Striped Bass on the Potomac

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Chain Bridge on the Potomac River

The Potomac River at Chain Bridge is loaded with striped bass from 6 to 18 inches. I was fishing for shad but had very little success. Instead striped bass would hit my shad dart almost every cast. Toward evening I caught one nice striped bass about 18 inches long. On the light spinning gear it felt like a much bigger fish. The striped bass season opens May 16 with an 18 inch minimum size so I hope some of these fish stay around. I finished the day catching 2 hickory shad at sunset. It appears the shad run is waning, though I did see plenty of fish splashing the surface. American shad may stay around longer though they are rare. All fish were released. Tight lines all.