Transitioning from Bass to Off-Shore

[Huntrava]

Hey everyone,

I'm from Manassas and I've been kayak fishing solo for several years in the Northern Virginia area. Until now I've been targeting bass, but I'd like to get into some saltwater fishing. Most people think I'm nuts for bass fishing on a kayak...and there's no way I will convince any of my friends to go offshore. I've hit almost every major body of water in NOVA...Algonkian, Seneca (Potomac), Germantown Lake, Silver Lake, Accotink, Brittle, Occoquan, Belmont Bay, Aquia, etc. for the last couple years, but I want to expand into big water.

I tow a Hobie PA12 with all the standard kayak fishing gear. Obviously my rods and tackle are a little lighter than what most of you are using, but with some modification I think I've got what I need to get out there.

I'm fairly meticulous about safety and preparedness, but I'm bored on the ponds and need a little more of a challenge. I've spent my fair share of time on the water, but at my girlfriend's request I'm not going off-shore by myself. What's the best way to get connected with a group/club in Northern Virginia who do this on a regular basis? Until this point Youtube has been a great mentor, but I suspect it would be more interesting to see how some of the pros are fishing in person. Looking forward to meeting some of you in person-

Hunter

[EMSer]

Welcome aboard!

How far are you willing to travel to fish? What species are you hoping to target? Most of your gear, while light, will translate very well to the hunt for Rockfish and many other species in the area

There is a CBKA Tournament happening on the Chesapeake later in September that is open to folks of all experience levels. It will be a fantastic way to learn what opportunities the Bay has to offer. It will be a great place to meet other kayak fishers, pick their brains and have some fun, all while raising money for great causes

http://chesapeakebaykayakanglers.com/tournament.html

Hope to see you on the water!

[fishinggod]

Bruce hit it on the dot. If you can make the trip up to Kent Island hear Annapolis, you will get to meet at least 50 other kayakers that fish the bay often. This will be my first year going up to it and I'm really looking forward to all the folks ill meet and knowledge ill gain. as far as your gear, i came from san diego with all my tournament bass rods and they work great out here. i haven't hooked anything i couldn't manage with the rods i have. i don't even bring my big flipping sticks. Just the standard medium to medium-heavy rods are catching anything i want to around here. hope to see ya up at the tourney

[AbuMasgouf]

Welcome Hunter you came to the right place. Your gear will work perfectly and your kayak is already made to handle the bay and more.

If you can't make the tournament there are also monthly meet and greets as well as people posting their outings before they go out.

I live in Herndon so not too far from you and I'm now accustomed to driving 1+ hours to sooth my self addiction LOL.

Hope to meet you on the water

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[buzz]

Welcome aboard Hunter.
As another fisherman who transitioned from fresh to salt, my advice is to wash your gear after each trip.

I'm sure you already keep your reels clean and oiled, but you will find that the hooks on your freshwater lures will rust up fast. So until you build up your collection of bay baits, a freshwater bath at the end of the day will help keep what you got going.

[Scrumptrelecent]

I'm about 40 minutes North of you in Ashburn. I'm always up for a 1+ hour drive in the morning to hunt down some bigger predators of the sea. PM me if you need a partner to go offshore with.

[Huntrava]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll plan on attending the meet at Kent Island next month.

Here's a question that I haven't been able to figure out--I already have a Virginia freshwater/saltwater license, and no boat registration since it isn't required in Virginia. Will I need to purchase any more licenses/register my kayak prior to the Kent Island meet? I've been looking at the Virginia DGIF website for hours, and the reciprocity rules seem kind of complicated.

[fishinggod]

you will need a Maryland fishing license but you don't have to register your kayak unless you have an electric trolling motor on it. if you do then you must register the yak.

[JohnE]

Welcome. The MD reciprocity is not complicated. All you need to do is go on the DNR website for fishing licenses and register. There is no fee if you already have the VA SW license. https://compass.dnr.maryland.gov/dnrcompassportal

I rarely fish FW, but I fish the Potomac and over in MD on the bay occasionally. I do enjoy striper fishing, but I like to save it for certain times of year (usually colder months) so it does not get boring. I generally prefer to drive longer distance to target a larger variety of saltwater species.

A small group of us on here fish the lower bay in VA on a regular basis. Cbbt is our main spot down there, but I would probably suggest somewhere easier to start out with if you are just transitioning from FW--unless you are very ambitious about jumping right into more extreme kayak fishing. It will be a big change from fishing on calm lakes. Some people take right to it, but it can be frustrating for others. There are other nice spots like Rudee inlet and Lynnhaven, which are much easier to fish. Post up on the VA board if you head down that way and someone may offer to let you tag along.

[Huntrava]

John, great, just printed off the MD SW license. Glad I won't need to pay.

Caught a tiny striper (I think) in the Potomac the other day...gill hooked it unfortunately. gill-hook.jpg

@Scrumptrelecent - where do you do most of your fishing? I'm torn between fishing MD or heading down to CBBT. I wonder if it's worth the 3h+ drive...

[Scrumptrelecent]

John, great, just printed off the MD SW license. Glad I won't need to pay.

Caught a tiny striper (I think) in the Potomac the other day...gill hooked it unfortunately. [ATTACH=CONFIG]16823[/ATTACH]

@Scrumptrelecent - where do you do most of your fishing? I'm torn between fishing MD or heading down to CBBT. I wonder if it's worth the 3h+ drive...

I just moved here and have only fished the past 3 weekends. I fished the Potomac at the Algonkian park, the M&G at Mattawoman Creek, and SPSP this past weekend. I'm itching to get an offshore trip in but it's hard to get away from the wife and kid with that 4 hour drive. I was thinking about trying the Occuquan River this weekend for bass.

[Huntrava]

I've only been living in Manassas for about a year...NOVA for 3 years, so I'm still learning the area myself.

Considering how long it takes to get to the Potomac/Occoquan/Lake Anna, that's very good news, since Manassas to Occoquan can take an hour if traffic is heavy. CBBT would be great, but that 4 hour drive on 95 has me worried....when I95 gets backed up, just forget about your plans, turn around and go home. I'm looking at Sandy Beach Park, MD, which is considerably closer for both of us--1 1/2 hours each way.

[JohnE]

Cbbt is 3 hours or less Manassas without traffic, but you are right about 95 traffic being a nightmare. Early in the morning and later at night (after 7:30-8pm) are the best times to drive down there. Some of the guys from up here fish all day and drive both ways same day, and that takes some serious dedication. I have the luxury of having a place to stay down there and don't think I would go so often if I did not. There are many other spots to fish other than cbbt down that way also.

There are plenty of places closer to this area to fish and cool fish to target in the tidal potomac and its tribs, plus all the spots on the bay. Some spots I have hit on the bay are only 1 hour to 1.5 hours away...Beverly Triton, Piney Point, Sandy Point, Point Lookout, St. Jerome Creek to name a few. Some tidal spots on the Potomac I hit are Occoquan, Jones Point, Leesylvania, Pohick. I want to try the new launch at Aquia landing soon to target snakeheads. I mostly target snakeheads, stripers, and occasionally catfish when I fish closer to home in these spots. I lost interest in freshwater/bass fishing many years ago.

[Huntrava]

Are you talking about the Aquia launch at Wide Water state park? Or the public launch site? I was at Aquia creek last week and didn't have much luck with snakeheads. I've heard there's a lot of pressure lately, but I was surprised there wasn't more of a bite.

And the Aquia bay area is nothing but soup from end to end.

[JohnE]

There is a new launch they built down there that I wanted to try. The snakeheads can be tough to get to bite, but there should be plenty around any of the spots off the potomac in this area from pohick down to the 301 bridge. I will usually see lots when I go to look for them in the past, but I have not even tried yet this year.