I've never seen so many American shad

[Flying Fish]

As I saw at Fletcher's this morning. I had one on my fly rod on my very first cast, got three or four more and had three Americans before I'd caught 2 hickories. I ended up with about a dozen hickories--they were BIG--a few white perch, and the Americans. There two people fishing with spinning rods in a boat near me and it seemed they had one every cast from the time I got there are 6.40 am until I left a little after 9. Some of them must have been hickories, but not many. Amazing. They seemed to be outfishing everyone else, including Joe Fletcher and Mike Bailey, but I think most people if not everyone was catching at least some American shad, except of course the people fishing for stripers. Every boat was out by about 8.15 am.

And I must have been doing something right because I lost some flies today. White with red head was working, dunno what else was because I didn't try anything else. The fish were nice (no monsters, though).



FF

[HJS]

I thought shad fishing at Fletchers couldn't get any better than it was last Wednesday & Thursday... but it did... waaaaay better!!! Coming home from Fletchers this afternoon I though how in the heck am I going to word this report without being labeled a liar. Thanks Flying Fish for leading the way to truth.

Fished Fletchers, May 1, from 6:30am to 1:30pm, from shore with spinning gear. High tide 9:00am. Off to a slow start, but by 7:15 action picked up noticeable for nice hickories. Then around 9:30am, just after peak high tide, the Americans turned on in incredible numbers. Between 10:00 and noon, something happened on almost ever cast. By the time I quit and headed back to the car I was closing in on triple digits (verified by my fish counter). Fully one half of them, maybe more, were Americans. Americans were a good split between young bucks and big females. Can't get any better than this!!! Undoubtedly my best day ever fishing for Americans anywhere including the Susky at Conowingo.

[Flying Fish]

And I had to leave at a little after 9. But the action was pretty good for a couple people even before, and I certainly did well enough, especially with the long rod. But 50 American shad in a day? Wow.

Howard, was that you in a blue shirt wading up to your waist?

FF

[HJS]

No, wasn't me. I was wearing a tan shirt with hip boots. I'm a rock sitter. All up & down the river I have located nice flat rocks at the waters edge at strategic locations were I can plop my fanny down and fish and unhook fish without getting up... saves the back. One of them even has a cup holder in the form of an old dynamite blow-hole.

[billx8]

Congratulations for sure. I got there about 10:45 (Virginia side) and caught one herring in about 15 minutes and gave it up and went to Occoquan for one hickory. I thought it was over for the year. I had two days this year at the spot I was fishing with fifty hickories in not too long a time so the place I was fishing does work. So far this year I have caught zero Americans. The moral - beats me. Keep fishing.

[The Old Man]

Fished for a little over an hour yesterday afternoon, started at my normal spot and had ONE strike, a small 12" striper. Gave up and moved downstream a bit to another spot...and caught 6 Americans in 15 minutes.

Then I had to leave. Dangit.

[Tissy Furnes]

Good on ya, Dr. Fish!

[Salmo trutta]

Good God! What's wrong with me? I can't catch an American to save my life. Are they in deeper water? Say down from fletchers? Or are they amongst all the hickories anywhere you look? Striper season opened on Tuesday so a lot of people will be fishing for them now. Weird how everyone got off the river by 8:15. Maybe that's my problem, I get there too late but then look at reports like Howard's. High tide was around 9am so at 11 there would have been maximum current up there, maybe that's why he did so well.

Well done to everyone. This is a great year for shad but it's been slow for the striped pajama fish.

Thinking of starting EARLY tomorrow and fishing the whole day. I'm going to be tired for sure come Friday's work meeting and probably all raccoon eyed from wearing sunglasses all day but that's the price we pay to be so blessed with such a great fishery in our nations capital. Tight lines.

One more thing. I've read that those perfectly circular holes in the rocks that might look like a dynamite blow hole are actually natural. They are created when sediments get trapped in a groove in the rock. When water continuously passes over the rock the sediments circle around and around. This eventually erodes a perfectly symmetrical hole in the rocks that looks almost too perfect. They make good rod holders sometimes too. You'll see them all over the river, far from any urbanization.

[kiko13]

Salmo- My buddy Curly caught two stripies yesterday; 1st was at 0645 and was 35.75" and the second was at 1045 and was 37.5" (he went back in). He also caught a bijillion white perch (kept 35 over 8") a few thousand herring and 6 Americans! You know how we fish.

Ernie

[The Old Man]

One more thing. I've read that those perfectly circular holes in the rocks that might look like a dynamite blow hole are actually natural. They are created when sediments get trapped in a groove in the rock. When water continuously passes over the rock the sediments circle around and around. This eventually erodes a perfectly symmetrical hole in the rocks that looks almost too perfect. They make good rod holders sometimes too. You'll see them all over the river, far from any urbanization.

Salmo: they're called "potholes" and they can get huge...big enough to park a car in.

There are a bunch along the river trail @ Great Falls Park in VA that are big enough to jump into...