Articles

Gunston Cove, Pohick Bay, Accotink Bay

-by Andy Andrzejewski

Gunston Cove -Pohick Bay is a wide, shallow bay on the Virginia side of the river 13 miles south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It is bounded by the Mason Neck peninsula on the south and by Fort Belvoir on the North. Hallowing Point sits at the entrance to Gunston Cove on the south side and Whitestone Point marks the North entrance. The main channel of the Potomac River sweeps across the mouth of Gunston Cove from Hallowing Point to Whitestone Point. The Pohick Regional Park is located on the Mason Neck Peninsula side of Pohick Bay at the rear of Gunston Cove and provides easy access for boaters. GPS coordinates for the park are, 38-40-570, 77-10-005. Pohick Creek forms Pohick Bay at the left end of Gunston Cove just west of the Pohick Regional Park. Accotink Creek forms Accotink Bay on the opposite side directly across from Pohick Regional Park. The feeder creeks and shallow flats provide great bass habitat which makes Gunston Cove the destination of many bass anglers.

We will begin our tour at Hallowing Point and proceed along the western shoreline and exit along the opposite shore at Whitestone point.

Just inside of Hallowing Point is a series of boat docks which can provide good bass fishing. Once the shoreline turns slightly to the right, the water begins to shallow and although some of these docks still provide cover on the high end of the tide, I tend to exclude them.

Years ago, a partial wreck of a wooden vessel sat approximately 50 to 75 yards offshore and was awash at low tide. This used to be a fairly productive bass spot but it has since been removed.

Over the years, residential development has resulted in more docks being built along this shore. Some hold bass some dont seem to be worth the time it takes to fish them. If you dont already have your favorite docks, I recommend you fish them all and eliminate the ones you dont find productive.

Continuing along this shore you will come to a boat dock in which the outer dolphins, [pilings lashed together], are anchored with angle irons. It also is identifiable by a number of boats sitting on lifts. There is also a small community launch ramp located on the upstream side of the pier. A number of years ago, local waterman operated out of this ramp but it doesnt appear so now.

In any event, this is one of the better piers along this shore and is a must fish spot. The outer dolphin piles sit in six to seven feet of water with the inner pilings being sequentially shallower. All may hold bass.

The point this pier sits on has a rocky/gravel make up and was a productive spot prior to the pier being built. I used to call this point Crow Point because of the number of crows that used to roost here before it was developed.

If you continue fishing along this shore the bottom make-up will turn sandy as it enters a small bay. At the center of this little embayment you will see two fairly long, new looking, boat docks. Before these docks were built a row of old dock pilings were located where the second dock now exists. Even though they were the most unusual feature in this area I never caught bass of any consequence from them. I have not yet fished the new piers.

Continuing along this shoreline you will come to numerous downed trees and a small feeder stream. The creek is not accessible by large bass boats but a small aluminum boat, canoe or Kayak may find it a worthwhile journey.

The point just past this creek is shallow so make a wide swing around it. As you round the point, the water deepens and the entire shoreline to the boat rental pier at Pohick Regional Park is productive. Downed trees, land slide areas, submersed logs and an occasional duck blind offer the bass angler a myriad of targets to cast at. Many underwater objects lie away from the shore so a frequent cast to the opposite side of the boat can be rewarding.

As you approach the paddle boat rental dock at Pohick Regional Park make sure you stop and fish it if there are no buoys restricting boats. It can be a super spring time spot. As of March 2010, no restricting buoys were in place. GPS coordinates for this pier are 38-40-441, 77-10-876.

I usually skip the area from here past the Pohick Regional Park launch ramps until I get to the last no wake buoy. I call the first tree at this location a test tree. If I catch bass on this tree its usually a good indicator that bass will be on the other trees along this shore all the way into Pohick Bay. Some large stones are scattered on the bottom in this area also. The lone private pier GPS 38-40-727, 77-10-347, always seems to hold a bass or two as does the rock bulkhead along the shoreline in front of the two houses. Just past this dock at the end of the rock bulkhead, is a small launch ramp bordered by to small rock jettys that are worth fishing. You will recognize this area by the do not anchor or dredge sign on the shore. As you pass these homes and round the point the water shallows rapidly . Its time to kick your boat away from the shoreline and work your way across this shallow bay into Pohick Creek. Pohick Bay is a very shallow bay that in recent years has been covered with abundant submersed aquatic grasses. I would recommend new visitors to this section of the bay wait until a high tide to do your exploring. The flat holds good numbers of bass when the grasses are present and is well worth spending some time fishing.

Pohick Creek is accessible from across this flat but again, I would wait until a tide was high and summer vegetations were present to define where the entrance to the creek is. It is located in the left center of the bay and may be defined by spatterdock pads. However, the spatterdock pad growth pattern is changing every year and it requires you to refresh your knowledge of this area on a yearly basis. The creek will swing in against the bank on your left. The water will be two to three feet deep and fishable for quite a ways. The water here is clear and you can sight fish for the bass. There is some vegetation during the warmer months and a good bit of scattered logs that provides good bass cover. You may also be lucky enough to encounter a family of river otters that frequent this creek.

As you exit this creek and cross to the northwest side of Pohick Bay, you will see a small island. The land behind this island used to have the historic name of Wheat Patch Point but current cruise charts omit that name.

Continuing along this shore, you will arrive at a point which has an old steel barge well up on shore, you will now be entering Accotink Bay. Other than the vegetation which is present during the summer months, I usually avoid this area due to the lack of water depth. Accotink Bay and Accotink Creek are very shallow. In fact, a number of years ago a group of canoeist had to be rescued after running aground in Accotink Creek. It is a good policy to not boat where birds can walk.

On the Fort Belvoir side of Accotink Bay a bass boater can fish the Belvoir shoreline for approximately 100 yards into Accotink Creek to a kayak launch area called Tompkins Basin. I then turn around and head back out.

The point on the Belvoir side at the mouth of Accotink Bay has a small island opposite, GPS 38-40-920, 77-09-353. Im not aware of any name for this island but a good name would be Goose Island for the number of geese that nest here in the spring. This island sits about two cast away from the mainland and can hold bass all the way around it. I prefer the inside where there are steel structures and some concrete which provides good cover. I tend to ignore fishing the Fort Belvoir shoreline in this area in difference to the number of shoreline anglers, although I will make an attempt to fish the long wooden, newly reconstructed T-dock that sits in the small bay, GPS 38-40-855, 77-08-268.

As you continue past the pier you will come to a point that has a gazebo on the top. Swing wide as this point is shallow. There are rocks and concrete that hold bass on occasion and is worth a cast or two. Several hundred yards beyond this point you will encounter a pier that was newly refurbished in the spring of 2010. It holds bass but again, this is a fishing pier so yield to the pier anglers.

The shoreline past this pier is very shallow, although a few fish may be caught from the wood and the few pads that are present. The water begins to deepen slightly as you approach the elevated pipe line that connects to a pump house. This pump house sits in front of the old nuclear plant - Fish it thoroughly. Including the remnants of the duck blind that sit approximately 20 feet in front of it. The wood along the shore from the pump house to the next point can be good on the higher parts of the tides.

As you fish your way past the pump house you will come to a gravel point that extends away from the shore for approximately 100 feet. On this point are the remains of an old wreck. Time has deteriorated it to the point that little of it still exists. The remains are awash at low tide so it is easy to locate. Its is still worth a cast or two.

As you round this point you will be entering the area where many landing craft are moored at a large dock. GPS 38-90-381, 77-08-459. Do not enter this area, it has been of limits to fisherman since 9/11 . The signs warning of the off limits area are posted on the outer mooring piles on each side. The restricted line extends shoreward to the old iron bollards on the shore on each side of the wharf. The deep water channel that extended inward past this pier and the concrete launch ramp adjacent to the dock were very productive for bass, crappie and yellow perch and many a local tournament angler targeted this area. Unfortunately, it is not available to the public any more. On the opposite side of the wharf, going toward the main river, the channel continues and you may fish it from the bollard to Whitestone Point. This area has a sharp drop into water as deep as 17 feet and is a must fish. Make sure to fish both sides of the ledge. As you proceed riverward along this ledge, you will notice a tidal cut opening up into a pond protected by hazard buoys. This area is on the base and is off limits, although I occasionally see some tournament anglers pull their boats against the buoys and casting into the pond. There arent any signs restricting this activity so do so at your own risk. The entrance to the pond is rip rapped and is a good spot to target on an outgoing tide.

You are now at Whitestone Point. The point flattens out a little beyond this tidal cut and a pipe line used to extend out from shore into the water. It was always good for a bass or two but has been removed, taking away some good bass habitat.

Well stop our tour at PRFC marker V18B on White stone Point.