Info on Burke Lake, Lake Curtis, and Occoquan Resevoir

[CB Kayak 02]

Do any of you guys fish these locations regularly? I am trying to gather some potential locations for the Mid-Atlantic Kayak Bass Fishing Series that I will be starting next year.

Please let me know what you know about these locations.

We are looking for somewhere that would provide fishing access for more than 20 anglers +, adequate parking, and enough of an area to set up a table for registration and weigh in.

Any other location suggestions would be great too.

[HookUp]

weigh in

Make sure you check the regulations ..

[CB Kayak 02]

weigh in

Make sure you check the regulations ..

Just using the term, everything is Catch-Photo-Release...

[Turtle135]

I've fished Lake Curtis. I don't think the size of that lake (91 acres) will handle that many anglers. Depending on the time of the year due to the shape of the lake and the contour of the bottom everybody will probably be crowding into the same spots.

My guess is that Curtis could handle 10 to maybe 15 anglers as you will probably have at least 5 "locals" on the water at the same time.

They do have a good sized the parking lot however.

[necrodomis]

I fish the Occoquan decently often. Its large, could easily fit that many anglers.. I have had some decent bass out of there, but they can be hard to find sometimes.

I usually go out of Lake Ridge Marina, they have probably 30-40 parking spots? Maybe a bit more, hard to say.. concessions and Im sure if you work with them you would be able to set up a registration area.

I'm a fan of the res. Large and easy to fish, a few coves to go into to check for fish there as well.

If you have any specific questions, let me know..


Burke Lake.. meh, its already overfished. maybe 10 parking spots at the ramp area, and the park gets heavily overpopulated.. I can check it out a little bit more, but I have never had any luck even though they say its one of the best bass spots in NOVA, its just overfished.

[Goosecreek]

I have not fished Occoquan Reservoir from a kayak but I have rented a jon boat with pretty good luck. I'm sure they can accomodate out of fountainhead park. Here's a link to a bass club that runs tournaments out of there year round. http://fountainheadbassclub.com/

Beaverdam Reservoir has some potential but parking is not great. I do not know if true or not but heard the local high school crew team was going to upgrade the facilities.

[HookUp]

Burke Lake.. meh, its already overfished. maybe 10 parking spots at the ramp area, and the park gets heavily overpopulated.. I can check it out a little bit more, but I have never had any luck even though they say its one of the best bass spots in NOVA, its just overfished.

Agree, it's over fished. Had allot of luck there. Have to time it right, talk to locals & do your homework. Not an easy lake to fish, but once you know it, well worth it.

Beaverdam Reservoir has some potential
But slowly turning into a Burke lake

Occoquan Reservoir

I've fished it w/ locals & done well -- but am not good enough to tell you what to do.

[yinzyaker]

I agree with everyone else on Burke Lake. It is over fished and can be very tough to at times. I think it would be a little small for 20 or so anglers. Already tons of other people on the water on any given weekend. I think Occoquan Reservoir would be a good spot for it. It is a larger lake with multiple access points. Fountainhead, Lake Ridge, and Bull run marina. It would offer anglers the ability to drive down to another access point and spread out. I haven't been to Lake Ridge marina before, but I think Fountainhead would have enough parking to make it work. Another option would be Bull Run marina. It is private and requires you to purchase an access key to enter the gate. I would look into talking to the park authority about getting permission to hold the event here and see what you can work out with them. The lower parking lot is small, but they have a good size upper parking lot that I have never seen full. It would make for a challenging venue. Just be sure not to schedule it the same day as one of the bass tournaments. You may want to also look into some areas of the Potomac. The Occoquan river, Pohick bay, and Belmont bay (Mason neck) might also be areas to look into.

[CB Kayak 02]

I think I'm leaning towards the Occoquan Resevoir, and maybe pohick bay for the other event or a wildcard striped bass event? What are peoples thoughts on having a wild card event or stick to largemouth fishing?

[yinzyaker]

A striper event could be tough just because they are not always around and timing would have to be tough to coordinate depending on the location of the event. I do think an event for other species would be cool. I think a Snakehead event would be awesome.