good crappie fishing in NoVA?

I'm starting to get into crappie fishing and would like some advise on some good places to fish around Northern VA.


Any suggestions?

I am also interested in meeting some crappie fishing partners to learn from.

Feel free to PM me

Welcome aboard!

Virginia is a big state and we have members scattered from one end to the other. Only a few reside and fish in waters north of U.S. 17. I'm not one of them, but can offer some general advice to help you get started.

All of the public fisheries in the state are listed here. Depending on where in "Northern Virginia" you live and the maximum time you're willing to sit in a traffic jam in order to get to the ramp, you can probably narrow the list down to a handful of possibilities.

In another thread, I see you're researching boats that mate well with a 15 hp outboard. As you review the information about each fishery within your driving range, watch for motor restrictions. Gasoline engines are not permitted in most of the smaller lakes, and 10 hp is the limit for most lakes that do permit them. I'm not aware of any motor restrictions in the rivers.

You will also find the "trophy fish" (a.k.a. "citation") records (here) to be a helpful pointer to those fisheries healthy enough to produce 2 lb. / 15" fish.

Good luck!

Welcome aboard.

Horse power restricted lakes won't be an issue. I have a smaller jon boat with an electric trolling motor and 9.9 HP outboard for those situations.

I've also got a 16ft Xpress with an outboard jet for running parts of the Upper Potomac.

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Originally Posted by Corker

Welcome aboard!

Virginia is a big state and we have members scattered from one end to the other. Only a few reside and fish in waters north of U.S. 17. I'm not one of them, but can offer some general advice to help you get started.

All of the public fisheries in the state are listed here. Depending on where in "Northern Virginia" you live and the maximum time you're willing to sit in a traffic jam in order to get to the ramp, you can probably narrow the list down to a handful of possibilities.

In another thread, I see you're researching boats that mate well with a 15 hp outboard. As you review the information about each fishery within your driving range, watch for motor restrictions. Gasoline engines are not permitted in most of the smaller lakes, and 10 hp is the limit for most lakes that do permit them. I'm not aware of any motor restrictions in the rivers.

You will also find the "trophy fish" (a.k.a. "citation") records (here) to be a helpful pointer to those fisheries healthy enough to produce 2 lb. / 15" fish.

Good luck!

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