Anyone want to help a college student out with some ponds I can fish from the bank in Fairfax? Had issue with being run off for not living in neighborhoods. Tell me all of Fairfax isn't this bad....  

there are a couple places within 5 miles of gmu lake royal braddock lake huntsman and lake mercer.. what ponds have u been ran off from?!

Its a lot of the neighborhood ponds and such in neighborhoods off of braddock road. Is there a lot of bank space on those you mentioned above? And if I had to chose one or two to try out which would you suggest?

lake royal and lake braddock have been my most successful... i have not been able to make it there as of yet this year but i am planning on fishing mercer and huntsman this weekend or next...

lake royal and lake braddock have been my most successful... i have not been able to make it there as of yet this year but i am planning on fishing mercer and huntsman this weekend or next...

 

Braddock is also private and posted.  Be warned.

 

Royal has a good bass population, but they are highly pressured and smart.  Lots of good bank access there.  

 

Woodglen is another option, its hit or miss, but does have decent bass.

 

Burke is mostly a waste of time from shore, except this time of year.  Concentrate around the cove w/ the DGIF ramp and the corners of the dam.  The water level was lowered recently for work on the dam, so IDK what conditions are at the moment.

 

Mercer is a good choice (I like the dam area), but spend the time to find the right place (not the dam) where the bank runs up to "deep" water.

 

There are others, spend the time on Bing or Google maps to find 'em and check 'em out.

None of those places have fish! Don't waste your time, especially huntsman!

I grew up on lake Braddock. It is in bad need of a dredging right now. Areas that used to be 6 ft or more are now less than one foot. That being said, it has great shore access all the way around, and still has a good amount of bass in there. I used to catch monsters in there when I was younger though. If anybody asks you if you live there, tell them to mind their own business and keep on fishing.

I live in walking distance of royal lake and I'm out there all the time when I'm not at the Occoquan. There are some good bass there but its extremely over fished. Once you figure out the honey holes though its hard to get skunked. Its public and you don't have to worry about people telling you to leave. Theres plenty of cats there too, my dad has caught a good 20 pounder just using a worm and bobber. Also check out "The Ponds" in Burke, I haven't fished there for a couple of years but I pulled my biggest bass out of one of them. 

what do u mean ponds of burke and which road are they off of im in burke often.. send me a pm

Yeah "the ponds" in Burke sounds particularly interesting. pm me with the info please! As far as everything else that you people have given me so far it is a good start. I'll be sure to fill everyone in with progress

The ponds in burke are off of burke lake road near the intersection of burke centre parkway/lee chapel. I forget the names of the roads they are off of, but you should be able to find them on google maps. If you are coming down burke lake from lake braddock high, the neighbohood is on the right after you cross the before mentio.ed intersection. I havent caught anything over 2 l s out of em, but i havent fished them hard either.

"The Ponds" in Burke Centre are also private and you run the risk of getting run off if you're not a Burke Centre resident.

I am close to Huntsman Lake. As mentioned before it is hard to catch bass there. I am not saying that there is no bass, just that they are hard to catch. I have only caught one. But there are plenty of catfish and carp. That's what I aim for mostly there.

I have fished every pond/lake in the NOVA area. All of them have produced fish but a few produce large fish.  Time of year and location are key, that being said I have gained a lot of experience in the last 30 years of fishing these locations. Private or not I still fish them all. I was out last week and got 23 in a hour and a half. They all fell victim to the dropshot rig..  Only 1 topped 4 pound though, but still a good time. My largest to date came years ago at Woodglen, 8.6 lbs. Caught her on a Fat Ika.    

Hey Flippin4it.   Just getting back into fishing myself.  never fished a dropshot rig.  I understand the concept and bought the dropshot weights and hooks for it, but it be nice to get some practice in with someone who's used it with success.