I'll have pics up tommorrow but yesterday after me and my friend fished for catfish, perch and crappie all day, we caught nothing. Tried two spots at Occoquan Regional Park, two at Fountainhead Regional Park.

Anyway so on the way home I had this feeling. Two days ago I fished the pond at vet's and had a monster slam my bait but not take it (using a rattle trap). So I went back on and tied on a shallow diving crankbait (Mann's Minus One) my best bait at this pond last year and caught my biggest bass of the year last year at this same spot (2 lbs 14 oz). Well... I casted out and caught a small one on my 10th cast or so, maybe a half a lb. About 20 casts later after I moved down to the other side (where the spatterdocks are starting to grow back) I ran it right over the dead vegetation and a 2lber gulped it up. Landed him. Nice fish, very healthy and fought like it was middle of summer out near the edge of the channel.

Had another even bigger one take my bait and dive down, fought him for about 5 seconds but he came off. ticked me off. But at least I caught two and finally got off to the right start for this year. I'm excited, there was a lot of feeding going on at the pond and the fish are on the move. So I think the bite is back on here and the fish realize it's warming up now. Good stuff. I may be going back tommorrow or Thursday after work for an hour or two cause I get off work early. Anyway... can't wait to land another one. Felt good to finally have something tugging on the end of my line!

Congrats on your first two lmbs this year.  Now go out and catch a hawg, you need a new PB this spring.

grats dude! don't worry we'll some biggun's soon!

Here's the 2lber.  Not too fat but failry long, didn't have a ruler though.  Noticed it had that melanin deal on his body just like my dad's fish he caught out of Mercer last year.  But he fought real well and seemed healthy, just guess this is genetic in some of the ponds and lakes around here.  Only two small spots, not covered like my dad.  Good fish though.  Promised a pic.  Here it is.