VolFan

I'd go with float-n-fly or suspending jerkbait worked in about 15-20' of water over softball to basketball-sized chunk rock banks. If there are some rock bluffs in the area, maybe some larger boulders, and wind blowing into the bank, so much the better. In Dale Hollow 15-20 ft may only be 20 ft off the bank. Good luck, that's a great smallie lake.

This is definitely something i want to get more into. Does anyone have a favorite swim jig/brand?

You shouldn't need to go further than the Potomac, the C&O, and even some places in Rock Creek through the park. For Smallmouth, you're going to want to get a little further upriver on the Potomac, but for largies, stripers and other warmwater fish, you should be just fine on the C&O and Potomac through town. I've got some other places (some of them a little wacky) in extreme NOVA if you need more. Greg

The baits look fine, but I absolutely hate the website.

Yup, we do... : :

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are... ;D ;D

My wife has the same problem and just learned to cast with both hands. Now, if one starts getting sore, she switches off. Also, smooth underhand casting helps he alot.

Yah I have to admit, I can't back that up at all this year... :'( :'( :'(

If you like JV...

x2 what he said. the on-base fishing for bass and pickerel is pretty good. You can rent a boat at Lunga Res for the day. Smith Res is good as well, although I haven't fished it in a while. The Ptomac on base agian is great for bass and the occasional sankehead if you're feeling lucky. You can drive south about 20 min to fredericksburg and fish the shad/striper/blue catfish run in the spring in the Rappahannock. I'm sure Rondef and J can help you alot more than me since they live down there, but there's tons of fishing around Q-town.

I get less line twist with Roostertails, but they both work pretty darn well.

You sir, are the man.

They bite well all the way through the winter. With sustained colder weather you'll have to slow down a little, and look for warmer water around rip rap and discharges, but I fished straight through last year with good success.

Sorry, I was hoping to get a canoe in, but shore access would be fine, especially the VA shore, as I only have a VA license at the moment.

Anybody know of any access points to the Potomac near where 495 goes over it? I was driving over it today and was thinking.....That'd be nice to fish....

Dale Hollow, and I'd be after smallmouths. And it's beautiful this time of year.

Ditto to what he said about the tube jigs and the realistic flies. There's alot of fly shops out there with crawdad flies, or, you can use plastic craw imitations or wooly buggers or even the Rebel craw cranks.

Pretty much all swimbaits... For those of you who need to get rid of them now, I will graciously take them off your hands...

Chatterbaits... I actually like the banjo minnow

Roostertails, brown body with a white belly and a gold blade, 1/32 or 1/24 oz. Also, rapalas of varying sizes and other minnow/jerkbaits.

Amen to that, it's ridiculous! Almost comical.

Yeah I stayed in the walkable area because of that!

Fished the Potomac near the sailing marina in Alexandria from 10:30 to 12:30. Fish were chasing bait like crazy. Triple wing buzzbait in chartreuse was doing well. Most takes were run downs from a 10 ft away with great takes. Had a 10 in striper try about 6 times on one cast to eat it, he just couldn't get it in his mouth. 4 fish between 2-3 lbs and a few smaller. And almost one determined striper.

Yes and yes, I like roostertails better, but there's a brown trout colored PM that slays the brown trout.

I lived in Denver for four years after growing up in Memphis and Knoxville, TN, and the bass fishing there is doing just fine. Are you going to get a world record? no, but you will catch alot of 5-6 lb bass, have great small lake fishing, and have the bonus of pike, tiger muskie, and world class trout in many of the same lakes. I'm in DC now and wish I hadn't left