VAHunter

I agree with all the responses. That fish is fine. As for the red eye, it is the spawn. Bass, especially the males, get red eyes before they go on the bed.

Yes. Still fishing great.

Frogs, birds, snakes, turtles, plastic lures, etc. The best had to be two years ago when I landed a 4.5 lb. bass. It had a huge belly, so figured it was a late spawner (May timeframe). Nope, went to pull her out of the livewell at the end of the day and found a muskrat in the water. My "fat" bass was no longer fat, rather she was a bit on the skinny side.

I agree regarding the girth. I caught one earlier this year that the guys swore was a 10, but I didn't think so, it was simply too short. However, it was fat. Ended up 9.3 lbs. on the scale. It was only 23" long. Gotta love those pre-spawn fish.

Add me to the Virginia club. Biggest here was 10 lb. 7 oz.

Check out those old rods/reels! That's awesome. I still have some of my grandpa's gear just like that. Awesome photo!

This might be too late, but I used to fish all those lakes many years ago. Pennimen is small with very clear water. Tons of aquatic vegetation. Not sure these days, but it used to hold some very nice fish (6+ lbs.). It's also got a lot of great crappie. I caught bass with basically any standard lures of the time of year. It was hard to beat a jig or jerk bait in the winter. I'd expect you can get into some good ones on top still. Good luck.

Timing is very important in the Suffolk lakes. Pick the right spot at the right time and it's lights-out. It took almost 25 lbs. to win the tournament on Prince Sunday. Second was 20 and there were either 5 or 6 bags over 18 lbs. You are correct, it can be brutal, but the longer you fish them the more you know. Keep at it and good luck! By the way, the Northwest River, North Landing River, Back Bay and all the rivers in NC have been very hot lately. Check out Bob's Fishing Hole on the 'net or FB for the latest action.

Oh yeah, I've lived those days. Been bass fishing for 45 years and there are still days I wonder if I know how to cast and hit the water! Or not get snagged, or backlashed, or line wrapped around the pole... You get the idea.

Wake Board Boats

I've been here for 20 years and Smith is no longer the lake it once was. There are still a ton of small fish, but I can't figure out what happened to the chunks. I have several theories, but no proof. Shore fishing spots in the VB/Chesapeake area can be very hard to come by with regards to public waters. Your best bet is Google Earth. Check it out for areas around you that have ponds. Some of those waters will be posted, but you'd be surprised how many you can fish legally. You can also ask landowners for permission. I've had success both ways. Off the top of my head here are a few shore fishing areas you may want to check out: Oak Grove Lake/West Neck Creek Marina/Mount Trashmore Lake/Lone Star Lakes/Northwest River. I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting. In the long run, it's best to have a boat, or at the very least a canoe or kayak. The fishing in the Tidewater Region is excellent. However, most of that requires a boat/kayak of some type. The water supply reservoirs in Suffolk are all loaded with good fish. As a bonus, they have horse power restrictions, so you don't have to deal with pleasure boaters, skiers or jet skis. Oh yeah, if you have access to the bases in this area, many of them have excellent ponds which offer some of the best shore fishing in the area. Good luck!

I agree it's likely around the 5.5 lb. mark, give or take. However, length alone can be deceiving. I caught a 23" fish in the prespawn this year the weighed 9.35 lbs. I've also caught 22" fish that didn't even weigh 4 lbs. You still caught a nice chunk, congrats!

I had an incident many years ago almost just like the one you described. I was throwing lipless baits on a flat leading into a creek. I fish in a jon boat. Had a guy and his buddy in a glass rig run right beside me on plane, then come off step and stop within a cast in front of my boat, directly where I was casting. I looked at the guy in the front and said there's no way you are going to fish there, right? You are literally sitting where I am casting. He, too, gave me the eye. His partner never even stood up to fish. He just sat in the back of the boat with his hand over his face. I made another cast (without much thought to accuracy) and it bounced off his outboard. He didn't care much for that, but he left. No, I don't own the water either, but I have enough respect to find somewhere else to fish when somebody beats me to an area I wanted to try.

Nice catching, Travis!

The bass have definitely moved on the waters I fish regularly. We have been catching nice fish in water so shallow it's amazing you can't see them. We have surface temps in SE VA right about 60, with some backwaters a bit warmer than that. I'm sure there are still fish out in their winter pattern, but you can't argue that some are on the move.