On my way to Pohick Bay Regional Park, I took a short detour to check out Enchanted Pond. This small, one-acre body of water is tucked into the larger Meadowood Recreation Area and sits on the south side of Gunston Road opposite Pohick Bay Regional Park. The park has an extensive trail system that wanders through the woods, but you don’t need to walk far to fish the pond. Instead, park at the gate on Gunston Road and walk 50 yards to reach the pond.
There isn’t much to it. Except for a brief window between the bushes on the northeast side and a 25-yard strip to the south, the pond is totally protected by dense, bushy vegetation. As I approached the gap in the bushes, I noticed a small red fox creeping on the open terrain to grab a drink. He saw me and we stared each other down until he decided to retreat.
I quickly moved around the pond to his spot and fan cast where I could, fishing small poppers and streamers. Except for a few hits on the popper from sunfish, nothing exciting was going on until I saw some large dark shapes cruising in the center.
Grass carp! Monsters! These guys had to be 4 feet long and were not concerned that they revealed themselves to me. They are protected in the pond by the regulations and, as a result, have grown to enormous size. They never came within casting range, although that would not have made much difference since I had never been able to figure out how to catch a carp. I imagine if I had hooked up with one of these beasts, the ensuing fight would’ve gone on for half an hour.
Bottom Line: Not a destination, but worth a stop.
Getting There: To reach Pohick Bay, take I-95 south of the Beltway, exit at Lorton. Turn left on Lorton Rd. At the 3rd traffic light, turn right onto Lorton Market Street. Follow Lorton Market Street to the first light which will be Rt. 1. Cross over Rt. 1, onto Gunston Rd. The pond is about 1.5 miles from the intersection.
Google Local Coordinates: 38.670434,-77.19151
Secrets Revealed? Maybe. I just stumbled across it as part of a larger park. It is noted on the park map.
Date Fished: 5/11/12
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View through the gap to the open area
Right from the gap
Open area looking northeast
Open area looking northwest
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore