| NCC-TU Presents The 2021 Shad Report No. 8 June Rejuvenation June 6, 2021 American shad fishing slowed dramatically after the second week of May. The Potomac flow was running half of normal at one point and water temperatures touched eighty degrees twice. Certainly, the run would end early and these Shad Reports were finished. Two fish caught by Fred Michaud on May 18 would probably be the last. Some of us became obsessed with schoolie striper fishing and made the easy transition, but after the chilly holiday weekend something strange happened. The river cooled off by ten degrees and was up a tick from recent rains. I didn’t know it when I took the photo below, but the beautiful sunrise on Memorial Day heralded a rejuvenated shad run. We have June shad this year. On Tuesday, the very first day of the month, Lois Boland was jigging for stripers below me when she encountered something quite a bit stronger. The characteristic tug and roll of a blue cat was missing, mercifully. She yelled “it’s an American!” when the big roe finally appeared beside the boat (photo below), and our plans for the next few mornings were immediately called into question. On Wednesday I returned to the hot striper bite at first light with every intention of switching to shad – somewhere, somehow. The decision was confirmed when a nice roe took my Clouser before yet another striper could pound it. I switched over to a tiny dart for twenty minutes with no further success. Boland grabbed her shad rod but only caught another pesky striper. Our location was fine for American shad but this was no time to wait for a few fish passing through. The productive holding area down near Walker’s Point beckoned and the sun had not yet erased the overcast. Once anchored, I discovered decent flow where the river funnels at the point and felt good about the way my fly line straightened in the current. The outgoing tide was perfect as some of the landmark boulders were now exposed. It didn’t take long. A small buck, merely the opening act, grabbed my offering and confirmed the school’s presence. Six more would follow in about two hours, including four females ranging from tight to partially spawned (photo above). Boland landed another roe after I texted her to come down. One energetic buck escaped after bolting to the surface to perform an acrobatic stunt clear of the water. Another buck I landed put on the same show. These shad were in a frenzy. The word was out among the striper crowd on Thursday morning and this time I had welcome company. However, four anglers working the same water managed to land only six shad. That’s Mike Bailey in the photo above, making a rare shad fishing appearance this year. Chasing big stripers and smallmouth bass has preoccupied him but his touch with shad remains strong – he landed what will certainly be the last double of the year. Josh Cohn photographed Will Poston with the buck seen below and we all joked he was in the lead for last shad of 2021. I kept slinging my sinking line for three hours but only caught two. The first was a roe which appeared to be completely spent and the buck taken on my final cast was also flat and slightly battered. That was sexual frenzy I had observed the day before. I needed rest and only put in an hour late Friday morning when the tide was favorable. No one else was on the river. It seemed hopeless under the harsh June sun, and the brutish strike of yet another blue cat didn’t fool me at all. My plan was to pull up anchor at 11:50 and return to the dock by noon. Unusual for me, plans were kept. At 11:48 the small buck seen below was in the net. I cast the fly line out once more just to wind it back on the spool. As it now stands, this catch on June 4 is the last of the year. Please take this as a challenge and let us know if you find them. Make that, when you find them. My fascination with the final wave of American shad goes back to a memorable day in the early 1970’s when I landed quite a few roe shad out at Boiling Rock on June 20. The late arrivers are essential to the survival of the species. When springtime flooding and other threats interrupt successful spawning during the peak period, June shad offer hope. Finding these fish is more satisfying than catching them. It’s a different river in June and our knowledge of the late run would benefit if more people fished for shad when the action slows. This is hard to justify while huge numbers of striped bass crowd the Potomac at the same time, striking lures with a predatory vengeance. I succumbed to “rockfish fever” in the 70’s and still do. The 28-inch beauty (photo below) landed on a fly rod a few weeks back left quite an impression. But the tireless, mission-focused American shad clearly outclassed the hungry schoolies once June arrived. We should have paid attention a few days sooner. We can also share some intelligence on the what was most likely the final hickory shad catch of the season. On May 18 I rowed well upstream to the cove opposite Gulf Branch in search of stripers. When I see Pothole Rock (aka Binsted Rock) my mind inevitably wanders to childhood memories of chasing white perch at this landmark, a short distance from our house on Sherier Place, across the train trestle and up the hill. It began with my brother David, but later Dan Ward and I became frequent visitors to this part of the river in the spring. The big rock could only be reached at low tide, otherwise we set up in the adjacent cove. It rarely happened, but if the river dropped low enough, you could reach the jagged rock on the downstream side of Pothole Rock and safely throw you line into the productive current seam. As I rowed near I could see an angler standing on that same jagged rock. We had never met before, but Andy Sonn recognized me as the Shad Report author, so we introduced ourselves and chatted as I passed. He had walked up from Gordon’s Rock where the low river shut off shad fishing. His instincts served him well because he landed one of each shad under the tough conditions. He said the American was very deep and fought well, but the hickory shad catch now seems more notable because May 18 is late for these fish in any season. Sonn is the Director of Military and Veteran Services at GW, just a few miles away from Fletcher’s Cove. He agreed to help us keep track of the shore fishing next year. Later, Sonn sent me a nice early morning photo from Gordon’s Rock (above) and the image seemed very familiar. Zooming in, I found a solitary figure in a boat shrouded by the mist. That figure was me! Extending the coincidence, just five minutes after Sonn, I had also taken a photo of the misty river, seen below. Mine also shows a solitary figure in a boat but that angler’s identity remains a mystery and we have no further links in the chain. It has been a pleasure to offer these Shad Reports for another season. Thanks to all who have sent messages or have spoken with me to express their enjoyment of the series. Be sure to catch the previous edition, Back on Track , if you missed it, and all reports going back four years are available on our website . The Potomac at Fletcher’s Cove is a fascinating place in the spring and next year we will continue to chronicle the events, stories and oddities along the river. (For an example of the latter, we submit the tame, cicada-loving hawk that frequents the Cove, seen below.) If you like, a donation to NCC-TU is a fine way to show your appreciation and will benefit our mission in conservation, education and community service. We look forward to seeing many of you next February at Shad Night 2022, this time in person. Mark Binsted NCC-TU Visit our website |
American shad fishing slowed dramatically after the second week of May. The Potomac flow was running half of normal at one point and water temperatures touched eighty degrees twice. Certainly, the run would end early and these Shad Reports were finished. Two fish caught by Fred Michaud on May 18 would probably be the last. Some of us became obsessed with schoolie striper fishing and made the easy transition, but after the chilly holiday weekend something strange happened. The river cooled off by ten degrees and was up a tick from recent rains. I didn’t know it when I took the photo below, but the beautiful sunrise on Memorial Day heralded a rejuvenated shad run. | |
We have June shad this year. On Tuesday, the very first day of the month, Lois Boland was jigging for stripers below me when she encountered something quite a bit stronger. The characteristic tug and roll of a blue cat was missing, mercifully. She yelled “it’s an American!” when the big roe finally appeared beside the boat (photo below), and our plans for the next few mornings were immediately called into question. On Wednesday I returned to the hot striper bite at first light with every intention of switching to shad – somewhere, somehow. The decision was confirmed when a nice roe took my Clouser before yet another striper could pound it. I switched over to a tiny dart for twenty minutes with no further success. Boland grabbed her shad rod but only caught another pesky striper. | |
Our location was fine for American shad but this was no time to wait for a few fish passing through. The productive holding area down near Walker’s Point beckoned and the sun had not yet erased the overcast. Once anchored, I discovered decent flow where the river funnels at the point and felt good about the way my fly line straightened in the current. The outgoing tide was perfect as some of the landmark boulders were now exposed. | |
It didn’t take long. A small buck, merely the opening act, grabbed my offering and confirmed the school’s presence. Six more would follow in about two hours, including four females ranging from tight to partially spawned (photo above). Boland landed another roe after I texted her to come down. One energetic buck escaped after bolting to the surface to perform an acrobatic stunt clear of the water. Another buck I landed put on the same show. These shad were in a frenzy. | |
The word was out among the striper crowd on Thursday morning and this time I had welcome company. However, four anglers working the same water managed to land only six shad. That’s Mike Bailey in the photo above, making a rare shad fishing appearance this year. Chasing big stripers and smallmouth bass has preoccupied him but his touch with shad remains strong – he landed what will certainly be the last double of the year. Josh Cohn photographed Will Poston with the buck seen below and we all joked he was in the lead for last shad of 2021. I kept slinging my sinking line for three hours but only caught two. The first was a roe which appeared to be completely spent and the buck taken on my final cast was also flat and slightly battered. That was sexual frenzy I had observed the day before. | |
I needed rest and only put in an hour late Friday morning when the tide was favorable. No one else was on the river. It seemed hopeless under the harsh June sun, and the brutish strike of yet another blue cat didn’t fool me at all. My plan was to pull up anchor at 11:50 and return to the dock by noon. Unusual for me, plans were kept. At 11:48 the small buck seen below was in the net. I cast the fly line out once more just to wind it back on the spool. As it now stands, this catch on June 4 is the last of the year. Please take this as a challenge and let us know if you find them. Make that, when you find them. | |
My fascination with the final wave of American shad goes back to a memorable day in the early 1970’s when I landed quite a few roe shad out at Boiling Rock on June 20. The late arrivers are essential to the survival of the species. When springtime flooding and other threats interrupt successful spawning during the peak period, June shad offer hope. Finding these fish is more satisfying than catching them. It’s a different river in June and our knowledge of the late run would benefit if more people fished for shad when the action slows. This is hard to justify while huge numbers of striped bass crowd the Potomac at the same time, striking lures with a predatory vengeance. I succumbed to “rockfish fever” in the 70’s and still do. The 28-inch beauty (photo below) landed on a fly rod a few weeks back left quite an impression. But the tireless, mission-focused American shad clearly outclassed the hungry schoolies once June arrived. We should have paid attention a few days sooner. | |
We can also share some intelligence on the what was most likely the final hickory shad catch of the season. On May 18 I rowed well upstream to the cove opposite Gulf Branch in search of stripers. When I see Pothole Rock (aka Binsted Rock) my mind inevitably wanders to childhood memories of chasing white perch at this landmark, a short distance from our house on Sherier Place, across the train trestle and up the hill. It began with my brother David, but later Dan Ward and I became frequent visitors to this part of the river in the spring. The big rock could only be reached at low tide, otherwise we set up in the adjacent cove. It rarely happened, but if the river dropped low enough, you could reach the jagged rock on the downstream side of Pothole Rock and safely throw you line into the productive current seam. | |
As I rowed near I could see an angler standing on that same jagged rock. We had never met before, but Andy Sonn recognized me as the Shad Report author, so we introduced ourselves and chatted as I passed. He had walked up from Gordon’s Rock where the low river shut off shad fishing. His instincts served him well because he landed one of each shad under the tough conditions. He said the American was very deep and fought well, but the hickory shad catch now seems more notable because May 18 is late for these fish in any season. Sonn is the Director of Military and Veteran Services at GW, just a few miles away from Fletcher’s Cove. He agreed to help us keep track of the shore fishing next year. | |
Later, Sonn sent me a nice early morning photo from Gordon’s Rock (above) and the image seemed very familiar. Zooming in, I found a solitary figure in a boat shrouded by the mist. That figure was me! Extending the coincidence, just five minutes after Sonn, I had also taken a photo of the misty river, seen below. Mine also shows a solitary figure in a boat but that angler’s identity remains a mystery and we have no further links in the chain. | |
It has been a pleasure to offer these Shad Reports for another season. Thanks to all who have sent messages or have spoken with me to express their enjoyment of the series. Be sure to catch the previous edition, Back on Track, if you missed it, and all reports going back four years are available on our website. The Potomac at Fletcher’s Cove is a fascinating place in the spring and next year we will continue to chronicle the events, stories and oddities along the river. (For an example of the latter, we submit the tame, cicada-loving hawk that frequents the Cove, seen below.) If you like, a donation to NCC-TU is a fine way to show your appreciation and will benefit our mission in conservation, education and community service. We look forward to seeing many of you next February at Shad Night 2022, this time in person. | |
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