Huntrava

True enough!

We must have just missed each other. I was putting in from the Fountain Head launch at 1:30. Be sure to wave next time you see a guy in a red kayak with a green milk crate on the back! Shallow cover was good for me, particularly the shady areas near the docks.

True enough, but my point wasn't whether to pay the guide or not. Of course the guide will get paid. I'd tip him too. Anything less would be dishonest. The contract part just determines what both parties expect from the transaction, but it doesn't determine whether I'll be a return customer. The question is already hypothetical without getting into whether the customer "can't catch" or "won't catch" or "refuses to catch" fish, or whether the guide stays out longer, tries harder, is an old friend, etc etc. If I am a first-time customer, and the guide provides the services specified in the contract (nothing more, nothing less), and nobody catches any fish, would I return? Do I pay? Of course. Do I tip? Of course. Do I use the guide again? Maybe, probably not. Why should I?

I can offer an opinion from the standpoint of a nonprofessional. If I hired a guide and didn't catch any fish I probably wouldn't use the guide again. Regardless of what the contract says, getting skunked, then footing the bill isn't going to make for a good memory. I'd probably shop around for another guide unless there was an incentive to return. Just my .02. Doesn't mean it's right.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Lots of good suggestions. Here's some more information regarding my current situation: I fish structure from a kayak. My primary fishing areas are in northern virginia. I hit the Potomac river on a regular basis (Seneca, Algonkian, Gravelly Point), Lake Accotink (there's not much there), Occoquan River and Occoquan reservoir. To-date, the best fishing has certainly been at Occoquan reservoir. I don't have electronics. I know some of you are saying I'm fishing the hard baits wrong. There's no question about that. It is certainly user error. I'm going to continue practicing with them until I'm proficient. In the meantime, just to shake things up, I've got some good ideas from you guys. I think the 3.5" grubs are a good idea; that's probably what I'll go with first. Seems like Senko's are getting a lot of love from the experts. Here's a follow-up question: all the advice and articles I read indicate watermelon/brown/purple soft baits are ideal, but when I fish with white grubs, I'll land twice as many bites as with any other color. Would I be a moron to pick up some of these baits in white? This is one of the main reasons I'd like to use a different bait. At the reservoir a few days ago I hooked a fish pretty good through the vein that runs up the top of the gills near the spine. Hope it wasn't lethal, but he was bleeding pretty well. I'd sacrifice some of the smaller bites to keep things safer for the fish. @DriftB: seems kinda like what I see people doing with the wacky worm. Is that about right? I'll definitely give it a shot.

So I've got a problem. The issue isn't that I"m a novice fisherman--it's that I'm just not a very good fisherman. I've been doing it for years--but very poorly. To date, in the last few weeks of fishing, I've landed a hundred baitfish, and dozens of small largemouth (0.1-1.5 lbs) but nothing worth writing home about. All of these were pulled in with 2" Arkie Grubs, or some other variant of a grub. Mostly white and brown colored. My issue is that I can't seem to catch anything with a different bait, and I think this is limiting me to smaller fish. I've spent hours pitching with creature baits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, spoons, etc. Nothing, ever. TL;DR: I need another 'Go-To' bait that will land me a fish (any fish, preferably a big one) besides these d**n white grubs.

An evening squall shut things down at the reservoir a bit early tonight. That last hour is usually my money maker. Caught fish all day long using small soft baits, micro jigs. A couple of largemouth that were 1+ lbs. Fun, but nothing big to report.

First post :-) I realize this is an old thread, but I'd like to update this with a short fishing report. Since I've lived in the area (about 3 years) I've been kayaking on Lake Accotink on a regular basis. Pretty much every time I've been to the lake, there's been heavy pressure near the boat docks/bridge. I've even seen a guy fishing there with a net, no joke. So forget that portion of the lake. At first I was reluctant to fish the lake (I've only heard bad things) but didn't have enough time to make it anywhere else on a Friday here in NOVA, since 66 and 95 turn to parking lots between 2PM and 10PM. If you have a small watercraft, such as a canoe or kayak less than 15 feet, you can just walk down to the lake and launch on the beach. That's what I did tonight. There's a bunch of cover that lined the dam. Seems like it would be prime real estate for bass, but I didn't have any luck there with pig n jig. Switched to some weedless spinners and got a nibble, but no luck. I decided to continue along the bank (immediately across from the pressured area) where I noticed more light cover/fallen logs. Decided to switch to rubber worms, that was the trick. I reeled in 5 panfish and a 2 lb bass 1 lb bass within an hour. Almost every cast brought in a fish. What does this mean? *Much* of the lake is inaccessible if you don't have a kayak, but with a small boat there is stuff to be caught in Lake Accotink. I realize the lake has a poor reputation, and I don't presume this post will change the reputation. That said, if you live in the area and only have a few evening hours to fish, don't overlook some modest fishing at Accotink.