| NCC-TU Presents The 2021 Shad Report No. 5 Dinosaur of the Potomac April 17, 2021 Mother Nature threw a curve to some local shad anglers this past week. Heavy rain that had fallen high in the Potomac watershed last weekend spoiled river conditions here when the runoff finally arrived. Because local rain was very light to nonexistent, the tipoff that a rise was imminent came from the trusty NOAA hydrologic prediction site for Little Falls. Friends of Fletcher’s Cove also displays the results for gauges upstream in one easy click , so you can follow the progress of the rise. Those sad anglers streaming down to Fletcher's in the middle of the week hadn’t done any clicking. This was a minor high water event. The photo above was taken at the crest on Tuesday (4/13), but the Potomac has since settled and good fishing is expected for the weekend. An eight-degree drop in water temperature may hold back the shad bite somewhat, but be ready for some spectacular fishing very soon — it happens every time after an April freshet. Shore fishing can be excellent when the current is still strong and shad are closer in. Boats will be available to rent again at Fletcher’s Boathouse. Try using darker (even all black) or contrasty offerings when the water is murky; check out last year’s Shad Report No. 5 for more on this topic. The break from fishing came at the perfect time to fully appreciate a startling find near the Cove. No one expected this: a shortnose sturgeon catch from a Fletcher’s rowboat within site of the dock. Last Friday (4/9), Connor Lynch jigged-up the incredibly rare and endangered fish, a creature few people alive today have seen. Josh Cohn witnessed and photographed the “dinosaur” catch and reported it to the Potomac Conservancy. The story was covered by reporter (and Fletcher’s angler) Scott Broom for Chanel 9 News and is available on Youtube . The catch is seen as a hopeful sign of continuing improvement in the health of the Potomac. This beast was caught within a few hundred yards of where explorer and trader Henry Fleeet observed Native Americans wrestling with sturgeons in 1632. He wrote in his journal: “This place without all question is the most pleasant and healthful place in all this country, and most convenient for habitation, the air temperate in summer and not violent in winter. It aboundeth in all manner of fish. The Indians in one night commonly will catch thirty sturgeons in a place where the river is not quite twelve fathoms broad.” Fleet crossed the Atlantic from England four hundred years ago. Michael McAdams only needs to cross Chain Bridge. Our new friend stopped by the Boathouse this week to share the same kind of enthusiasm for the place Fleet discovered. Though he is a longtime resident of North Arlington, just minutes away, this is the first year McAdams has fished out of Fletcher’s Cove. He is amazed by the beauty of the river so close to home and couldn’t stop talking about it. A positive approach brings good fortune, so on Thursday (4/15) he caught six hickory shad in muddy water. Then McAdams battled a five-pound carp that struck very close just as he was lifting his line. Add another name to the growing list of new shad fishing “regulars” this year. Last Saturday (4/10) afternoon I found a large school of American shad below the Cove. Another fly caster dropped down and anchored his canoe within shouting distance. That’s Paul Camarata (above) landing an American buck soon after arriving. He’d been catching hickory shad upriver but wanted to follow up on a tip from our recent Shad Report. That’s what we’re here for, Paul! On Monday (4/12) in the same area, with the Potomac rising rapidly, it was all hickory shad in a strike-happy frenzy. (Old-timers told me fifty years ago that white shad wouldn’t hit well on a rising river — never mind that my nearly seven pounder caught in 1973 did just that.) I coaxed an interested kayaker to a spot just upstream from our boat and soon his rod was also bending. Later, I got a better look at Eric Mayl’s excellent Native Watercraft boat in the parking lot. Mayl said he barely clears the canal tunnel entrance with the craft perched on top of his Jeep. The photo below may help some of our readers better understand what fits. Last weekend, Lois Boland sent us a wonderful fishing story from Gordon’s Rock, her second home during the shad season. The visiting father and niece of Boland’s Palisades neighbor were in town to visit with her new baby and they soon learned about our incredible shad fishing. We’re not sure how it slipped into the conversation. Wayne Stietz and Natalie Brandl spend lots of time fishing on the Mississippi near their home in Argyle, Wisconsin, but the small freshwater shad they are familiar with don’t rank as game fish. In just a couple of hours the two avid anglers were able to experience the leaping and pulling of the anadromous fighters we enjoy along the East Coast. Natalie (below) scored a decent American buck and left the river very impressed with our Potomac, the friendly angler who offered to share a rock with her, and the fascinating wildlife. This week there will be a great opportunity for local anglers to take care of the environment young Natalie enjoyed so much. The local Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) chapters have organized a clean-up at Fletcher’s Cove on Earth Day, April 22nd. NCC-TU and Friends of Fletcher's Cove have joined to help get the word out. It is planned as an informal event where trash hauling, socializing and fishing will share equal time. Please refer to the poster at bottom for more details, and we hope to see you on Thursday! Mark Binsted NCC-TU Visit our website |
Mother Nature threw a curve to some local shad anglers this past week. Heavy rain that had fallen high in the Potomac watershed last weekend spoiled river conditions here when the runoff finally arrived. Because local rain was very light to nonexistent, the tipoff that a rise was imminent came from the trusty NOAA hydrologic prediction site for Little Falls. Friends of Fletcher’s Cove also displays the results for gauges upstream in one easy click, so you can follow the progress of the rise. Those sad anglers streaming down to Fletcher's in the middle of the week hadn’t done any clicking. | |
This was a minor high water event. The photo above was taken at the crest on Tuesday (4/13), but the Potomac has since settled and good fishing is expected for the weekend. An eight-degree drop in water temperature may hold back the shad bite somewhat, but be ready for some spectacular fishing very soon — it happens every time after an April freshet. Shore fishing can be excellent when the current is still strong and shad are closer in. Boats will be available to rent again at Fletcher’s Boathouse. Try using darker (even all black) or contrasty offerings when the water is murky; check out last year’s Shad Report No. 5 for more on this topic. | |
The break from fishing came at the perfect time to fully appreciate a startling find near the Cove. No one expected this: a shortnose sturgeon catch from a Fletcher’s rowboat within site of the dock. Last Friday (4/9), Connor Lynch jigged-up the incredibly rare and endangered fish, a creature few people alive today have seen. Josh Cohn witnessed and photographed the “dinosaur” catch and reported it to the Potomac Conservancy. The story was covered by reporter (and Fletcher’s angler) Scott Broom for Chanel 9 News and is available on Youtube. The catch is seen as a hopeful sign of continuing improvement in the health of the Potomac. This beast was caught within a few hundred yards of where explorer and trader Henry Fleeet observed Native Americans wrestling with sturgeons in 1632. He wrote in his journal: “This place without all question is the most pleasant and healthful place in all this country, and most convenient for habitation, the air temperate in summer and not violent in winter. It aboundeth in all manner of fish. The Indians in one night commonly will catch thirty sturgeons in a place where the river is not quite twelve fathoms broad.” | |
Fleet crossed the Atlantic from England four hundred years ago. Michael McAdams only needs to cross Chain Bridge. Our new friend stopped by the Boathouse this week to share the same kind of enthusiasm for the place Fleet discovered. Though he is a longtime resident of North Arlington, just minutes away, this is the first year McAdams has fished out of Fletcher’s Cove. He is amazed by the beauty of the river so close to home and couldn’t stop talking about it. A positive approach brings good fortune, so on Thursday (4/15) he caught six hickory shad in muddy water. Then McAdams battled a five-pound carp that struck very close just as he was lifting his line. Add another name to the growing list of new shad fishing “regulars” this year. | |
Last Saturday (4/10) afternoon I found a large school of American shad below the Cove. Another fly caster dropped down and anchored his canoe within shouting distance. That’s Paul Camarata (above) landing an American buck soon after arriving. He’d been catching hickory shad upriver but wanted to follow up on a tip from our recent Shad Report. That’s what we’re here for, Paul! On Monday (4/12) in the same area, with the Potomac rising rapidly, it was all hickory shad in a strike-happy frenzy. (Old-timers told me fifty years ago that white shad wouldn’t hit well on a rising river — never mind that my nearly seven pounder caught in 1973 did just that.) I coaxed an interested kayaker to a spot just upstream from our boat and soon his rod was also bending. Later, I got a better look at Eric Mayl’s excellent Native Watercraft boat in the parking lot. Mayl said he barely clears the canal tunnel entrance with the craft perched on top of his Jeep. The photo below may help some of our readers better understand what fits. | |
Last weekend, Lois Boland sent us a wonderful fishing story from Gordon’s Rock, her second home during the shad season. The visiting father and niece of Boland’s Palisades neighbor were in town to visit with her new baby and they soon learned about our incredible shad fishing. We’re not sure how it slipped into the conversation. Wayne Stietz and Natalie Brandl spend lots of time fishing on the Mississippi near their home in Argyle, Wisconsin, but the small freshwater shad they are familiar with don’t rank as game fish. In just a couple of hours the two avid anglers were able to experience the leaping and pulling of the anadromous fighters we enjoy along the East Coast. Natalie (below) scored a decent American buck and left the river very impressed with our Potomac, the friendly angler who offered to share a rock with her, and the fascinating wildlife. | |
This week there will be a great opportunity for local anglers to take care of the environment young Natalie enjoyed so much. The local Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) chapters have organized a clean-up at Fletcher’s Cove on Earth Day, April 22nd. NCC-TU and Friends of Fletcher's Cove have joined to help get the word out. It is planned as an informal event where trash hauling, socializing and fishing will share equal time. Please refer to the poster at bottom for more details, and we hope to see you on Thursday! | |
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