Occoquan Fishing Report

Fishing reports from the Occoquan River and Reservoir are streaming in and the fish are biting. Some online reports have even shown fish up to six pounds being caught in the river near Bull Run.

“It’s a remarkable season—one of the best in years,” said Charlie Taylor, a 73-year-old avid fisher and fishing blogger. “It (the reservoir) has better fishing than it has since the late 80s.”

While largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike, and yellow perch are all plentiful in the river and reservoir, the blue catfish and northern snakehead fish are more plentiful than ever, said John Odenkirk, a biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and “the largemouth bass population has also been very stable.”

Pollution is not really impacting any species in the river either, said Odenkirk, however, fishers should be aware that there are state health guidelines on fish consumption from the Occoquan. The Virginia Department of Health advises no more than two servings per month of fish caught in the Occoquan and warn not to eat any American eel, channel catfish under 18 inches or carp from those waterways.

For fishermen like Taylor, the thrill of the catch and the time spent with friends are more a draw than a free meal. “I’ve eaten plenty of the fish from these waters over the years, but I’d rather throw them back and catch them again now,” said Taylor.

Taylor has been fishing in the area for 45 years and has written extensive fishing reports for local media like the Manassas Messenger and Potomac News.  In his latest fishing blog entry on November 9, Taylor wrote that bass are being caught in deeper water on dropoffs, the best baits to use are live minnows, plastic worms and grubs, jig 'n pig and Silver Buddies. In the reservoir, downlake, the bass are being caught with anglers fishing plastics and jig ‘n pig baits. Uplake, the bass are more often found in eight to 10 feet of water with slow rolled spinnerbaits and jig ‘n pig baits being more successful.  

To access the Occoquan, head to Fairfax Station’s where a boat ramp gives patrons access the reservoir. From there you can head upriver to Bull Run or down to near the dam at Occoquan. Residents can either drop their own boat into the waters or rent a boat from the Marina rental office for as low at $5 (two hours before closing). The only things to really be really mindful of are the swift current, said Odenkirk, and the depth can vary greatly from one area to the next.

The great thing about fishing is the season never ends, said Taylor. “For three days last year, I caught over  100 bass in the middle of January, in the river below the damn.  It wasn’t just me either, my partner caught 100 that day too!”