| NCC-TU Presents The 2021 Shad Report No. 3 Go Row a Boat March 26, 2021 The Potomac shad run is ready to burst ahead of the famous cherry blossoms. The below average river flow and above average temperatures this March may be setting the stage for an early peak. Wednesday’s light rain upriver was welcome and has recharged the Potomac for the short term. Read on about some amazing hickory shad numbers, some April-like American shad fishing, a fly rod first and a warning for kayakers. But first, in just two days you will be able to rent a rowboat to access the shad run at Fletcher’s Cove for the first time since 2019. Newcomers may wonder what all the fuss is about. Ever since native Americans populated these shores, boats have been essential to reaching the great Potomac fishery near the Cove. The cherished tradition of public boat rentals goes back to the late 19th century when the Fletcher family first appeared. When the storied wooden rowboats were launched yesterday afternoon, it was a cause for celebration. With the pandemic comes change, even at Fletcher’s. GSI/Boating In DC, the park concessionaire, moved to a reservation system last year in order to safely deliver the outdoor recreation so much in demand. It worked very well for all boat rentals over the summer and will be phased in for rowboats this spring. For now, a small portion of the fleet will be placed under reservation until angling customers become familiar with the policy. Return times will be carefully monitored. The remaining boats will be available for walk-up rentals as before. A long overdue price increase that took effect last summer may surprise some customers. A four-hour boat rental is available during the fishing season for $56. Look into purchasing a season pass to reduce your costs. Keep in mind that the number of boats in the Fletcher’s fleet is limited by heavy sedimentation in the Cove. Demand will exceed supply. Anglers are encouraged to share boats and return them promptly. Most important, temper your expectations. The global pandemic, more damaging floods or continued low river flow could all impact river access at Fletcher’s this year. Make contingency plans. The advantage of accessing the shad run by boat is easily demonstrated by the numbers. Consider the sudden explosion of hickory shad catches this week by experienced kayakers. Terry Cummings, the fly tying expert from our recent online Shad Night event, stopped by the Boathouse on Tuesday (3/23) to report a “couple of dozens” of hickories coming to boat and several more lost. He had the same good fishing on Monday. Ahh, “dozens” is the word we look forward to every year. By coincidence, our featured Shad Night speaker, John Kuriawa, was out in his Native Watercraft canoe on Tuesday. Employing the spinning tackle techniques he presented, Kuriawa took a half-dozen of dozens. His buddy Phil Kerchner did even better. His nine dozen on the morning shift was so outrageous we’ll let you do the math. Kerchner returned yesterday with similar success. That's one of his fish above. Now for a cautionary tale. One kayak angler ended up in the water this week. He was kept afloat by his PFD and quickly assisted by Kerchner. Unfortunately, all of his tackle and equipment was lost to the bottom. The word is that working two rods and a good strike may have led to a sudden lunge. In any case, the necessary anchorage is usually involved in these accidents – a kayak prefers to float free. Be careful out there! Shad catches from the shoreline at Gordon’s Rock this year have been very good but we aren’t hearing about “dozens” – not yet. It has taken a bit more effort this year to reach the fish due to low water. Nam Dong (above) just adds an inline sinker to heave his single dart out to the current seam. That weight also gets him down faster for a deep retrieve. The increased penetration of daylight through very clear water had been keeping shad on the bottom. That shouldn’t be a problem this weekend as turbidity levels have normalized after recent rainfall. Over the last few days, American shad catches have been amazing for this early in the season. Even last Saturday (3/20), Lois Boland took five in a row from shore in very cold weather. Kuriawa managed eleven Americans in his shad haul on Tuesday. Mike Bailey sent over the photo above on Wednesday (3/24) of a beautiful roe taken by Alex Binsted in the rain. It’s good to see American shad are moving into the swirling currents and pockets just out from the Fletcher’s dock. Yesterday I rowed down to the Walker’s Point area to try out a new shooting line and meet up with Kuriawa. Like me, he wanted to avoid the strong winds expected today. Kuriawa (above) was on top of a school of American shad and soon my fly rod was also bending. Most of the fish were hard striking, fat roes. I was happy to see Michael Fritz come over in his kayak after he was forced to skip the season last year like so many. Fritz had landed a huge roe below the point and totaled ten fly rod caught fish for the afternoon. A tiny yellow shad dart did the trick this time – no fancy trout flies as we reported in 2018 . The shad last evening were particularly feisty and beautiful, more than willing to make strong runs and dive below the boat. My last catch as daylight dwindled was a bulging four-pounder. We try to mark the first fly rod catch of the season for both shads. Last week it was Bill Garrahan edging out Alec Hicks for the first hickory shad. Hicks found some redemption this week when his partner in crime, Kevin Eichinger (below), clocked in with an American shad on Monday morning (3/22). Eichinger takes the prize, if only there was a prize. Check out his fly shop on Etsy to see his beautiful flies available for purchase. See link below for information about the ongoing Tidal Potomac Slam tournament, co-sponsored by NCC-TU. I’ll be back in the shop next week closing up the Boathouse in the evenings. Stop by to let me know how things are going on the beautiful Potomac. Mark Binsted NCC-TU Visit our website |
The Potomac shad run is ready to burst ahead of the famous cherry blossoms. The below average river flow and above average temperatures this March may be setting the stage for an early peak. Wednesday’s light rain upriver was welcome and has recharged the Potomac for the short term. Read on about some amazing hickory shad numbers, some April-like American shad fishing, a fly rod first and a warning for kayakers. | |
But first, in just two days you will be able to rent a rowboat to access the shad run at Fletcher’s Cove for the first time since 2019. Newcomers may wonder what all the fuss is about. Ever since native Americans populated these shores, boats have been essential to reaching the great Potomac fishery near the Cove. The cherished tradition of public boat rentals goes back to the late 19th century when the Fletcher family first appeared. When the storied wooden rowboats were launched yesterday afternoon, it was a cause for celebration. | |
With the pandemic comes change, even at Fletcher’s. GSI/Boating In DC, the park concessionaire, moved to a reservation system last year in order to safely deliver the outdoor recreation so much in demand. It worked very well for all boat rentals over the summer and will be phased in for rowboats this spring. For now, a small portion of the fleet will be placed under reservation until angling customers become familiar with the policy. Return times will be carefully monitored. The remaining boats will be available for walk-up rentals as before. A long overdue price increase that took effect last summer may surprise some customers. A four-hour boat rental is available during the fishing season for $56. Look into purchasing a season pass to reduce your costs. | |
Keep in mind that the number of boats in the Fletcher’s fleet is limited by heavy sedimentation in the Cove. Demand will exceed supply. Anglers are encouraged to share boats and return them promptly. Most important, temper your expectations. The global pandemic, more damaging floods or continued low river flow could all impact river access at Fletcher’s this year. Make contingency plans. | |
The advantage of accessing the shad run by boat is easily demonstrated by the numbers. Consider the sudden explosion of hickory shad catches this week by experienced kayakers. Terry Cummings, the fly tying expert from our recent online Shad Night event, stopped by the Boathouse on Tuesday (3/23) to report a “couple of dozens” of hickories coming to boat and several more lost. He had the same good fishing on Monday. Ahh, “dozens” is the word we look forward to every year. By coincidence, our featured Shad Night speaker, John Kuriawa, was out in his Native Watercraft canoe on Tuesday. Employing the spinning tackle techniques he presented, Kuriawa took a half-dozen of dozens. His buddy Phil Kerchner did even better. His nine dozen on the morning shift was so outrageous we’ll let you do the math. Kerchner returned yesterday with similar success. That's one of his fish above. | |
Now for a cautionary tale. One kayak angler ended up in the water this week. He was kept afloat by his PFD and quickly assisted by Kerchner. Unfortunately, all of his tackle and equipment was lost to the bottom. The word is that working two rods and a good strike may have led to a sudden lunge. In any case, the necessary anchorage is usually involved in these accidents – a kayak prefers to float free. Be careful out there! | |
Shad catches from the shoreline at Gordon’s Rock this year have been very good but we aren’t hearing about “dozens” – not yet. It has taken a bit more effort this year to reach the fish due to low water. Nam Dong (above) just adds an inline sinker to heave his single dart out to the current seam. That weight also gets him down faster for a deep retrieve. The increased penetration of daylight through very clear water had been keeping shad on the bottom. That shouldn’t be a problem this weekend as turbidity levels have normalized after recent rainfall. | |
Over the last few days, American shad catches have been amazing for this early in the season. Even last Saturday (3/20), Lois Boland took five in a row from shore in very cold weather. Kuriawa managed eleven Americans in his shad haul on Tuesday. Mike Bailey sent over the photo above on Wednesday (3/24) of a beautiful roe taken by Alex Binsted in the rain. It’s good to see American shad are moving into the swirling currents and pockets just out from the Fletcher’s dock. | |
Yesterday I rowed down to the Walker’s Point area to try out a new shooting line and meet up with Kuriawa. Like me, he wanted to avoid the strong winds expected today. Kuriawa (above) was on top of a school of American shad and soon my fly rod was also bending. Most of the fish were hard striking, fat roes. I was happy to see Michael Fritz come over in his kayak after he was forced to skip the season last year like so many. Fritz had landed a huge roe below the point and totaled ten fly rod caught fish for the afternoon. A tiny yellow shad dart did the trick this time – no fancy trout flies as we reported in 2018. The shad last evening were particularly feisty and beautiful, more than willing to make strong runs and dive below the boat. My last catch as daylight dwindled was a bulging four-pounder. | |
We try to mark the first fly rod catch of the season for both shads. Last week it was Bill Garrahan edging out Alec Hicks for the first hickory shad. Hicks found some redemption this week when his partner in crime, Kevin Eichinger (below), clocked in with an American shad on Monday morning (3/22). Eichinger takes the prize, if only there was a prize. Check out his fly shop on Etsy to see his beautiful flies available for purchase. | |
See link below for information about the ongoing Tidal Potomac Slam tournament, co-sponsored by NCC-TU. I’ll be back in the shop next week closing up the Boathouse in the evenings. Stop by to let me know how things are going on the beautiful Potomac. | |
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