DC Area Warmwater Reports

[sarce]

Just got down to N. VA yesterday and had some time to fish today. Thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where I (and anyone else in the area) can share some warmwater reports. I'll be spending some time checking out smaller warmwater creeks and small lakes during the week and there should be a few weekends that I can hit the Potomac or other larger rivers.

I've noticed around me in NoVA there are a lot of what are called "stream valley parks" (SVP's) that protect a buffer area along smaller creeks between all the neighborhoods and industrial complexes. Most of them also have a network of paved and unpaved trails through these valleys.

This morning I decided to explore Cub Run SVP on the west side of Chantilly. The stream was larger than I expected, 40-50 feet wide in places but typically 15-30 feet wide. It is low gradient with short, shallow riffles every 100 yds or so. I was pretty hesitant to wet wade here but I did not detect any strong odors coming from the water and the bottom looked relatively clean and rocky so I gave it a shot. It would have been fairly easy to fish from the bank as well, it appears deer keep the vegetation in check.

The first fish of the day turned out to be the best, a fat 11" Largemouth that demolished a white popper. I saw a few other small LMB up to about 9" but did not hook any more. I found several kinds of sunfish and they were absolutely everywhere in the deeper pools. A few were big enough to eat the popper but eventually I switched to a white woolly bugger to catch them. It would get hit several times on every cast. I probably landed around two dozen, about 3/4 were redbreast sunnies. Also found some green sunnies and a pair of what looked like pumpkinseeds but may have been something else. Strangely I did not catch any bluegills but I am sure there were some there. I also caught one 10" fallfish. I expected to see carp but did not and I'm not sure why.

This was a really fun stream to fish and I'll have to explore it more. In the upper part it looked like a spring creek with some kind of aquatic plant growing out 10 ft from each bank. There were crayfish everywhere in this section and surely they are an important food source. The sunnies here had some of the brightest reds and oranges I've ever seen which probably comes from eating crayfish...although some of the crayfish were bigger than the sunnies.

In the evening I tried to fish Colvin Run below Lake Fairfax but only got a few casts in before a storm chased me away. It was smaller and higher gradient than Cub Run but appeared to be a much lower quality stream. I caught one creek chub, saw an absurd number of small bluegills, and missed the hookset on a small LMB that was in a big hole below a culvert. It might be better farther downstream where there is another SVP.

 

[Fishidiot]

sarce wrote:
Thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where I (and anyone else in the area) can share some warmwater reports.

Good stuff.
Perhaps I'm sounding like the proverbial broken record....but some of us have long advocated exploring local WW streams, especially if you're new to FFing or live in an area with limited trout fishing opportunities. I spend a lot of summer fishing time on small WW creeks near home. It's also very rare to see another FFer on these creeks....although local teenage boys still fish 'em with spin gear and some of these creeks are popular swimming holes (glad to see some things haven't changed in rural or small town America).
Catching redbreast sunnies or foot long bass on a fly rod is great fun.

Although I have said this before, it's worth repeating if you're new to the small stream WW game: fish populations, and bass in particular, are largely seasonal in these small streams. Focus on the months from June to October for the best fishing. The colder months of the year will see few bass in most of these creeks. On big WW rivers, like the Potomac, the best bass fishing is often in the spring and fall.....but small WW streams are a summertime game.

 

[sarce]

Been busy but finally had a chance to fish again today. Explored the Colvin Run SVP below Lake Fairfax. It fishes better than it smells, but that's not saying much. The streambed here is a mess from excessive stormwater runoff, but there are some deep holes scoured out under tree roots and log (or tree) jams. In these deeper holes I caught a few kinds of sunfish, small LMB up to 8" (saw a pair about 10-11"), and a handful of large creek chubs. Also saw a lone crappie under a bridge.

I am not sure what some of the sunfish were. Looked like a slightly pale version of redbreast sunfish but I thought the mouths were too small to be RBS. Possibly bluegill x green sunfish hybrid but I didn't catch any greens. Some definite RBS and bluegills. I guess they could have been bluegill x redbreast.

Was a bit surprised at the number of bass I saw. There seemed to be more here than in Cub Run. Cub run lacked downed tree cover which is where most of the bass were found today.

The trail through this park is pretty cool and looks like it would be a blast on a mtn bike. Some large rocks and steep parts of the valley slopes reminded me of home. Unfortunately the stream is in a wide floodplain and moves slowly with high eroded banks. I liked the park overall but still not convinced the fishing is worth it.

 

[Fredrick]

http://www.tpfr.org

 

[sarce]

Thanks a ton Fredrick! That looks like the group I was trying to find. I'll have to get in touch with them soon.

Hit Lake Fairfax the other evening for about an hour before dark. Caught a pair of ~9" LMB and a ton of bluegills. Caught everything on a green drake nymph. They seem to really like yellow here. Saw a lot of turtles too, and was treated to a great sunset over the lake. Pics to come later. Off to Bull Run this afternoon.