captmike84
04-13-2010, 03:15 PM
Hey,
So I've really been enjoying the shad run and looking forward to tying into some stripers soon. Once June rolls around what can still be caught in the Fletcher's area? I know about the smallie fishing above little falls, but I'm just asking about the fletcher's to chain bridge area. Are there small schoolie stripers all summer or do they clear out pretty well? Where do you guys fish for large and smallmouths from shore? Thanks for any help!
Salmo trutta
04-13-2010, 04:25 PM
Check out the anglers log on the MD DNR fishing reports page. It's a new system the state is doing for fishing reports and seems to be working out pretty well. The guy reporting by the name Han Chung fishes that area. For some reason he's stating that his reports are from Maryland but you can see in the back ground it's DC, just above Chain Bridge. Actually he's probably right on the line but I think he's just down from the MD/DC border, below little falls rapid where there's a spot that loads up with largemouth at high tide. HJS showed me that. Sure enough, any day in the spring/summer that you feel like catching a big LM, just drop a tube in that side channel there and watch it start moving off. There will be no water or fish in it at low tide. It's completely covered with vegetation so getting a fly in there isn't going to happen unless you do the sling shot cast.
Han Chung has regularly been into nice smallmouth, snakeheads and largemouth lately and they are all year round residents. Plus there are always catfish around, big blue cats to 50 pounds even down from the rapid above CB all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. Walleye are also around all year and prefer fast water and eddies near fast water. Just check some of the other threads you've posted a while ago, there's plenty of info there. For easier wading, head up river to near Carter Rock area. Carp can be caught with a fly rod pretty well around that area on nymphs. As will smallmouth and sunfishes. The area immediately below Little Falls dam (different from Little Falls rapid) can be good but don't try it in water levels above 3.5ft at little falls USGS gauge. Wear a PDF too, even if you are fishing from shore.
The schoolie stripers could be around to as late as July up in the faster water above CB. For more reliable action on them head down to Washington Channel or Blue Plains sewage discharge.