Last Fling at Fletcher's ?

[spilunkr]

Fished Fletcher's Saturday afternoon for what will probably be my last shad outing of the spring. I even got my wife out for the first time fishing for shad.

Checking the tide tables showed low tide in mid-afternoon, so we spent the morning catching up on yard work which for me included roto-tilling the garden. Now if I can just keep the deer out!!!

We launched the canoe about 3:00 and fished until 5:30. Action was not exactly fast paced but it was pretty consistent. My wife was fishing a spinning rod with a small silver spoon and got the first fish of the afternoon and her first ever shad a nice hickory. She was a bit disappointed that it didn't jump. But I assured her before the afternoon was over she would see some jumpers.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db26b3127cce91d4f342947300000016109AZM2bZu2ba

Before I even finished the first retrieve of my fly she had her second on and before long she was up on me three fish to one. She was having a pretty good time at that point because her third fish was a jumper. But then we hit a lull for about fifteen minutes. I got a couple on my fly and she got another on the spoon but then all she got was a few taps over the next half hour while I continued to get an occasional fish on flies.

She insisted on replacing the spoon and over the next hour kept getting taps but no hook ups while I still continued to take the occasional fish. When the count finally got to 10 to 4 in my favor she relented and put the spoon back on and started catching fish again winding up with about 8 or 9 - all hickories.

In the last half hour we fished, I hooked three white shad, getting two to the boat. Including my biggest of the year a nice white that felt like it went about 4 lbs. The way the fish had my rod bent, I didn't think I'd ever get him to the boat. My wife tried to net it a couple times but he was twice as big as the net opening and she couldn't manuver the fish into the net.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db26b3127cce91d4f358946900000016109AZM2bZu2ba

I think I wound up with about 15 shad and a white perch. Not bad for about 2 1/2 hours on the water. Several of my flies had gotten pretty torn up in the last week, so just in case I do get out one more time there was a session at the fly tying desk Saturday evening.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db26b3127cce91d4f35f155e00000016109AZM2bZu2ba

But, if I don't get out again for shad this spring, Saturday was not a bad way to end the season. Besides the big spring hatches should be starting up on the local trout streams.

Guy

[Flying Fish]

Nice report, congratulations on a great day in all respects.

FF

[Ken Tidy]

Guy, thanks for the report I could tell you and your wife had a great day. And BTW your tying desk is way too neat![wink]

[Cutter]

Very nice day. Looks like a lot of fun. I have to agree with Ken though, way too organized!

[djones]

I thought the the bottle added a nice touch to the tying desk picture.

Thanks for the report, Guy. I'll taunt my wife with the picture of your wife: "SEE, some wives fish with their husbands."

[spilunkr]

Actually, the only reason the desk appeared that clean was because I took my arm and swept off everything that normally accumulates. Unfortunately, I now have to go back and separate out evrything that is sitting in a big pile on the floor next to the desk.

I saw a bottle of Old Izaak at Hunting Creek Outfitters and asked Murray where he obtained it. Turns out there is a little shop that specializes in English goods a block up the road from his shop. I picked up a couple bottles. It is a traditional English Ale and is verrrry good, I will definitly be making a detour into Frederick to pick up more when heading up to Thurmont. The shop also carries a nice variety of other libations.

Guy

[Salmo trutta]

That fly tying desk is way too neat and organized. Mine is in the basement and tucked away and out of site. I think I have pieces of marabou feathers stuck to just about everything in the room.

Congrats on the whites. Is anyone catching any whites above fletchers? Above Little Falls?

[mharton]

Thanks for the report, and I agree with your wife that it's a disappointment when the hickories don't jump.

I wonder if they get less able to jump as the run goes on. I read somewhere that they don't eat while they're in fresh water to spawn. Maybe they're just tired and hungry this late in the game.

Marcus

[spilunkr]

Marcus,

For what it is worth I have two observations regarding the jumping at least for the Potomac River fish. First, the smaller shad seem to jump more than the larger shad. Second, the fish seem to jump more if I let them stay on the line a little instead of just quickly reeling them in.

I also suspect part of it may the water depth off Fletcher's. I've not been anchoring out at the edge of the current my last couple of times out. Instead I have been a little closer to the D.C. shore in about 17' water depth. The bigger shad I've been hooking including both hickories and whites have generally gone down deep when hooked. The smaller fish have generally hit close to the surface and stayed there. In shallower water like Deer Creek, I think you get more jumpers because the fish can't go down.


There were some posts from last weekend that indicated whites were being caught up to Chain Bridge but for the last week and a half I've been fishing out of my canoe midway between Fletcher's dock and the point below Fletcher's cove.

Guy

[msusawyer]

Next time, don't bother cleaning off your tying desk before taking a picture. I definitely can't show that picture to my girlfriend, I have to keep up the belief that messy is the correct and only way.

Since I don't have a special place for tying in my apartment, I've claimed half (probably more) of the dining room table for fly tying. Long story short, she doesn't appreciate "deer hair in my butter" (her words). I think I'm going to permanently station my 4hp shop vac in the corner for quick cleanup and to minimize the amount of mammal parts that end up in the dairy section. At least until I find a way to have my own space.

Sawyer