G-Man Fishing

This was my first fishing trip in Northern Virginia in a year! The evening was a really pleasant one right after the thunderstorms rolled through. Currently, I’m operating on a limited set of tackle since I’m sort of transitioning back to Virginia and haven’t moved the bulk of my things down yet. I opened up the mini travel-sized tackle box to find just panfish sized jigs, some spinner baits, and other random stuff. My soft plastic selection was kind of limited. So instead of using a plastic worm, I texas rigged a Yamamato double tail grub. Had a few bites from small bass and then caught a feisty 14″ bass that was parked underneath one of the docked boats. It was quite a fighter and even fought like crazy while I was trying to get him unhooked. The sun soon set and unfortunately I had to wrap it up. I’m sure I’ll be back again soon- hopefully with the complete set of tackle! Also hoping to make some trips to the usual NoVa spots. Burke, Occoquan, Brittle, Frederick, Potomac River, here I come!

One year ago, I usually found myself the only angler at Grover’s Mill pond. What a difference a year makes. The last few times I’ve been at Grover’s Mill, the short boardwalk waterfront was crowded with anglers. This has to do with the resurgence of Grover’s Mill pond as a natural habitat. Last year, the pond was dredged to remove silt buildup. The maximum depth now is 9 feet. This improves the water flow and increases oxygen. The pond was also recently stocked with bass, sunfish, and catfish. In fact, the mayor of the town along with the Governor of NJ were there during the fish stocking event. Word is that Governor Corzine released a 7 pound bass into the pond. That extra stirred up attention is probably fueling the fishing attraction at Grover’s Mill. Just about the last three outings have been successful with at least one largemouth bass each time. Average length about 14″-15″. As for the other angling opportunities, it looks like a lot of people are targeting carp and catfish. One guy using bread as bait thought he hooked up with a carp but then reeled in a ginormous snapping turtle! Here are some pics from “the Mill!”