| NCC-TU Presents The 2020 Shad Report No. 1 Smoked Shad March 9, 2020 By the time the smoked cleared on Sunday the first few hickory shad of 2020 had been caught. And that’s not just an expression. The smoky haze that descended on Fletcher’s Cove for several hours that afternoon was very real, strange and memorable. First, the big fishing news. On Saturday (the 7th), Chris Campo had some time on his hands before heading upriver and was feeling mischievous. Catching some nice early season walleyes, smallmouths and stripers over the last week had put him in a state of euphoria. He alerted Alex Binsted by text that he was going to walk out to Gordon’s Rock and catch the first shad, knowing that Binsted was drifting for stripers and in no position to challenge. Moments later a fine hickory shad (below) emerged at the end of his line, the first of the year. It was 5:45 pm and the water temperature had risen to about 48.5 degrees. On Sunday the weather improved after Saturday's strong north winds exited by dawn. It figured to be a great day to fish but the river was still quiet around noon. I struck up a conversation with Bill Gordon along the shore and had a fine time hearing about his extensive shad fishing experience on just about every notable river on both coasts. We’ll have more about that in a future report. As for Sunday, we were both skunked. Later that evening an email popped up with news that William Garrahan had landed the first hickory on a fly rod at around 5:00 pm. He reported to the Tidal Potomac Fly Rodder message board , a site everyone should keep up with. I did not receive a photo but TPFR president Art Noglak will post one soon for the happy angler. Now about that smoke. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and in this case it travelled all the way from a controlled burn on the Quantico Marine Base . The USFS had unfortunately scheduled the burn for a warm day with light winds out of the south. Arlington County and parts of the District were soon enveloped by a summer-like haze, with the distinct smell of a brush fire in the air. Residents with respiratory conditions were advised to stay indoors. I walked out my house in Palisades and noticed that the Potomac Gorge was filled with smoke, as though the fire was somewhere along the shoreline downstream from the Cove (below). Apparently, an inversion had caused the smoke to collect over the cold water like the fog we sometimes see on early spring mornings. Garrahan was right in the middle of it. Whether it’s fire or a deadly virus, the season must go on and it will only get better. This year we begin with the Potomac very low -- flow is less than half of normal for early March . Shad are drawn by current to their spawning grounds so we look forward to some replenishing rainfall before the season peaks in April. Mark Binsted VP, NCC-TU Join Us! Visit our website |
By the time the smoked cleared on Sunday the first few hickory shad of 2020 had been caught. And that’s not just an expression. The smoky haze that descended on Fletcher’s Cove for several hours that afternoon was very real, strange and memorable. | |
First, the big fishing news. On Saturday (the 7th), Chris Campo had some time on his hands before heading upriver and was feeling mischievous. Catching some nice early season walleyes, smallmouths and stripers over the last week had put him in a state of euphoria. He alerted Alex Binsted by text that he was going to walk out to Gordon’s Rock and catch the first shad, knowing that Binsted was drifting for stripers and in no position to challenge. Moments later a fine hickory shad (below) emerged at the end of his line, the first of the year. It was 5:45 pm and the water temperature had risen to about 48.5 degrees. | |
On Sunday the weather improved after Saturday's strong north winds exited by dawn. It figured to be a great day to fish but the river was still quiet around noon. I struck up a conversation with Bill Gordon along the shore and had a fine time hearing about his extensive shad fishing experience on just about every notable river on both coasts. We’ll have more about that in a future report. As for Sunday, we were both skunked. | |
Later that evening an email popped up with news that William Garrahan had landed the first hickory on a fly rod at around 5:00 pm. He reported to the Tidal Potomac Fly Rodder message board, a site everyone should keep up with. I did not receive a photo but TPFR president Art Noglak will post one soon for the happy angler. | |
Now about that smoke. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and in this case it travelled all the way from a controlled burn on the Quantico Marine Base. The USFS had unfortunately scheduled the burn for a warm day with light winds out of the south. Arlington County and parts of the District were soon enveloped by a summer-like haze, with the distinct smell of a brush fire in the air. Residents with respiratory conditions were advised to stay indoors. I walked out my house in Palisades and noticed that the Potomac Gorge was filled with smoke, as though the fire was somewhere along the shoreline downstream from the Cove (below). Apparently, an inversion had caused the smoke to collect over the cold water like the fog we sometimes see on early spring mornings. Garrahan was right in the middle of it. | |
Whether it’s fire or a deadly virus, the season must go on and it will only get better. This year we begin with the Potomac very low -- flow is less than half of normal for early March. Shad are drawn by current to their spawning grounds so we look forward to some replenishing rainfall before the season peaks in April. | |
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