Hickory Shad at Fletcher's Boat House

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Potomac River at Fletcher's Boat House in Washington D.C.

I just returned from my trip to Fletcher's Boat House in Washington D.C. fishing for hickory shad. I debated if I should drive up to Deer Creek in northern Maryland at the head of the Susquehanna River but decided to fish closer to home. Deer Creek is better for fly fishing for hickory shad since it can be waded easily and casting distances are shorter. Headed down to Fletcher's and walked up above the boat rental house on the Potomac. I brought both my spinning rod and fly rod but found fly fishing impossible due to the wind. The spinning rod was the way to go and after awhile I got my first Shad on a big yellow dart. The fight was good and I caught some more. Finally I got a hit from a big shad - maybe 3 lbs. It looked like an American shad and put up a stubborn fight.

Kept fishing and saw a big Striper surface looking for a meal. Day was beautiful but windy. I kept fishing into the evening hoping for better action and finished the evening with a good fight from a normal sized shad. I thought that this fish could be 7 or 8 pound striper as it made several runs but found out that the fish was just a foot long. Shad fight hard for their size. For the most part the fishing was slow-a fish every half hour starting at around 3:00 PM and finishing at 8:00 PM. Caught and released 10 Shad in all. Did a lot of casting and reeling. Still I had a good day with my best hickory shad so far. Tight lines and looking forward to opening day trout season.