Nice day at Fletcher's 4/16; my 1st American on fly this season

[Flying Fish]

Didn't get down there until 7.30 am today (Saturday 4/16) and there was one boat left! [grin] I'd been all set to hike down to the point. Anyway, I got out there, fished near Tailing Loop and Alex T and about 20 of their closest friends, but it was fine. Fishing was medium; nowhere near redhot but not terrible. I got my first American shad of the season on the fly rod, not one of the bigger ones I've caught, maybe 20 inches, but I knew when I hooked it that it was different. Joe Fletcher was there this morning and said he's caught one on each of two or three trips. I got about 30 fish in 4 hours, including a couple hickories close to 20 inches, and watched some cormorants do pretty well on what looked like herring or small shad.

I wonder if we'd think this is so sweet if it lasted 6 months instead of maybe 6 weeks.

FF

[SteveL]

Nice report FF!

My son and I fished Fletchers in a rental boat today; we caught a number of hickories and we each got one American. He is 6 years old and it was his first trip of the season; he was using a new ultralight spinning rod a friend made for him and gave him for Christmas. We each got a few hickories and then he got a smallish American about 20 inches-it fought great and he had a blast. I got one later a little bigger than his on my flyrod, my first ever American on a fly. So we were both psyched!

It was not red hot today, but we caught a lot of fish and had plenty of fun! [excited]

[AlexT]

Flying Fish originally wrote:
I wonder if we'd think this is so sweet if it lasted 6 months instead of maybe 6 weeks.
Someone once said of shad "I'm glad to see them come, and I'm glad to see them go." I pretty much agree with that. By the time the run ends, I've usually had my fill and am happy to turn my attention to other piscatorial pursuits.

:)

[The Old Man]

Yup, I agree Alex. As much as I love fishing for shad, the run dwindles just in time for the smallmouth action to get really viable with the fly rod...

...ridiculous caddis hatch on the Shenandoah, bring a 4-weight and skate your EHC across the surface at dusk. God, there's almost nothing better...

-- Doug

[Tissy Furnes]

Dudes,

I was downcurrent of the main group this morning with a friend and his gal in my so-called sweet spot. Good news Doug and Steve on your American catches.

More hickories than we could count. No Americans though. I think it was because I was a speed stripping fool. The Hickory CPUE (Steve, you'll appreciate that biological reference) is better that way but the chances of an American catch goes down I believe.

The size of the fish seems to be tapering off. I wonder if we are on the backside of the run and with this warm spell it will soon be it. I'd like to get more time in but I won't mind as I'm shad sated.

[Flying Fish]

SteveL: I think I saw you and your son; it was great fun to watch. COngratulations on your good catches! Tissy: The run's nowhere near over if past years are any guide; I got a few on my fly rod last May 8, and most years they are good through April anyway. Should be just hitting its stride. I find fast stripping seems to work well also, but every so often I let the fly go deep and retrieve slower. I don't catch enough Americans to even think of calculating a CPUE--well, it's that the number would be so low!--but when I lived in Massachusetts they were thick and you could catch them stripping fast or slow. Any white fly was the ticket up there, and we often fished at night. Hooked one on a sloppy backcast once. I don't remember doing anything different when I caught the American at Fletcher's yesterday, but I do think a spinning rod is a better tool than a fly rod for Americans there. Doug, let me know when you plan a fly-skatig trip.

FF

ps it's good to be on this board where I can share in the catching reports; on the main board I read about everybody trolling up big rockfish, and all I ever troll up is my own lures. I guess I tend to get bored after 3 or 4 hours, which doesn't help.

FF

[mudpuppy]

FF, AlexT, and SteveL

Glad to have met everyone on the river, some I've met before. I agree with AlexT, the shad are fun and about 3-4 trips down to the Potomac is enough to get me primed for the rest of the year going after the indigenous fish in the area. FF and TOM, I hope to see you guys again further up the Potomac going for the small mouth.

Trinh

[Flying Fish]

Good to meet you guys too. Mudpuppy: Shad are indigenous fish, but not resident. Interestingly, none of the resident fish we like to catch are indigenous! All introduced from somewhere else.

Tailing Loop: What happened to your post from Saturday? Seems to have disappeared.

FF