Pohick Bay

[jsnyd86]

Hi all, so after a little time on google maps I kept coming back to Pohick bay. I noticed a boat launch on the souther part of the mouth. Just wondering if anyone has experience around there.

[ronaultmtd]

Some of the guys caught snakeheads there last summer- John Veil fishes there sometimes-

[J.A. Veil]

Some of the guys caught snakeheads there last summer- John Veil fishes there sometimes-

Ron -

I would like to fish there some time, but have never fished there yet. You must be thinking of some other angler. Also, I would like to get my first snakehead this summer.

[jsnyd86]

I didnt know much about snakeheads until my buddy mentioned them a few weeks ago. nasty things. Idk if I want to even catch one.

[jffoley]

I fish there along with a couple others on this forum quite a bit. Mostly in the summer. There is a small boat launch away from the main boat ramp. Last year it was $4 to launch. Not sure if any changes this year. However, if you join the Occoquan Water Trail league and live in a Northern Virginia county you pay $40 for the year. I learned of this late last year but will join this year.

http://owlva.org/cms/league-info/membership

I didnt know much about snakeheads until my buddy mentioned them a few weeks ago. nasty things. Idk if I want to even catch one.

Snakehead, aka Potomac Pike, are awesome to catch. Great surface strikes and a great fight. Good eating, too.

[tufnik]

Ron, I think you meant kanvery, not veil. Kanvery fishes there a lot and picked up snakeheads. He even posted his snakehead dinner. He's quite a chef.

I launch from Ft Belvoir, and have fished there a lot. Caught many a SMB and yellow perch. Have tried twice to catch snakeheads, but ended up skunked. I saw many snakeheads covered in the undergrowth. If I had a pole spear, I would nail them. Next time, I may just bring such a spear.

[jsnyd86]

I'll have to Check it out then. I love small mouth. This talk of snakehead sounds pretty good too. Is there a particular edge or structure around there or is it all pretty much the same?

[kanvery]

Heres a quick map of Pohick. If you only have 2 hours to fish it I would say hit these areas first. These are my most productive spots but I seperate Pohick into 3 areas and this is 1 of 3. I'd say about 80% of the fish I caught at pohick last year came from this section. The yellow lines mark the deeper channels. The blue lines mark the areas of structure I target first before anything else. The grey circles have been snakehead hotspots for me. But Pohick is really broad you can catch fish almost anywhere. There is the back section to the far west which is a little more complicated but can productive if you take your time. If you go and its the middle of the day sunny, and the wind is up past 10mph head to the back section and I mean ALL THE WAY back. You'll smell the tell-tale smell of a water purification plant and the water will be super clear. The water is so clear back there right now you can see into the deepest holes and the size of fish in there will surprise you. I'll make a better map with more explanations concerning tides etc later.

[tufnik]

One of my two most productive places is the area by the intersection of the yellow lines. Perch and SMB. The other place is not on the map. It's further southeast of the map image, maybe a couple hundred yards. It's the area on the south side of the elevated pavilion/picnic area along the northside shore. Lots of SMB. Further south along the shore before and after the pier is a lot of cover. Again, more SMB.

[jsnyd86]

Tha k you for taking the time to illustrate that map. Appreciate it very much. I'll be heading over there soon enough. May have a buddy with me as we take a shot for that bass pro gift card. I saw joe (comeonfish) caught stripper there too.

[ictalurus]

Thanks for the map, Jack. I've been trying to talk my father into checking it out with me. After our last unproductive trip to the Occoquan Reservoir, I think he's interested in new spots now.

[kanvery]

Thanks for the map, Jack. I've been trying to talk my father into checking it out with me. After our last unproductive trip to the Occoquan Reservoir, I think he's interested in new spots now.

No problem man! Let me know when you guys are headed this way I wouldn't mind getting out there soon.

Tufnik- I used to fish that area in front of the pavilion when I was a kid but haven't since! I really haven't explored south but I'd like to try one day. Also, I'd like to try Mason Neck Park on the other side of the peninsula but only a mile down the road from Pohick.

[PotomacTide]

ha! looks like you and I are scouting out the same areas. I tried Pohick out for the first time a couple,of weeks ago. I ran into Joe while I was out there and he was kind enough to give me a couple of his frogs for Snakehead. I was mostly experimenting with Shad cut bait that day and ended up getting skunked. But when I moved upstream into the Potomac that night is when I hooked into some 30 inch plus Cats.