cjbs2003

Alcohol isn't allowed in any Fairfax County or Northern VA Regional Park. Plus, drinking in public is illegal anywhere, so even if alcohol was allowed, if you were consuming itin front of other people, you're still in violation of the law and being bothered by the police.

Well, being an outside observer here... I got the impression there was some braggin' and shots fired in the initial post. Brett seems to know how to bass fish, no doubt about that. But perhaps he accidentally picked the wrong way to share his knowledge with us without sounding like a condescending jerk... But most fisherman like to brag every now and again and the fact that Brett is so young doesn't help his cause. Let's all give him a break here.

Anyone on the forum fish Raystown Lake? I used to fish it quite a bit while I was in college but since leaving PA after college I haven't been back more than a couple times. Now that I have a little bit more leave to take from work, I am hoping to get back to Raystown Lake a bit more. I hear many guys talk trash about how bad the fishing is at Raystown, but I always loved the lake. I'd love to hear from anyone else who fishes the lake... Stripers, smallies, largemouth and other fish as well!

If you were fishing a pond, I would be highly surprised if you were catching spots. Spotted Bass are only found in larger lakes or rivers for the most part, much like smallmouths are rarely found in ponds but only lakes and rivers. Throw that in with the fact that spotted bass are not native to the Juniata River or any other Atlantic Drainage river system, it seems like you got an ID mistake. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass will sometimes hybridize producing what some guys call a mean mouth bass... They can sometimes look like spotted bass. Perhaps that is what you are catching, but this hybridization is not very common so the fact that you say you caught 10 of them kinda precludes them as well. Take a picture the next time you catch one and maybe I or someone else on here can help you with an identification...

If you're taking your kids fishing, skip the bass and stick with panfish... Most kids especially the younger ones don't care what they are catching, just as long as there is something on the end of their line on a regular basis... Burke Lake, Fountainhead or Lake Ridge are all good options... Keep it simple for the kids... Buy some nightcrawlers and fish for bluegills or if you really gotta catch bass, buy some shiners and fish them. Best of luck!

With as cold as it is supposed to be and lack of rain, I would say the peak will not hit for at least another couple of weeks... By then the American Shad should show up as well...

A 2 lb 9" largemouth??? That must have been one FAT fish! And, as far as why you are not having much luck... This time of year it not the easiest to fish. Give it another month to warm up and you might have more luck...

What a d**n mess! There should be some safe guard that if a simple pipe breaks that crap doesn't go floating into the river!

I fished the Occoquan for two hours Friday morning for shad. No takers, it appears the shad had not arrived yet. The water was very low and the tide was not moving so that may have entered into it... We need some rain. I switched spoons and darts and mixed the colors but no results. I'm gonna give it a try next week, if anyone else is having any luck let us know!

Welcome to the forum and the love of fishing... Northern VA is full of places to fish, with many already having been named by others. Good luck! I've been fishing since I was old enough to hold a pole, mostly self taught and still have much knowledge to be learned. Enjoy the forum...

Working the night shift, I tend to be up late at night so I do A LOT of night fishing... If you really wanna slam the bass in Burke Lake, night time is the way to go. You can easily fish it from the bank at night, but I tend to use my boat. Just remember to actually be fishing, the police like to arrest people in their at night who aren't actually fishing and doing more of the beer drinking thing. I have caught many bass 5 lbs plus in there at night. Anyone want to join me let me know, I tend to start night fishing when the bass start bedding but this time of year they can be caught at night as well.

I was whooped after work yesterday and was just way too tired to make it out. Glad to hear you all caught some fish. Sorry to hear there was some disagreement and animosity. I hope everyone can work it out. Seems like there are a lot of bass fishing fanatics on here. Would be a shame to waste all the good information we call can share with each other on here. I hope to make the next outing. Shall we start planning the next get together now? Lets all start praying it starts warming up and SOON!

Hickory Shad which average about 14" and top out around 20" run in the Rapp, the Potomac and the Occoquan for you northern VA guys. American Shad which are a bit larger averaging 18" and top out at 28" run the Potomac with a few in the Rapp. The hickories start their run first some showing as early as late March but with as cold as its been they may not show up til April this year. The American Shad run a couple weeks later. Hickory Shad are usually gone by early May and the American Shad are gone by mid May but again it depends on weather and water temps. The footbridge area of the Occoquan is best, the Fletcher's Cove area of the Potomac is best and the Rt 1 bridge on the Rapp. I have had best luck using a shad dart about 12" above a small shad spoon on a tandem rig. Play with the colors til you find what the shad like. Some guys use curly tail grubs, spinners or just about any other small shiny bait. Early in the season you can catch some yellow perch, white perch and crappie while fishing for the shad and often snag a lot of spawning gizzard shad. As the season progresses I catch a lot of schoolie stripers, especially in the Occoquan and have caught several stripers over 10 pounds while fishing for shad. Shad have super soft mouths so if you horse them they come right off. I use a 9' noodle rod when fishing for them. They will leap out of the air multiple times and pull hard, I think they fight harder than a smallmouth. I'll be fishing a good bit for them over the next couple months if anyone wants to get together. I usually catch a couple hundred a year. Some of the American Shad push 6 lbs. They are nicknamed baby tarpon for a reason! Remember, they are catch and release only in all of the Potomac and its tributaries and the Rapp has tight laws as well, so practice CPR. Catch, Photograph, Release!

That's second bass looks a solid 3 lbs. Real nice!

Which area are we all meeting at Lake Royal? There are several access points to the lake...

Nice bass! I hope to get out on the river more when I get back from FL. I have been out on a Aquia Creek a bit, but been fishing mostly for perch and crappie.

I'll be there if it starts around 7 am, but will have to bail early so I can get some sleep before work... Also, you can park on Hooes Rd and walk up to the lake. There is also a second place you can park but the walk is a little longer but it gives you quicker access to the opposite side of the lake. It is off the Fairfax Co Pkwy. If you are going northbound from Hooes Rd, make a left onto Huntsman Blvd, then your first left. Follow that road to the end and park at the dead end but not in front of the gate. Walk the dirt road four about 300 yards to the lake on your right... Travis

Nope, not the guy who put in the craigslist ad. If the outting starts at around 7 am, then I could definitely join in on the fun at least for a couple hours before I had to get some sleep. Keep it posted as to when the final time date and place will be. With all this rain though, Lake Royal may not be the best bet... It tends to be one of the first to turn into mud soup with all the rain.

Well Scott, you're in luck! The Fredneckburg area of VA if chock full of places to bass fish. All depends on how far you're willing to drive. Lake Anna certainly is an option. Without a boat it would be a bit difficult so I would go with a smaller lake. Anna is not for your first timer, even the pros get skunked there a lot. Depending on what you're looking for, there are several good lakes and rivers to fish in. Motts Run Reservoir, Ni Reservoir and the newly opened and hottest bass fishing lake in the area, Hunting Run Reservoir. It just opened to fishing last fall and is already producing some monster bass. With the warm weather rolling around, it is gonna be crowded though. If I was you, I'd stick with Motts Run for a family outing. There is a nice fishing pier there and I believe they rent boats in the warmer months. Plus, the lake has some monster northern pike in it, so that can make things interesting. The Rappahannock River is your best bet as far as river fishing for bass goes. The tidal portion is decent for largemouths and the area above the fall line is good for smallies. In the mid to late spring striped bass run the river and can be caught in the tidal section as well. Depending on how far you want to drive there are many other fishing lakes and rivers in the northern VA area and further south towards Richmond. The James River and Potomac Rivers are each well known. Burke Lake, Occoquan Res. and other lakes in the area have some great bass fishing. Your best bet though is to go to the VA Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries web site. Go to the fishing section... Look for the where to fish section. Then choose between lakes or rivers and streams. Then click on the northern and central region, look for Spotsylvania County and bam, you got a boat load of info at your finger tips! You can look at other counties in the region as well. Best of luck! Keep it simple at first, buy some shiners and cheat so the kids have a good first outing. I am new to the forum myself but you'll see a lot of these guys know their stuff, read around and you'll learn a lot!

Since I am brand spanking new on this forum, I'd love to get out and fish with you all that weekend and put some faces to names. However, I work night shift and work all three nights that weekend... If you all are going to fish in the morning or evening I can at least catch a couple hours before or after work. What time would you all be fishing? Travis Also, got a new boat last fall... I live in Stafford, but fish all over northern VA. It is nothing fancy, just a Tracker v-14 Guide Series with a 25 Merc, not too big for the small lakes but big enough to not sink on the big ones. Always looking for someone to fish with anytime...

There might be some small ones, but unlikely... The stripers don't really get to that part of the Rap til early April and don't really peak til late April. At least the bigger ones. The smaller schoolies will peak in Mid May.

I am brand new to the forum and this is my first post, but I wouldn't mind meeting up for some bass fishing... Not sure if I can fish those dates in March but if I can count me in! Travis