Fletch -- 4/27 Morn -- Major Thumbs Up

[Tissy Furnes]

1st boat rental of the year this morning. Paula was there barking orders. Love that woman.

Oodles and oodles of hickories (no Americans). Just ridiculous fishing. All sizes. Very few other boats out. Rain must have scared folks off.

Water was discolored and seemed to get more so as the morning went on. Still very fishable but hopefully no blasting t-storms will roll in later.

Stink of the shaddup mapes on me hands as I type.

[djamieson]

Nice work, Seb. I'm gonna sneak out there in a couple of hours, probably grab a rock at Chain Bridge. If you're out there and you spot a redheaded guy in a white hat chucking and ducking some T-14 in a most unseemly manner, that would be I. Don't be afraid to say hello.

I think we better get while the gettin's good.

Dave

[Flying Fish]

Good for you, Seb. I love rainy mornings at Fletcher's, you get the place to yourself. I don't plan to go near the place this weekend, though.

FF

[HJS]

Sounds like hickory action is still red hot. Just before I left Fletchers on Thursday, I talked to a couple of guys who had been out in one of Fletchers boats. They reported catching many Americans and saw many caught from other boats. They said many of the Americans were quite large. (These guys knew their shad too.) None of the handful of bank shad fishermen I talked to, who were fishing the prime shad spots upriver from Fletchers, reported any. I specifically targeted Americans from several good spots using jigs with 3/8oz inline sinkers with no success. From a few of my spots I was able to cast more than half way across the river and get down maybe 20' or more. I just can't seem to get Americans from shore. I only luck into them while after hickories.

There might only be another week or two of shad action left at Fletchers.

Below Conowingo, my records show that Americans peak around May 1. I always try to get there a couple of times during the first week of May. However, because of the cooler than normal water temps this spring, the Americans at Conowingo might be pushed back a week or two later than normal. Don't know if the Potomac Americans are on that same schedule or not... probably not. The Potomac has been running several degrees warmer than the Susky. We shall see.