never particularly cared for catching them, but man would they put up a fight! Pound for pound they can outfight any bass. Found a picture of one...

Let me know if you're interested in selling that trick star. That's one bike I've never owned. I've got about 8 complete bikes in my garage, a few more in storage and various framesets and boxes of parts. Here's a line up of trick stars from this years vintage BMX gathering at Rockford, IL:

Are you planning to go soon? Let me know when. I think I can help you find a place to park.

My other primary hobby is vintage BMX bicycle collecting and restoration. I've been sitting on a few projects for a while. I need to get 3 bikes done for my nephews to ride next year. That my two girls and the new baby boy will keep me busy this winter.

I'm originally from Rochester, but I live in northern Virginia now. I still get up there and fish every Summer though. Mostly in Orleans County... Oak Orchard Creek, Johnson creek, Lake Alice. I just caught this guy yesterday here in VA... Never imagined myself bass fishing in the middle of November... but here I am.

Not by the dam. I parked on the cul-de-sac off Guinea road... I caught it right off the trail there. I let him go, so I'll have to try to catch him again in that same spot. I didn't get any strikes off the dam. I did see a turtle on a log by the dam so the water must still be semi warm.