| NCC-TU Presents The 2021 Shad Report No. 1 Jump-start March 12 , 2021 The heat wave was certain to jump-start the shad season down at Fletcher’s Cove. Everyone knew that the first hickory shad would be caught this week but the river remained eerily quiet. No leaps, no splashes. Yesterday’s record high pushed the water temperature past forty-eight degrees and on up to fifty. It finally happened early this morning. That’s a familiar face, Alex Binsted, holding the first hickory shad of 2021. If he looks a little embarrassed, it’s not only because of the diminutive size of the eager buck. He caught the fish on his first cast! I wish I could say I taught him everything he knows about fishing. Fact is, Alex took his first steps at Fletcher's Cove, has managed the Boathouse for years and has quite a following in the angling community. He made good use of the one trusty rowboat in the water before getting back to work with Dan Ward preparing for the opening in two weeks. Is this even fair? Well, Alex watched all week as others tried from private craft and shore, then stepped to the plate at the most opportune moment and delivered. Another thing off his to-do list. While today’s catch is the first one known at Fletcher’s, we can’t keep up with all of the action along the Potomac. Please drop us a line and a photo if you found success this week. Make your claim! We now turn to a jumping fish of a different color also getting active on the Potomac. On Wednesday afternoon I found young Ben Kessel trying his luck from the Gordon’s Rock shoreline. While the water was still too cold to trigger a shad bite, the sixteen-year-old student from BCC High School proved once again that it’s never too soon (or too anything ) to come down to the river. Out of nowhere, a seventeen-inch smallmouth bass pounced on Ben’s shad dart, making his day and leaving quite an impression on the locals. There will be much more to come in the weeks ahead, but we now want to look back two weeks and thank the participants in our virtual NCC-TU Shad Night for making the event a big success. Terry Cummings from Orvis Leesburg and Alex Binsted from Fletcher’s did a fine job demonstrating shad fly patterns, and John Kuriawa followed with an excellent, comprehensive tutorial on shad fishing here in DC and nearby. Rob Catalannoto also brought us up-to-date with the Friends of Fletcher’s Cove efforts to push forward the much needed Cove restoration. Our Chapter vice-president, Ben Simonds, moderated the event like a pro and has since prepared a recap for the March newsletter. So it’s not too late to see Shad Night if you missed it. Here is Ben’s summation, including the video links that many of our followers requested: TERRY CUMMINGS' SHAD PATTERN . Terry has been fly fishing for about 40 years, 30 of those years in Northern Virginia. Terry was first introduced to Fletcher’s and shad fishing about 25 years ago. Retired now, he teaches and works part time at Orvis Leesburg. For those of you who tuned into Shad Night and had difficulty seeing Terry's pattern, please use the link below to find the latest version of a pattern Terry has been using for decades. ALEX BINSTED'S SHAD FLY . Long-time NCC-TU supporter and Fletcher's Boathouse manager, Alex Binsted teaches you how to tie Binsted’s Shad Fly -- the result of 20 years of shad fishing on the Potomac River. These flies are well suited for deeper, faster rivers such as the Potomac but will catch shad anywhere you go. UPDATE FROM FRIENDS OF FLETCHER'S COVE (FFC) . Robert Catalanotto of Trout Unlimited and FFC provides the background for why we have access issues at Fletcher's Cove and gives an update on the advocacy work being done by the Friends of Fletcher's Cove to secure a long-term solution. What can you do to help? Send comments to your member of Congress, urging them to support Fletcher's Cove remediation efforts, or make a donation . HOW-TO WITH JOHN KURIAWA . You can rewatch John's presentation on the who, what, when, where and how of shad fishing using the link below. You can also download John's two-page starter kit on the SHAD page of our website. More shad fishing instruction for fly anglers is coming soon from the folks at Arlington Orvis. I ran across store manager Art Naglok and fishing manager Ryan Willsea preparing videos this week along the Potomac shoreline while enjoying spectacular weather. The focus was on casting sinking lines and respecting the river when seeking access to shad from the shore. Much the same instruction will be available hands-on this Sunday morning at the TPFR Casting Church, led by Regan Burmeister, at Fletcher’s Cove. It starts at 8:00 and will include a walk upstream to pursue hickory shad. Social distancing will be practiced. Give shad fishing a try this weekend. The daily highs will be closer to average and water temperatures will drop after the cold nights, so don’t expect too much. It will be a good time to shake off the cobwebs and enjoy the beautiful Potomac as the spring peepers sing. Mark Binsted NCC-TU Join Us! Visit our website |
The heat wave was certain to jump-start the shad season down at Fletcher’s Cove. Everyone knew that the first hickory shad would be caught this week but the river remained eerily quiet. No leaps, no splashes. Yesterday’s record high pushed the water temperature past forty-eight degrees and on up to fifty. It finally happened early this morning. | |
That’s a familiar face, Alex Binsted, holding the first hickory shad of 2021. If he looks a little embarrassed, it’s not only because of the diminutive size of the eager buck. He caught the fish on his first cast! I wish I could say I taught him everything he knows about fishing. Fact is, Alex took his first steps at Fletcher's Cove, has managed the Boathouse for years and has quite a following in the angling community. He made good use of the one trusty rowboat in the water before getting back to work with Dan Ward preparing for the opening in two weeks. Is this even fair? Well, Alex watched all week as others tried from private craft and shore, then stepped to the plate at the most opportune moment and delivered. Another thing off his to-do list. | |
While today’s catch is the first one known at Fletcher’s, we can’t keep up with all of the action along the Potomac. Please drop us a line and a photo if you found success this week. Make your claim! | |
We now turn to a jumping fish of a different color also getting active on the Potomac. On Wednesday afternoon I found young Ben Kessel trying his luck from the Gordon’s Rock shoreline. While the water was still too cold to trigger a shad bite, the sixteen-year-old student from BCC High School proved once again that it’s never too soon (or too anything) to come down to the river. Out of nowhere, a seventeen-inch smallmouth bass pounced on Ben’s shad dart, making his day and leaving quite an impression on the locals. | |
There will be much more to come in the weeks ahead, but we now want to look back two weeks and thank the participants in our virtual NCC-TU Shad Night for making the event a big success. Terry Cummings from Orvis Leesburg and Alex Binsted from Fletcher’s did a fine job demonstrating shad fly patterns, and John Kuriawa followed with an excellent, comprehensive tutorial on shad fishing here in DC and nearby. Rob Catalannoto also brought us up-to-date with the Friends of Fletcher’s Cove efforts to push forward the much needed Cove restoration. | |
Our Chapter vice-president, Ben Simonds, moderated the event like a pro and has since prepared a recap for the March newsletter. So it’s not too late to see Shad Night if you missed it. Here is Ben’s summation, including the video links that many of our followers requested: | |
TERRY CUMMINGS' SHAD PATTERN. Terry has been fly fishing for about 40 years, 30 of those years in Northern Virginia. Terry was first introduced to Fletcher’s and shad fishing about 25 years ago. Retired now, he teaches and works part time at Orvis Leesburg. For those of you who tuned into Shad Night and had difficulty seeing Terry's pattern, please use the link below to find the latest version of a pattern Terry has been using for decades. | |
ALEX BINSTED'S SHAD FLY. Long-time NCC-TU supporter and Fletcher's Boathouse manager, Alex Binsted teaches you how to tie Binsted’s Shad Fly -- the result of 20 years of shad fishing on the Potomac River. These flies are well suited for deeper, faster rivers such as the Potomac but will catch shad anywhere you go. | |
UPDATE FROM FRIENDS OF FLETCHER'S COVE (FFC). Robert Catalanotto of Trout Unlimited and FFC provides the background for why we have access issues at Fletcher's Cove and gives an update on the advocacy work being done by the Friends of Fletcher's Cove to secure a long-term solution. What can you do to help? Send comments to your member of Congress, urging them to support Fletcher's Cove remediation efforts, or make a donation. | |
HOW-TO WITH JOHN KURIAWA. You can rewatch John's presentation on the who, what, when, where and how of shad fishing using the link below. You can also download John's two-page starter kit on the SHAD page of our website. | |
More shad fishing instruction for fly anglers is coming soon from the folks at Arlington Orvis. I ran across store manager Art Naglok and fishing manager Ryan Willsea preparing videos this week along the Potomac shoreline while enjoying spectacular weather. The focus was on casting sinking lines and respecting the river when seeking access to shad from the shore. Much the same instruction will be available hands-on this Sunday morning at the TPFR Casting Church, led by Regan Burmeister, at Fletcher’s Cove. It starts at 8:00 and will include a walk upstream to pursue hickory shad. Social distancing will be practiced. | |
Give shad fishing a try this weekend. The daily highs will be closer to average and water temperatures will drop after the cold nights, so don’t expect too much. It will be a good time to shake off the cobwebs and enjoy the beautiful Potomac as the spring peepers sing. | |
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