Hello,

 

  Thinking about heading to the Potomac to frog and/ or flip and punch grass and pads in the next few days. I want to throw some frogs so I'd like to be on the water before sunlight. I was planning on going to Aquia Creek, and was wondering if there are nearby places to launch a kayak at 5 AM... Also, if anyone has any tips on whats been going on in that area lately it would be appreciated! 

 

-- Thanks

 

 

Welcome Ben.  Hope Springs Marina is open 24-7 and close to a lot of good frog water.  The first cove to your left as you come out from under the RR Bridge is good for Bass and Snakeheads.  If you want to stay closer, there are a lot of weedbeds to the left as you leave Hope Springs as well.  You can work all the way to the channel with plenty of docks along the way.  It will cost you to launch but if you have a cartop and yak it is not the $20 for boats, trailers.  

I went down to explore and try to launch a couple years ago.   Private community waterfront folks weren't too welcoming. I've heard rumors that Widewater Park is finally being developed.  It was just woods and a long overgrown path when I was last there.  Looking forward to see what they do with it.

On 7/17/2018 at 7:15 AM, TOXIC said:

Welcome Ben.  Hope Springs Marina is open 24-7 and close to a lot of good frog water.  The first cove to your left as you come out from under the RR Bridge is good for Bass and Snakeheads.  If you want to stay closer, there are a lot of weedbeds to the left as you leave Hope Springs as well.  You can work all the way to the channel with plenty of docks along the way.  It will cost you to launch but if you have a cartop and yak it is not the $20 for boats, trailers.  

+1. The channel going into Aquia has some good stuff to fish. 

Go up creek from Hope Springs.

 

Calm waters and plenty of places to try your luck without worrying about the ocean going vessels wakes; skiers; jet skis; or a lot of bass boats.

 

The upper Aquia Creek meanders about a few miles and you can fish the marina, bulkheads, piers, docks, and lots of other places, including the grass and pads.

 

Think about launching at Willow Landing, the ramp up creek from Hope Springs. Not as busy as Hope Springs but you will be about a quarter of a mile up creek from Hope Springs and not have to worry about all those crazy bass boaters and pontoon boaters and jet skiers.

 

Check out the tide charts and also Google Willow Landing Marina. The address is 121 Willow Landing Rd, Stafford, VA.

 

Tell us how you did and where you went.  Good luck.

Update...

     Went this morning, got on the water around 6:00 AM, which unfortunately was when the tide was dead, but I started with a toad anyway on the outside edges of grass mats. Didn't get any hits for a while, but I did spook 3 massive snakeheads. That was all on the spatterdock and grass on the same side of the creek as hope springs, just further up the creek about a quarter-half mile. I decided to make the treck across the creek and I fished a much more expansive area that was completely covered in grass mats and spatterdock that was more protected from the wind.

 

     By the time I got there, the tide had started moving back in, and as it got going things picked up. Initially my blow-ups were coming towards the end of the surface grass mats, but as the tide moved up the fish pushed further back into the pads and all. Missed one bass that was probably around 4, and had a bunch of other blowups I couldn't really see that well. The only fish I ended up getting in the boat was a snakehead about 7 pounds on a white frog. Fish were still busting well into 11-12:00, but I was completely covered in some bugs that were coming out of the grass so I left. They didn't bite me but they were annoying as hell. I'll bring bug spray next time! I'm still practicing the frog stuff, so my hookup ratios aren't the greatest.

 

     Thanks for the help y'all! I'm a big fan of that area and I'll definitely be back to hone my skills, I just hope I can get past all the snakeheads..,

 

- Ben