JCrzy4Bass

Yea I know there's a lot of factors that come in to play with topwater. I know it might not be the most efficient lure at the time but depending on what the sun is doing and the temps are and if it's hitting that part of the lake good in the morning I may try it. If not got a bunch of other ideas. Thanks for the heads up though.

Sounds good my friend. Check your pms, I sent you my contact info.

All I have heard about the cat fishing on this lake is that it is tough. The best bet is for you to go one warm weekend on a Saturday morning or afternoon, that's when a lot of the small docks in the parking lot are occupied by fellow cat fishermen (at least from my experience). Maybe these guys can give you some advice. I've seen some people with mulitple poles out there but haven't seen too many cats that have been pulled in. I know a couple of the guys were dip netting a bunch of the minnows and smaller feeder fish up front by the grass (last summer) and using that as bait. But I've always used cut bluegill or panfish myself. Other option would be to check out a catfishing forum. I think there is one called master catters? Or something like that...

Hey Trev, I'm not gonna have a chance to fish it morning or night this week but only during a couple lunch breaks. Can you pm me and let me know where some of the best bed fishing may be on the left side of the lake (left of the dam)? If not no big, just havn't caught anything above 4lbs yet and I'm trying to concentrate on all the spawn techniques I have been reading about over the course of the off season and early spring and trying to apply them. If not if you could at least let me know how your approaching the shore line. I'm not looking for specific baits or places on the lake, just kind of what you are looking for in these spots. Or are you guys strictly sight fishing now?

I'm fishing Mercer Thursday morning from sun up around 645 til about 1145. Anyone wanna meet up with me and fish it? If so say so here and pm me. I will give you my cell and we can plan a meeting spot. I already have an idea of where I want to hit (trust me it's productive and also a spot where PLENTY of 4-5lbers have come out of. Let me know fellas. Plan on catching some spawnin ladies with early morning topwater. Then worming and throwing a spinner later in the morning to catch the rest.

Nice fish dad. Maybe I can make it out there with you sometime soon. Sounds like fun. You and your 3-4lb fish. I'm beginning to hate seeing all the pics. Lol. j/k. I've only caught 2 at or above 3 lbs. Hope to change that soon though. Would be easier if I could get out more. That 3lb 8oz one is a fat fish. Looks a lot shorter than my 3lb 8oz but definately a bigger gut. Too bad it rained so much today or I'd try and get out for an hour or two while my wife plays video games with her dad online. The pond down the road from me is probably getting close to normal level again if not above. Finally be able to toss to the cover in there that has been above water for a while. Good job again dad.

Last

Next, sorry about this one. Lens was acting up.

My heaviest fish

Second Fish

Today's Report Not much to report. We couldn't put together a pattern all day. All our fish were caught scattered throughout the day in different areas. We launched out of Leesylvania a little late cause I had to wait for the wife to leave for work before I left the house. Got there and launched at 815 or so and cruised across river to Mattawoman Creek. We fished the bay area to the right of the first point near Smallwood State Park. About 4-5 casts in with my Mann's Minus One in a crawdad color I hooked into a small bass probably just shy of keeper size and lost him by the boat. Soon after my dad boated a 2lb 8oz largemouth using his Mann's Minus One crank but in a chartreuse and blue color. That was towards the tail end of the outgoing tide. Then the bite slowed down. I missed another fish on a Zoom G-Tail worm (rigged weedless). I went to set the hook after a good sized fish gave my three - four tugs and the hook never penetrated the plastic. So I changed it to texposed but couldn't get it to bite again. After we fished the submerged grass for a couple hours we headed out to the edge of the grass line near the channel of the bay but got no bites there. We went over to smallwood and started trolling between the two dock areas on the inside edge of the docks. My dad boated another largemouth, this time going for 2lbs 5ozs. I followed suit less than five minutes later catching a 1lb 5oz largemouth on a Berkley painted green/chartreuse rattle trap. My dad's came out of a boat slip on one of the dock areas to the far left (if facing Smallwood). Mine came by casting out toward rip rap where it meet a grass edge. After working around here a little more we bolted across the creek and tried the other side with no luck (too many boaters in the spots we wanted to try), so we headed back across river to Neabsco Creek. It was VERY low tide at this point and we were trying to stay on the main river or fish the mouths of smaller creeks. On our way toward the train bridge I casted between the bridge and right shoreline by some stick ups and nabbed my second fish. It went for 1lb 3ozs and was barely a keeper. After venturing into Neabsco we realized our trolling motor and gas motor were kicking up mud (1-2 foot depths) so we bolted to Powell's and checked the outside of that creek but it was exactly the same. We decided we would spend our last hour fishing the over pressured jettys by the boat launch. While fishing the inside of the one far to the right hand side (if facing Leesylvania) I managed to hook into one last fish that went for 1lb 6ozs. And it was the most energetic fish of the day. It jumped three times out of the water but didn't manage to come off. It was a firm hookset. I caught him on the same Zoom worm I lost my fish on earlier. My first time using this bait as I bought these yesterday at Boater's World. So.... summary of the day - We caught fish on Rat L Traps, Berkley Rattle Traps, Mann's Minus One Cranks, and Zoom G-Tail Worms. Fish during outgoing tide were caught in submerged grass in 3-5 feet of water near the entrance of Mattawoman Creek. Fish during low tide were caught at Smallwood State Park by fishing boat slips and rip rap around more scattered grass. We caught one fish on the outside of a creek where it met the rail bridge in front of Neabsco during extreme low tide (on a regular Smokey Joe Rat-L-Trap). And one last fish was caught by a rock jetty as the tide was starting to come back in on a Zoom G-Tail Worm in Junebug color. The bite was tough during low tide but we found a few scattered fish. We tried to stick to main river and the outside of creeks during this time but didn't have much luck. We lost a total of four fish today and could have been culling had we landed some. My dad lost one on a reaction strike with a yellow perch colored jerk bait and I believe another on a jig or worm. Total fish - 5 Total weight - 8lbs 11ozs Had a great time with my dad and can't wait to get back on the Potomac. First wave of early bird spawners should be coming through in a couple days at the full moon. Three days of temps almost at 80 I would imagine put em' on the beds in the warmer waters of these creeks. Pictures are starting with the largest fish and going smaller.

Yea... we will never replace him as a pet. I guess the best thing about the situation though is the way the older cat is reacting. She was pretty much Felix's partner and was a great friend to him. She spent a day or two looking around for him but I think she knows now that he's gone and I think she knows he was sick. The reason for this is the last day Felix was at home she was licking and nibbling his ear as well as laying next to him and rubbing up beside him. She did this a few times during the day and Felix acknowledged her. Yesterday when I brought Felix's crate up Frankie (the other cat) looked around the corner, came up to the cage door and sniffed and looked around inside. Then she meowed a few times and went back into the living room. I think she was looking for him and kinda realized he wasn't coming home at this point. I locked up the cage in our closet (storage room). I'm gonna clean it real good this weekend to try and rid his scent so next time we use it she doesn't freak out. Anyway last night after two nights of sleeping alone in the living room she finally came to her usual spot in bed last night at the corner of her bed. Her old routine was she would jump up say goodnight to steph and i by rubbing against our hands/bodies and so forth looking for her what we like to call "pets". Then after going up and down the bed doing this three to four times she curls up by my wife's feet and goes to bed with us. She finally did this last night and it made us both smile and really happy for a brief minute. Also she played fetch with my wife's hair ties last night which she likes to do. Just like a dog. She brings you one off of her dresser and drops it then meows expecting you to play. Well we tossed it around the couch for a while and she responded and kept coming up to us for more. So at least she is doing some of her normal routine again. Also she is pecking at her food and drinking again so that's good too. We are trying to give them as much love as possible and to spend extra time right now to get them through stuff too. We know they need us and we need them right now as well. At least they are helping us through. It's nice to see them greet us when we get home. The newer cat I got six months ago is just over a year old now (1 year and 3 months old) and is not showing any weird signs. Though she acknowledged Felix as well. Normally she runs around attacking Felix and Frankie playfully as I got her from petco as a "last chance cat" and she never had a good home nor time to act like a kitty. Anyway, the last day Felix was home she would just plop down beside him and stare at him and just keep reaching her paws out like she wanted him to play. So I think she knew he wasn't well and was on his way out as well. Maybe I'm just trying to see things but I think as friends cats have a unique sense about what's going on and they seem to acknowledge things well before we do and have a heads up on us. Amazing animals in my opinion...

Okrod those stumps will get you. I try not to use too many cranks in there and if I do I use mainly shallow runners like Manns or rapala rattle traps (the floating ones). Original rapalas are a good bet too if you can toss em' far enough (a longer rod helps). I mainly throw spinners, jigs and worms over in the stump field area. If you want something that resembles a crankbait but doesn't have trebles and doesn't get hung up nearly as much try a fluke (plastic minnow) on a jig head. If you bottom hop these they should get just as many strikes. You can swim em' too. You can find some zoom ones at Walmart or some other off brands at Boater's World on the PW parkway. Dicks carries em' in falls church and mannassas too. If you want some other spots to fish there I suggest, as flippin4it would suggest, anywhere there is not a beaten path. These are where the bigger fish are caught. Be careful because the water snakes and stuff are out now and the grass is getting higher and harder to navigate with the thorns. Walk through at your own discretion and don't forget boots and make sure someone is with you if you're gonna do that and what not.

Stumps are on that stretch where that long arm is on the end of the lake. Good spot but shallow so it's best to start in the deeper water at the point adjacent to the arm and work your way in. That way you can see what kind of depth they are at and if they have moved in that far. I hear that the buzzbait is producing as the sun goes down. Might be worth trying out guys. Later.

Thanks for sharing the stories with me guys. It's awesome that we all have a place like this to relate on other life issues aside from big green monster bass. I am so grateful to have heartfelt words during a tough time like this. I know Felix's memory will never fade from my mind and that I will be able to overcome the sadness and impact of his death and just look at the good things he gave us and had done for us before passing. He was a great friend. Thanks again fellas. You're a great group of guys.

Trev, thanks for the report dude. I was gonna go during lunch today but hunger hit me and I needed a bite to eat. I will probably get out there Monday or tuesday during lunch. That pretty much sums up exactly what I saw the couple bass do when I went up that one day last week. They are stubborn indeed. That one cove to the left of the dam has a nice tapering flat to the right of it (going back up along the shoreline to the dam). That's where I spotted a couple swimming near each other. Looks like a possible area to consider when looking for your beds? Not sure but it was mostly clay with some rocks built up on the underwater point. But I'm sure you know where the beds are based of previous experience. Let us know when you nail your spawners man. Can't wait for that full moon on the 20th. I got a good feeling about fishing altogether over the next few weeks (at least in the shallower, more stained lakes). I may try Mercer one morning next week when I work nights. Aside from that I'll probably hit some other lake next weekend depending on if I get out on the boat with my dad again. Later fellas.

Known, Woodglen is tough right now and Huntsman is extremely low. I'd hit either Mercer or Braddock. Mercer is on lately and Braddock should almost be on spawn now based off Trevors post last week. You might be able to find some crusing bass, but be careful as the water is crystal clear. Don't know if you've been following Mercer lately but the rate of 4+ lbers coming out of there lately is nuts. That lake is hot this spring. Dad, check your email and get back to me. I was able to arrange getting a free day tommorrow if you still wanna get out. I was thinking the Potomac finally or hitting the Reservoir out of Lake Ridge. Let me know.

Haven't been on much this week. Had a tough time the first few days as we had to put a loved pet down Tuesday morning. The story is below... I also attached a picture of him. I'll go ahead and type up the story now that I can be a bit less emotional as I've got control over my tears and stuff. It's still hard but I guess the best way to get over things and learn to keep in the good thoughts and get rid of the pain is to talk about it or constantly think of all the great memories you still have in your mind. Monday morning we woke up and Felix was sitting in front of the bed, but instead of begging for food I looked at him and his breathing was very bad, he was struggling to get in each breathe. After learning from the vet this is called abdominal breathing. Steph had her ultrasound but before hand made an appointment for him to see the vet at 4:30 in the afternoon (earliest they had). So after her ultrasound Steph went to work and I stayed home watching Felix in case he got worse. He was weird all day. He wouldn't respond to anything you did, calling his name, snapping your fingers, calling him over. He didn't even budge his head, he was just staring off into space. And he wouldn't lay down except occassionally for a few seconds but I think any additional pressure on his stomach was making his breathing harder. Well we got him in to the vet and his temp was so bad they thought that he could pretty much die any second. It was down to 95 degrees. The vet immediately had the nurse take him into the oxygen chamber and put him on oxygen. They couldn't run many tests because how stressed he was. But they did manage an xray which shocked them. They thought they would find liquid in or around his lungs but they didn't find much. They wanted to think it was asthma but the temperature didn't coorelate to that, so they thought that maybe it was just his way of presenting the illness. But they got his temp back up to normal after 4 hours in the chamber and thought that maybe he would be ok. They said they could keep him overnight on the oxygen but that they didn't have anyone there to sit with the animals at this hopsital and physically monitor them all night. So they gave us the choice to transfer him but it would cost a lot more. Steph wanted to do it and see if we couldn't find out more. The ride was ok and we got up there around 8:45 or so. So they took him in the back and put him on oxygen. After the tech there looked at the x ray he started to think it was maybe heart disease (something the other vets were also considering). He ran blood tests over night and found out that Felix had diabetes because his blood sugar was so high it didn't even register. He never could get weened off of the oxygen throughout the night and actually was getting so bad he was peeing all over the place trying to get the liquid that was now accumulating in/and or around his lungs out. So apparently it was both diabetes, some type of pnuemonia and heart disease. Some probably triggered other ones but he was so bad in the morning he looked like he had no fight left. The next step would have been to take him to a cardiologist across the town down in springfield. However the vets didn't think he would even make it off there and decided if he did that being off oxygen so long would stress him even more and the tests wouldn't be worth doing because of the problems he was having. So we talked and decided to put him down. This was really tough... we got to spend five minutes or so with him and we held him. We told him everything we wanted him to know. How great a friend he was, all the little things we really liked that he did to make us happy or laugh, all the things our friends liked about him, etc. We told him about how we would miss him as well as the cats. We told him how much we loved him and that he laid out all the ground work for accepting cassie into the house and so forth. And then we said goodbye. We told him we would be thinking about him and that he would be coming home in a couple of days to stay with us forever (after being cremated and so forth). And we told him that we would never forget him... And we won't. No matter what. R.I.P Felix 04-15-08 Your memory will live on forever P:s: Went fishing yesterday before work for a couple hours to clear my mind. It just wasn't the same, I didn't have the energy nor a care in the world as to what I was doing. It was good to be out but I think it's gonna be tough to do anything "normal" for a while... wife's having a real hard time as she has had the cat for four years and they had been through a lot together. I only knew it for two and it felt so close to me with how affectionate he was (more so than any other cat I've ever seen).

Today is the first time I have ever caught a fish during my lunch break. I fish once or twice a week during the spring and fall season at work, sometimes during summer but not as much because I don't want to be sweating going back to work. I have about 35 minutes to fish after driving to the "private lake" which a member of this forum has kindly given me permission to fish (for which I am very grateful). I may not get many opportunities after my kid is born in September and just my lunch break alone will be nice enough to fish for me. At least I will get to get some casts in. Anyway today I fished a spot between two overhanging trees producing a bit of shade amongst the shoreline by the dam. I actually spotted the fish cruising the shallows as I approached and stepped quietly closer to the shore as I set up my texposed senko w/ 1/8oz bullet sinker (pumpkinseed swim senko). I saw him make a move to the brush by one of the tree branches and chucked my worm in there. Nothing. Second cast... peck peck, waited, reeled the slack and felt the pressure... set the hook. Ended up landing a 1lb 6oz largemouth. The water was crystal clear and you could see all the rocks, grass, underwater points, tapering flats, etc. Beautiful lake. Anyway... here's the pic. Thanks again Trev for giving me permission to this place. I owe you.

Trev, Went during lunch, that water is REALLY clear. Thanks for the permission last fall to fish there man, it works out great for a lunch break spot since I get an hour. You can add a Pumpkinseed Senko to your list of baits. Had it rigged w/ a 1/8oz lead bullet sinker texposed. I saw a decent bass cruising between the two trees on the right side of the dam. Tried approaching slow but he slowly swam off under some of the brush of the first tree. Didn't get him on my first cast, but he took the second one. Ended up landing him, my only hook up of the half hour. Went for 1lb 6ozs. I'll post the pic in the outings section. Trev, not going to give up the name or tell people about the lake dude. I never do. The picture I took was the bass facing the ground. Anyway, I'm assuming your permission is carrying over to this year? If not it's cool. Just thought I'd check again, I guess I should of asked before I went today but I have your number on the forum here and not on my cell, just added it on there after lunch though. I'd join you tonight but the pregnant wife at home wants me to play some video games with her, eat dinner and actually go to bed with her tonight (been playing Rainbow Six all night the last few nights).

Only fished it once this March. The water level is VERY LOW right now. If you fish from shore I would not use crankbaits other than surface lures. I lost a couple. The water all around is very shallow. The dam is fairly deep and probably your best bet, but with the warmer weather coming I don't know how much you will catch there. I got skunked as did my father who came with me, we spent 4 hours there and walked from the parking lot all the way clear across to the opposite end of the lake and then some. If you want good crappie action and shad action the older guys there were tearing it up on bobber rigs rigged with minnows, and other crappie type lures. My dad foul hooked one with a rat l trap so they were striking pretty aggressive that day. We saw one older guy pull in a shad over a lb. I would get a boat or rent one if they have rentals (I forget whether or not they do). You probably need to be further out from shore to catch em' or wait for the water to come up some if you wanna be able to use a wide range of baits. We even used the top o map for the lake but the area where it showed deeper water actually was shallow as could be and we didn't see any real good signs of drop offs anywhere where we were fishing. We didn't try too many plastics that day aside from drop shotting though. Maybe finesse baits were needed that day... dunno.

Thanks Okrod, just signed up man! Appreciate it. I visit their site almost every day as they seem to be adding a lot more lakes this year and disclosing a lot more information about older ones too. They are finally putting well needed updates on here. Anyway, keep in touch about getting together next week that one morning dude. Later.

SK pm sent dude.

So get this... I go during lunch. I go to one side of the lake and knock on the first door around the corner. How bout' my luck? President of the Home Owner's Association lol. Anyway he begins to tell me he can't give me permission after I ask politely. However him being an avid fishermen himself points me to a pond that is NOT on google earth across the next road over where there "are" fish. He said people there grant permission to their pond on occassion. So I figure I'll try. I go over there and knock on the first door on the cul de sac on that road. The lady is nice and on the phone when I first knock. I apologize for interrupting her call and begin to tell her about how I work up the road at a community college and I'm just looking for a quiet place to fish during my hour lunch break. I tell her I don't bring anything other than one pole and my tackle bag with all artificial baits. I tell her I clean up all my surroundings and so forth. She grins and says "I used to let people on here but I've had things stolen in the past, but you seem respectful enough to come and ask permission and so forth so go ahead". Or something of that nature. So anyway I fish, ton of boxed turtles run into the water when I get to the shoreline. Ton of them sunbathing. I see one small bass while I'm there run across the somewhat stained water of the shoreline. One catfish about the size of my arm by the dock, but no hookups. I thanked the lady for letting me fish and told her if she ever needs anything as far as help at the college, her family/sons/daughters etc to look me up and gave her my name. She thanked me and invited me back if there are more nice days like this. All I have to do is knock and let her know. Sweet deal! She even has a private dock and some nice laydowns right beside it. I tried a Mann's today, maybe next time I'll bust out the shakey head or senko. Muddy good idea on the cleaning up after others. This place was SPOTLESS though. Yards incredibly well kept with different companies out there doing work and so forth. If I see anything next time though I'll keep that in mind!

Hey Raul, if one said no, would you keep on going down the line trying to obtain permission from another? I don't want to be known as "the fisherguy who annoys the community" and suddenly have the cops called on me for bugging the different home owners.