VAHunter

I believe you have received a bunch of useful information here. I am in SE Virginia and will only add one other note. Do not overlook shallow water, especially in ponds. Most of the waters I fish are 250 acres+. Even with water temps in the low 40s and high 30s I have caught plenty of fish in less than 4 ft. of water. My biggest last year, just over 9 lbs., came in January in 3 ft. I'm not saying these fish are always active, but I do believe a certain percentage of the population never goes that deep, they stay relatively shallow all year. With that being said, the consistent bite is generally deeper (10-18 ft. in my area).

Jclopp, if you are looking for less pressure, the Lone Star Lakes may be your best bet. I know some guys fish there, but they don't seem to get the same pressure as the water-supply reservoirs. The upper reaches of the Blackwater and Nottoway rivers may also be of interest to you as boats have trouble getting up that way. Good luck.

Way to go! Nice fat fish there.

You can try what I do, shake your head in disgust! Sometimes those schooling fish are so easy to catch it doesn't seem fair. Then there are times like you just had that even things out in the end. I've seen bass so keyed on a specific bait, or size of bait, etc., that nothing I throw works. When confronted with those situations, I stay with reaction baits and hope to catch a few off-guard. Sometimes the faster you work the better the better your chances. Trust me, you can't reel too fast, a bass will catch your bait if it wants it bad enough.

No boats allowed, not even a tube. However, the city can hold skiing competitions on the lake!

That has been my experience every time at that river. I know it's loaded, I've seen the results. It's just that every time I have gone (only fished it during tournaments) the fishing has been horrible for everyone. As you noted, at least you had a nice change of scenery.

Nice catch, LShep!

LShep, I have not fished many ponds in Chesapeake for some time. I live closer to the state line and there a bunch between you and me. It's probably not very good right now with the heat, but the ponds in front of Greenbrier Mall have some very nice fish in them. There is also one behind a car dealership on Battlefield Blvd. I think it's the Toyota dealership, but don't quote me on that. From your way if you go south on Battlefield off 64 the dealership is about 1.5 miles down on your right. The pond is in the woods behind that. Oh yeah, there is also Oak Grove Lake. It gets quite a bit of pressure, but there are still some nice bass in there. If you hit up that one, I'd suggest showing up very early to take advantage of the topwater bite. I also used to fish many of the ponds south of Volvo Parkway. It's basically a semi-industrial area, but there are several waterways back there that have good bass. Hope this helps. Post up if you find some success and good luck.

Welcome to the board LShep! With the exception of neighborhood ponds, there aren't many shore fishing areas around. Do you live on the Peninsula or the Southside? If South, I would continue your Google search. Even if the spot you found doesn't look as good when you lay eyes on it, fish it anyway. Almost all the ponds down this way are loaded, you just have to fish them at the right time. I see you have already tested out the Lone Star Lakes. I've been here near 20 years and still have not been to one of them. I fish all the water supply reservoirs in Suffolk regularly. As previously noted, bank fishing is not a very viable option for any of them. However, they are all loaded with quality fish. Lake Smith and Little Creek are also top destinations. However, Smith has not produced very well this year. I believe it could have something to do with pressure, but it's been off. There is also the Northwest River in southern Chesapeake that offers limited shore fishing. Around here your best option is to have a boat if that fits your current situation. I kayak can work, but it's somewhat impractical on the larger reservoirs. Welcome again and good luck. Kevin Mills

Cohoon would be my number 1 choice. However, the Branch may have the best and biggest bass of all the Suffolk lakes. It can also be a pain during the hot weather. Whatever lake you pick, I'd suggest starting at safe light with topwaters on main lake flats/points. From there transition to deep diving cranks, jigs and t-rigged worms. All of those lakes have a great population of bass. Good luck.

Ed, don't want to see you or anyone else getting a ticket. There is no boat length limit and the HP is restricted to 10 HP or less.

In SE Virginia many of our waters look like that (especially the rivers) and it is caused by the abundance of cypress trees. Water looks dark, but it's actually clear.

Oak Grove can be a good lake, but it does get plenty of pressure. I've caught many bass there in the 4-5 lb. range. It also has a lot of small bluegill and catfish. The Northwest River off 168 South just before you get into Carolina also offers some bank fishing. You can expect some bass, crappie, white perch, catfish, bluegill, etc. There is also a small pond at the Northwest River Park. It generally does not hold big fish, though some are in it. As has been pointed out, any neighborhood lake in your area will likely have good to excellent bass fishing. It amazes me how many big bass come out of those small ponds. There are many other options if you open up your search area to Suffolk or even North Carolina, but the shore fishing options aren't as great.

Little Creek on the Peninsula, or Little Creek off of North Hampton Rd. in Virginia Beach?

I've had the same experience as Catt. Each fish is different and it depends on the conditions at the time. If there are already eggs in the bed, they return very quick.

I have found the following in a bass' stomach over the years: Rat, mouse, bird, duck, lizard, snake, turtle, and a myriad of plastic lures.

In my area (Tidewater) the big girls have really turned on the last couple of weeks. Most of the better fish are coming on cranks, jerk baits and jigs. I've seen several 9 lb.+ fish and quite a few over 8, all from public waterways. The pre-spawn is on around these parts.

The two lakes fish the same to me. However, Smith has a lot more trees/laydowns. I know some guys who used to catch walleye in there. Haven't heard of any recently, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear of some being caught soon.

Most of the lake is no deeper than 6-7 ft. For those areas I would suggest an SR7 or any other tight-wobbling crankbait that will run 6-8 feet deep. As for weight of a lipless bait, I almost always fish a 1/4 oz. there, but you can easily fish a 1/2 oz. as well.

Garrett, if you are looking for the most consistent action, find a pond near you. Ponds are always the most reliable during tough fishing conditions. As was noted, Lake Smith is a bear in the winter (and the dead of summer for that matter). It's loaded with fish, but can be fickle. If you can't get a boat, I would suggest using jigs around any structure you can find. Fish either a black/blue or some type of green pumpkin. You need to fish it slow. When you think you are going slow enough, slow down even more. Dead-sticking can work in Smith during the winter. As for other lakes in the area, the water supply reservoirs in Suffolk all have great populations of bass. However, shore fishing is very limited. Your best bet from shore may be the Lone Star Lakes just off Rt. 58. The other lakes out there really are not conducive to shore fishing. However, my buddy caught a 9.71 lb. bass out of Prince last Sunday. Fish are always biting somewhere. Good luck when you get out there.

To my knowledge the state never stocked striper in Whitehurst. Long ago they did put in hybrids (wipers). When I first started fishing the lake in 1997 there were still some left, but I haven't seen or heard of one out of there in more than 15 years.

The borrow pits are located on either side of, and in front of the airport runway. I used to fish that lake all the time for walleye, but haven't been there since they closed the ramp years ago. I haven't heard from anyone about the fishing, but it used to be great. I'd imagine that any walleye that are left will be very large by now. As for tackle, my favorite was to throw a chartreuse marabou jig/shiner combo. I'd just toss it out and let it go to the bottom and bounce it back to the boat. I also caught a ton of walleye on shad raps and rattle traps. I saw many guys trolling with crawler harnesses as well and catching fish. Oh yeah, be ready for a big flathead at any time. There are some really big catfish in that lake. Good luck.

Nice job on the win in Florida, Chaz! We were all pulling for you on the final day. That was the topic of discussion after we fished Burnt Mills. Congrats again and enjoy the boat. Kevin Mills

Thanks for serving and welcome to the area. We have five local water supply reservoirs that are HP restricted (Little Creek, Lake Smith, Lake Prince, Burnt Mills, Western Branch Lake Cohoon and Lake Meade). All offer very good fishing. And, as Wdy Crankbait noted, they do get some pressure. However, all of the them regularly put out great weights. As for unrestricted waters, you have the Northwest River, North Landing River, Back Bay and a host of rivers in North Carolina. You can also add in the Currituck and Albermarle Sounds. If you don't mind traveling 2-3 hours you can reach Kerr, Gaston and the Potomac River. If you prefer the smaller lakes as mentioned in the first paragraph, you can greatly expand on the list by going to the peninsula where they have quite a few more lakes (all electric only). Good luck.

Where I fish in SE Virginia, you are better off in the wood. Yes, it can get frustrating, but you quickly learn how to get over the bait and shake it free most of the time. I always tell my buddy that if we aren't hanging up, we aren't in the right spot. Just offering another view for fishing the blades. Good luck.