Hey guys, just wanted to ask for some advice to catch more fish on my next trip out to a reservoir. I live in fredericksburg, Va and I want to start fishing some of the local reservoirs and lakes (hunting run, ni river, motts run, etc or maybe lake anna). I have been to hunting run a couple times, caught a few fish but nothing big. Today I went out on lake Mooney for 5 hours and caught 4 fish. Although I didn’t get skunked, a lot of days I would catch that many at a pond in an hour. Are reservoirs just more tough to find fish and catch them? I saw over 20 bass cruising in shallow water today, some that were 5-6 pounds. But either they saw my kayak and spooked, or just wouldn’t bite. I went from 9-2 and it was sunny and calm if that helps. I’m just wondering if I’m positioning my kayak too shallow, but then if I’m deeper I can’t see the structure ahead? Hunting run seemed similar to lake Mooney. Lots of scattered stumps, some wood, and some grass and trees on the shore. Just looking for any tips to put more fish in the kayak. 

Sounds to me like you're doing things right. Catching fish, seeing fish, it's working. Just pay close attention, experiment with different techniques, be very stealthy, and things will keep getting better. Every body of water fishes different, even places beside of each other..

Cruising fish in the spring might be looking to spawn and not be feeding. I do feel like if your seeing them they may have already seen you.

FM

2 hours ago, FishTax said:

Sounds to me like you're doing things right. Catching fish, seeing fish, it's working. Just pay close attention, experiment with different techniques, be very stealthy, and things will keep getting better. Every body of water fishes different, even places beside of each other..

Ok thanks for the positive feedback. I was just looking forward to it because I don’t normally have time to go on a bigger reservoir, and I caught less fish than normal for the amount of time. 

2 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Cruising fish in the spring might be looking to spawn and not be feeding. I do feel like if your seeing them they may have already seen you.

FM

None of them I saw were spawning. Water felt around 60 to the touch. Some of them I casted in the area, went to see what was over there and then saw a fish. Some of them didn’t even swim away from the kayak. Maybe they were just in a bad mood from the last 2 cold nights… I was throwing a green pumpkin jig and fluke  in 5 foot clarity. 

6 hours ago, Brycecover said:

I saw over 20 bass cruising in shallow water today, some that were 5-6 pounds.

 

A. I'd fish that lake again and again.

 

B. You saw them, so they saw you. Use the lightest possible line that the weeds permit and make the longest possible casts. Don't make noise. Bumping your kayak is the worst.

9 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

A. I'd fish that lake again and again.

 

B. You saw them, so they saw you. Use the lightest possible line that the weeds permit and make the longest possible casts. Don't make noise. Bumping your kayak is the worst.

Some guys have posted that they caught 80 fish in one day there. I think I need to back off the bank and make longer casts. Is 6 lb too light to be around some stumps/ stick ups in the water?

I have never fished Lake Mooney. I am a clear water, stealth angler and I have caught many bass many times. Stumps wouldn't worry me as much as weeds. The water I fish now has weeds inches away most days, so I need heavier line to turn the bass before they burrow into the weeds. I'd try six-pound test and see if that works. I use spinning rods because I can cast them farther. I have caught many big bass at the very ends of my longest casts.

Mooney just might be one of my top 3 favorite lakes.

   Six pound test there is recipe for heartbreak and frustration.  

   The fish are not line shy there, IMO.

When the bigs are on the bank there, they are eating aggressively...or they are not eating.  As @Fishingmickeysaid, they had other things on their mind.  Keep at it.  If you have specific questions about Mooney, feel free to PM me.

   Love Hunting Run, also, but forage changes and more intense pressure can make it a bit more of a challenge to figure out.  Never been on Ni or Motts.  Anna is heaven, or more likely hell in a yak.  

  

57 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Mooney just might be one of my top 3 favorite lakes.

   Six pound test there is recipe for heartbreak and frustration.  

   The fish are not line shy there, IMO.

When the bigs are on the bank there, they are eating aggressively...or they are not eating.  As @Fishingmickeysaid, they had other things on their mind.  Keep at it.  If you have specific questions about Mooney, feel free to PM me.

   Love Hunting Run, also, but forage changes and more intense pressure can make it a bit more of a challenge to figure out.  Never been on Ni or Motts.  Anna is heaven, or more likely hell in a yak.  

  

Yeah I was thinking I would try hunting run next. It’s much closer to where I live. Lake Mooney definitely seemed good and it had a lot of bait fish. Maybe just an off day but I will try being more stealthy with my kayak and making longer casts. Any advice for hunting run? Like general areas or structure to look for? Might have time to go for a little bit on Friday. Although honestly I kind of thought Mooney would be more pressured than hunting run because it’s free. 

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

Mooney just might be one of my top 3 favorite lakes.

   Six pound test there is recipe for heartbreak and frustration.  

   The fish are not line shy there, IMO.

When the bigs are on the bank there, they are eating aggressively...or they are not eating.  As @Fishingmickeysaid, they had other things on their mind.  Keep at it.  If you have specific questions about Mooney, feel free to PM me.

   Love Hunting Run, also, but forage changes and more intense pressure can make it a bit more of a challenge to figure out.  Never been on Ni or Motts.  Anna is heaven, or more likely hell in a yak.  

  

I was looking for someone local like you to ask about ni river and motts run too. I’ve heard that they are not good for bass fishing but it could be just a rumor.  

Weather not being consistent probably didn't help either. At least I tell myself that recently.  You had some success while learning. Your ideas make me think you're on the right path. 

12 minutes ago, dytmook said:

Weather not being consistent probably didn't help either. At least I tell myself that recently.  You had some success while learning. Your ideas make me think you're on the right path. 

Thanks for the feedback. I was limited to the bank, but I got a kayak last fall. Started off with smaller lakes because it’s easier to cover the water and break it down, and you don’t have to be as stealthy in the dirty water. Still want to learn these clear ****** reservoirs because I know people catch a lot of fish and big ones. 

The fish should be spawning at Lake Mooney and there are some big fish in that lake.

Last time I was there the water was gin clear with hydrilla covering most of what I could see.

I did well pulling a small Keitech paddle tail swim bait through the tops of hydrilla and wacky finesse worms.

I don't promote bed fishing but you should see them in that clear water.

 

Not sure how far you are from Rivanna reservoir but the fishing is fantastic but the ramps and parking is terrible.

32 minutes ago, Bird said:

The fish should be spawning at Lake Mooney and there are some big fish in that lake.

Last time I was there the water was gin clear with hydrilla covering most of what I could see.

I did well pulling a small Keitech paddle tail swim bait through the tops of hydrilla and wacky finesse worms.

I don't promote bed fishing but you should see them in that clear water.

 

Not sure how far you are from Rivanna reservoir but the fishing is fantastic but the ramps and parking is terrible.

Looks like that’s about an hour and 20 minutes away from me. That’s interesting because I didn’t visually see any grass. How deep did the grass start? I saw some spots that looked like empty beds, and I saw a couple that I thought were on beds but were not really locked on one spot. When I casted on them they had no reaction. The last 2 nights before I went were cold, which maybe pushed them off the beds? It’s really weird that I didn’t see any of the grass. I could see down about 5 feet

55 minutes ago, Brycecover said:

Yeah I was thinking I would try hunting run next. It’s much closer to where I live. Lake Mooney definitely seemed good and it had a lot of bait fish. Maybe just an off day but I will try being more stealthy with my kayak and making longer casts. Any advice for hunting run? Like general areas or structure to look for? Might have time to go for a little bit on Friday. Although honestly I kind of thought Mooney would be more pressured than hunting run because it’s free. 

I was looking for someone local like you to ask about ni river and motts run too. I’ve heard that they are not good for bass fishing but it could be just a rumor.  

When I first started fishing Hunting Run, it was all about structure and brush.  Shad were introduced and/or naturally flourished and the fishing changed.  Brush is still a good bet, but schools of shad are money.  Sonar is imperative for both.  Sometimes in spring and fall you can find visible feeding in open water - toss a crank or swimbait through the middle and hang on.

   I never heard a lot about Motts, but Ni has good fish for sure.   @Birdis correct.  Bass should be spawning. So you will find fish in all stages for a couple weeks.  Secondary points in view of creek ends will be good.  May not find active fish IN grass right now, but I'd bet inside or outside grass edges depending on their mood.  

If you are on FB, join NVKBA (Northern Virginia Kayak Bass Anglers).  Great bunch.  Even if you don't plan to fish tournaments, you can learn a LOT from a great bunch of guys and gals.

There is also a relatively new chapter of Heroes On The Water in your area.  Volunteer with them to take vets kayak fishing and you will meet amazing like-minded kayak fishermen in the area.

5 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

When I first started fishing Hunting Run, it was all about structure and brush.  Shad were introduced and/or naturally flourished and the fishing changed.  Brush is still a good bet, but schools of shad are money.  Sonar is imperative for both.  Sometimes in spring and fall you can find visible feeding in open water - toss a crank or swimbait through the middle and hang on.

   I never heard a lot about Motts, but Ni has good fish for sure.   @Birdis correct.  Bass should be spawning. So you will find fish in all stages for a couple weeks.  Secondary points in view of creek ends will be good.  May not find active fish IN grass right now, but I'd bet inside or outside grass edges depending on their mood.  

Since I have a kayak and no sonar, would I be better off trying ni or hunting run next? This may sound dumb, but what depth would the grass be growing in? 

Grass in all the reservoirs should be coming up now.  You will find it starting out from the bank a few feet and will soon be all the way out to 15 FOW in the clearer lakes.  Occoquan is really the only one with less reliable/predictable grass.  

  Don't sleep on the Potomac and Shenandoah, either.  I lived in Woodbridge from 2010 until late last year and the bass fishing is surprisingly good all over there.

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

When I first started fishing Hunting Run, it was all about structure and brush.  Shad were introduced and/or naturally flourished and the fishing changed.  Brush is still a good bet, but schools of shad are money.  Sonar is imperative for both.  Sometimes in spring and fall you can find visible feeding in open water - toss a crank or swimbait through the middle and hang on.

   I never heard a lot about Motts, but Ni has good fish for sure.   @Birdis correct.  Bass should be spawning. So you will find fish in all stages for a couple weeks.  Secondary points in view of creek ends will be good.  May not find active fish IN grass right now, but I'd bet inside or outside grass edges depending on their mood.  

If you are on FB, join NVKBA (Northern Virginia Kayak Bass Anglers).  Great bunch.  Even if you don't plan to fish tournaments, you can learn a LOT from a great bunch of guys and gals.

There is also a relatively new chapter of Heroes On The Water in your area.  Volunteer with them to take vets kayak fishing and you will meet amazing like-minded kayak fishermen in the area.

It wasn't grass like you'd see along the bank, it was dense hydrilla below the surface.

2 hours ago, Bird said:

It wasn't grass like you'd see along the bank, it was dense hydrilla below the surface.

Thanks I need to pay more attention next time. I will try to snag some and find the line where it begins. If it starts in around 5 feet of water or so, maybe I just thought the bottom was darker because of the drop off but it was actually where the grass started. Or maybe it was down there but just barely growing since it’s still kind of early. 

9 hours ago, Choporoz said:

When I first started fishing Hunting Run, it was all about structure and brush.  Shad were introduced and/or naturally flourished and the fishing changed.  Brush is still a good bet, but schools of shad are money.  Sonar is imperative for both.  Sometimes in spring and fall you can find visible feeding in open water - toss a crank or swimbait through the middle and hang on.

   I never heard a lot about Motts, but Ni has good fish for sure.   @Birdis correct.  Bass should be spawning. So you will find fish in all stages for a couple weeks.  Secondary points in view of creek ends will be good.  May not find active fish IN grass right now, but I'd bet inside or outside grass edges depending on their mood.  

If you are on FB, join NVKBA (Northern Virginia Kayak Bass Anglers).  Great bunch.  Even if you don't plan to fish tournaments, you can learn a LOT from a great bunch of guys and gals.

There is also a relatively new chapter of Heroes On The Water in your area.  Volunteer with them to take vets kayak fishing and you will meet amazing like-minded kayak fishermen in the area.

Should I go to hunting run, ni river, Mooney again, or just go to ponds where I know I can get a few easy bites? Friday afternoon btw it’s gonna be cloudy it says

21 hours ago, Bird said:

It wasn't grass like you'd see along the bank, it was dense hydrilla below the surface.

Hey I wanted to ask you does lake Mooney really not open til 8? That seems kind of late, getting into summer it would be worse for the morning bite right 

9 minutes ago, Brycecover said:

Hey I wanted to ask you does lake Mooney really not open til 8? That seems kind of late, getting into summer it would be worse for the morning bite right 

It says 8 but every time I've gotten there early I was able to get in.

29 minutes ago, Bird said:

It says 8 but every time I've gotten there early I was able to get in.

Like how early? Normally I get to my spots as early as I can… would like to go around 6 or so if possible. For my next fishing trip, Friday afternoon which reservoir do you think I should fish to have the best chance at having a good day? No sonar, so not sure if hunting run would be too difficult. Last year I went to hunting run on a cloudy day and caught a few in an hour or 2 just beating the bank with a soft plastic worm. 

Mooney has no gate. (And no fees.)  I've been there before sunrise; I left after sundown.

 

  Hunting Run is gated...and has 'use fees' and launch fees.  Daily or by season.  Attendant usually arrives before sunrise, but there was a couple times I had to wait at the gate.

 

@Bird, my imprecise language may have confused.  I call Hydrilla (and milfoil) grass much of the time...unless I call it weeds... 😀