Choporoz

This guy in Australia WISHES it was a rattlesnake trying to get into his boat http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/29/world/great-white-shark-boat-australia-trnd/

Welcome! Take a look through this thread, if you haven't already: Bull Run Marina (BRM) is not staffed...and they do not rent boats. Gate is (supposed to be) locked 24/7. You can get a key at Fountainhead for the BRM gate - for an annual fee. Not sure they'll give you a key unless you are also getting an annual launch pass, which is good at the half dozen or so Fairfax County parks that have ramps. Cost will vary depending on if you have trailer or hand-launch (kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, etc.) You can park in the upper lot of BRM and walk to a few spots to fish from shore, but I haven't tried it and it appears to be fairly limited spots you can get to...which is the case for most of the Occoquan reservoir. Fountainhead does rent boats, however; along with trolling motors and batteries. So does Lake Ridge Park (Prince William side.)

I don't recall you mentioning anything about a kayak before.....I thought it was a very small pond with six inch long bass. Will the five year old be in a solo kayak? And trying to fish? Did you get a couple bobbers? Seems like at least a half dozen people above suggested a bobber....you "feel like a need a hard bait swimmer type lure"....what? Is this for you or for the five year old? If you feel the need to get a crankbait, then buy a crankbait....you're going to BPS; you can get a BPS-branded minnow-type hard bait with treble hooks for less than four bucks. It will catch fish. But, if you're asking a five year old to cast it and retrieve it....good luck...I don't care if he's in a kayak with you, or by himself...good luck

Bait Monkey is sitting quietly on the sidelines taking names...some of you are in a heap of trouble....you can run....you can hide....but BM is GOING to find you

LOL.....all you guys above suggesting inline spinners and crankbaits and torpedos and wp's.....all with treble hooks....none of youse guys have kids....do you?

light wire hooks, light weight and texposed rig ....and more often than not, the fish will hook themselves....hopefully, not in the gut too much

Hard to beat a Texas rig with worm 'texposed'. The few occasions I've had, I started them with a worm with a curly tail...that way, they can drop and drag real slow, if they have the patience....or if they like to reel a lot, the action helps them get bit. Cut-R's and Culprits are what I generally reach for. Depending on your situation (dock, boat, cover, etc.) a ned rig can be fun, too. Esp since you can now get weedless ned heads.

Also makes taking a leak more 'interesting' than it is on most lakes

I spent Saturday on Hunting Run. Couldn't believe how many trailers in the lot when I got there around 10. Most boats were deep in the bays and creeks, so I figured that's where I'd start...late spawners, maybe? Couldn't do jack in the shallows, nor shore laydowns. But, I began to notice that every single time I crossed 11' mark, my fishfinder would beep. Almost like a depth alarm. So I anchored off a windy shore and started dragging big worms through 10-13 feet of water. Turned out to be a solid pattern for the next four or five hours. Caught more good fish (2-4#) than I ever had there. Sunday, I hit Occoquan River for a few hours in the afternoon, and took a bunch of decent fish from cover on the Fairfax side of the river. Nothing over 3, however. Found some big gars cruising grass flats...pretty cool to watch...just glad I didn't hook into one.

R.I.P. Say Hello 2 Heaven

I think someone mentioned above; get a Sienna and don't look back. For $30 (less on sale) you can have a reel built like a tank that the kids can't hurt and will last you for years.

Qualification note: I have some experience between Chopawamsic and Dogue...and just one day on Mattawoman...so, you can extrapolate somewhat...but I really don't know anything about the big expansive flats other than Gunston Cove....nor do I know how to fish deeper main stem areas.

Grass is coming up. Old rules about Potomac grass should apply at this time of year, too; outside lines and patches of grass as you approach low tide....inside grass lines as the tide comes in. I've had good luck at low tide throwing Rage Tail Cut-R's and Structure Bugs into the thick of the laydowns. The biggest crook of a branch/trunk will hold the biggest bass in the tree. You can get a limit chasing surface activity, but they may be smaller than those hunkered down. I throw 1/4oz lipless into boils and come away with a fish often. Problem is that it can be frustrating following them around and you never know if it's one pounders that have got them riled up or maybe even catfish. If fishing the docks, spend a few minutes at a good one and figure them out; traps, cranks, chatterbaits, flipping plastics (I like Structure Bugs, Reins worms, Air Craws, robo worms, etc)...what works on one dock will work on others. GL.

After most of the last three weeks, 10mph winds will be calm and peaceful....tough to tell what the temp drop will do...it was only 90 for two days, I think...pretty sure it was in the 70's before that. I'd worry more about tides and emerging grass than wind and temps, if it were me. I bet the river was on fire ahead of that front last night.

I like to think that I exercise considerable care when handling bass. I do, on occasion use Fish Grips when I believe I have a reasonable risk of getting trebled. I sheepishly admit, however, that I do not exercise the same care when it comes to other species. I use Boga-type grips and jaw spreaders on catfish, snakeheads, pickerel and pike. And, I've been known to be much less patient when removing hooks from perch, shad and bluegill. I don't know where my two-facedness comes from....but, while slightly ashamed...I don't expect I'll change my behavior any time soon.

I've been doing more and more night fishing, but I'm no expert, by any means. But, that shad and minnow movement you referred to doesn't affect the bass bite much past dark, from what I've seen. All waters are different, but I think that what they are referring to is what happens (very roughly) from around an hour before sunset to maybe an hour after. Many evenings, depending on weather, winds, current, tides, etc....there will be a crazy feeding frenzy in sheltered creeks, coves, bays, etc. I don't know all the mechanics of it, but like most big feeding movements, I'm sure it starts with the smallest of minnows. The shad follow the minnows in, the perch, crappie, bluegill and bass all follow. Some nights, you can get a blow up every other cast...sometimes, it seems there's so much natural food, you can't buy a bite. But, back to your question...I think that period being described doesn't last well into the night very often...not into the periods that we're describing as 'night fishing'....at least not that I've seen.

I struggled mightily with that question. I've come to accept it, however. I figure that to some degree, we're paying Yakima and Thule for superior engineering and materials. But I suspect a large part of that $500 is for insurance and liability. A lot of risk involved in that sort of consumer product. Fact is, however, that my Thule gear (three cars worth of racks, Hulivator, cross bars, straps, etc.) has performed flawlessly. And lasted extremely well. Goes on easy. Comes off easy. The lock options add even more to the cost...but work better than I imagined. I have zero worries about equipment loosening...or failing....The peace of mind is worth at least some of that price premium...to me, at least.

I"m no expert, either. But, I can't help liking that sentence.

Once I found that a clear spook was a top producer, I stopped caring about topwater color almost completely. I either reach for 'dark' or 'light'. Just seems that against a much brighter sky....or in the dark of night...I can't seem to figure that color matters much to the fish.

Been a long time....but, I use braid on all my baitcasters except for two crank rods. I've never had to cut a braid backlash out. And my cranking casts are generally 'safer'...towards open-ish water, good weighted lures, rarely overpowered casts. But, that said....I'm due

If your true intent was to educate on the proper use, perhaps that would have been a better way to begin. I'm afraid that your OP comes off as a scolding, if not an insult, to all who do use them. I won't hesitate to land treble caught fish in my kayak with fish grips. In fact, the smaller the fish, the greater risk to me, IMO. I'm more likely to use them on a 14 incher caught on a DT6 than I am on a 5 pounder. The larger the mouth, the more room there is for error in lipping them.

I've very confused. I like JJ's so much that I sprinkle a few drops in the car every now and then...just because I miss it. And don't ask if I've ever just cracked the lid in January and taken a good whiff.....just because

I've never fished Algonkian. I've asked about it here on BR and got crickets....Anyway, I threw the kayak on top of the car a week or two ago and went up there with every intention of hitting it. After looking at the somewhat swift chocolate milk, I slowed my roll a bit and started talking to everyone that I could find with a boat or fishing rod or just hanging anywhere near the ramp. Nothing I heard led me to believe that putting in there would be a good use of my time. Between the current and the lack of bass, according to those somewhat familiar, I decided not to bother. Now, they could have been way wrong and that stretch might be filled with bass, but I didn't see any reason to question them. I'd bet a good bit of money that you saw evidence of catfish and/or carp, jumping and rolling, and otherwise breaking the surface. You can spend a LOT of time in these parts chasing splashes, only to learn that you've been casting at carp. That's experience...not hearsay...:) Good luck, and welcome. Lots of information in this thread and others.

I pulled four bass from one tree the other day. First and last were the biggest...and they were in exact same spot. After I pulled the first big girl off it...an even bigger one set up in her place.

Been out of Lake Ridge a number of times. (Renting and kayaking.) Sandy Run very accessible from there. Loading is a pain unless you are renting their motor and battery. I usually row to the ramp and load there if it isn't busy. Spent a few hours Friday on Gunston Cove. Only open water fish were from throwing traps into bait balls. But the bigger girls were very tight in laydowns. Pulled four bass out of one tree. This was the fourth one.