mudkart

Definitely not Accotink, you can PM shimmy to be sure, sounds like he's talking about Occoquan Res. There is a marina @ Accotink and you can launch electric only boats. I've never heard of Txs there, would seem kinda pointless; I've never heard of anyone catching a limit at the lake.

10# braid is not pointless; I find it very useful on spinning gear. If you have it on your BC reel, well, that's another story. Braid of that diameter will just dig into itself on a BC reel the first time you set the hook hard or snag something. Practice your baitcasting in the backyard with only a weight tied on. Set the brakes kinda high and start w/ short casting distances. The best advice I can give may be investing in a quality BC reel (IDK the quantum model you have). IMHO, anything under $150 (new) will just lead to frustration as you start to use it in the real fishing world.

Make sure you are taking compression readings correctly, and with the OB warmed up to operating temp. Same with the water stream; it should be only a trickle until the thermostat opens up completely at the right temp.

Case Plastics: senkos (aka magic stix); flukes (aka salty shad); Jack's worm. Don Iovino: reapers and straight tail worm.

Marinas @ Pohick, Belle Haven, Columbia Island/pentagon lagoon, Occoquan regional park (not Fountainhead). W/ a yak I would start @ Belle Haven; lots of nice spots close to the ramp protected from the power squadron types.

Bring two batteries (so you have enough juice to get back to the ramp) and head downlake around the fingers and fish those coves and points. I'm assuming you're renting a jon and trolling motor? If you have an OB then forget about the two batteries. I would also hit up the point(s) and shallow wood directly across from the ramp. Down lake has the cleaner water right now. I tried the splits last week (muddy water, nada bass for me), and mine was the only boat up there; every other boat went downlake from fountainhead. All I could get them to bite last week was a drop shot. I caught the same 0.5 lb bass six times; 4 came off the same rocky point in little beaver. The week before was better. Don't be too proud to throw a senko.

Start with your battery, i.e. check the connections, charge, and load test it. You'd be surprised how many electrical problems are due to a loose battery terminal connection (@ the battery or @ the engine), especially if you're using wingnuts on the terminals (swap those out!). Merc manuals have a flow chart of tests to follow to diagnose this problem, all you need for most of the tests is a multimeter.

Lots of boats launch w/ OBs over the limit on the reservoir, they just don't use the OB. I've never seen or heard of them being hassled, other than to disconnect the fuel line. This appears to be the interpretation of the rule on many VA hp-restricted waters, e.g. the same thing goes on @ Briery and Burke (which is "electric only'). Twice last spring (on the Occ. Rez) I watched a guy motor by in his pontoon powered by a 40hp Yammy; blissfully unaware of the restriction, or confident VADGIF would not be around.

Braddock is also private and posted. Be warned. Royal has a good bass population, but they are highly pressured and smart. Lots of good bank access there. Woodglen is another option, its hit or miss, but does have decent bass. Burke is mostly a waste of time from shore, except this time of year. Concentrate around the cove w/ the DGIF ramp and the corners of the dam. The water level was lowered recently for work on the dam, so IDK what conditions are at the moment. Mercer is a good choice (I like the dam area), but spend the time to find the right place (not the dam) where the bank runs up to "deep" water. There are others, spend the time on Bing or Google maps to find 'em and check 'em out.

For the "best" price, go here and input your serial number to find the parts for your engine: http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Merc/parts.html For the best parts and customer service, go here and do the same: http://www.europeanmarine.org/partsaccessories.html Find the right part number, then give them a call or email. Have your engine serial number handy again. Don Weed runs European Marine, and he's been very helpful. You may pay a bit more than the boats.net site, but you will likely get your parts faster from Don, and know there is someone helpful to talk with if you have problems.

I like to have a hard copy (a Seloc manual is also nice), but you may be able to find what you need here (@ the best price: free!): http://boatinfo.no/lib/library.html This site was useful when replacing my controls, as a manual for Merc controls was difficult to find @ the time.

Hancock?

VA freshwater = $64 for three years.

PM'd

I used a heat gun on it's lowest setting for this purpose and it worked great (the old cowl and decals were toast). Get an edge of the old decal up, grip the edge then pull with steady pressure. New decals are from Iguana Grafix.

Something like this is probably best, but may be more $ than you want to spend. They are aluminum, and can be used as a cart to wheel your craft to the water. http://www.rampconnection.com/17-Canoe-Kayak-Trailer-SUT-200-S.html

You'll be fine. An extra battery may help. Fishing in the creek(s), some sort of anchor pin helps on an outgoing tide so you're not on the TM constantly. I used to use one fashioned from PVC pipe, then bought a fiberglass one that breaks down so it fits into a rod locker. I also like to motor up the creek than drift out on the tide. You can always call one of us if you run out of battery. On weekends, that creek gets mauled by guys in glass boats and its not very big. So launching early is a must, IMO. There are spots in Pohick Creek (not Accotink) that most glass boats cannot or will not access, basically beginning at the first "split" of the creek on Google maps (start where it says "Pohick Creek" in Google Maps and work downstream). You can work your way upcreek from the split with lots of cover to fish, and some "deep" areas, both of which hold decent bass. I've never caught a snakehead that far up creek, but I have seen some small ones up there. There is a limit to navigation up Pohick Creek maybe 300 yds upstream from the split, unless you want to get out and lift your vessel over some fallen trees. It is sort of visible in Bing Maps Birds Eye view. Facing downstream, at the split, the channel to the left is by far the most popular due to its depth. You can go to the right however, and you will likely have this channel all to yourself. Both channels eventually join again and empty into the bay. Going back in this area, I always bring a push pole. I've had some great days on Pohick and not even gone close to the creek, so it's not a necessity. Lots of grass and channels in the same that hold fish, and wood cover along the shores. What can be the most important factor (at least for bass) is when you fish rather than where. Think tidal changes!

I would let the waters you intend to fish the most dictate the boat you buy. Unless you have smaller waters, hp limits, or electric-only situations (i.e. situations where tin boats shine), I would buy glass. Just too many +'s compared to a tin. That said, I love my 16' tin rig as it is perfect (to me) for some of the 9.9-limited waters near me. It does double-duty on the Potomac at times, and it is OK for that purpose, but a glass rig is a better choice for that application, no question.

I don't target them, but my two best snakehead in 2012, and PB (8.5 lbs) came from Pohick. That's a chatterbait in the first pic, and the fish was caught within sight of the launch ramp, in a grass bed. Second one was caught on a RI skinny dipper.

Based on my experience, nothing happens from an "accidental" release.

Do you mean the ramp @ Pohick? It's a very busy ramp on summer weekends. I've never seen anyone with experience have any troubles with the ramps @ Pohick. The right wind @ low tide can cause some shallow conditions, but I've still been able to launch. **edit - read the rest of the thread and this was already answered - **

Call around to local Tracker dealers. I've had more success with this approach than contacting Tracker directly

No HP limit on the river/bay. There is a long no wake zone, but that's OK for this purpose. On the Occoquan reservoir, yes, there is a 9.9 limit, but they are two separate bodies of water.

Yes. As a limited example, there are boats on the Occoquan (river and reservoir) 12 months of the year. I fired my OB up (in a tank of water) two days ago. No problems, started right up.

No. Keep the OB vertical (i.e. not on a transom saver) when in storage and any water will drain.