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I have seen reports from boats at Fletchers, but last year I went and threw shad darts from the bank and caught tons of shad. For how many more weekends is this possible?
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Hickories should be around for another two weeks or so, while American shad will be here for another month. In the meantime, you can also have fun with herring, stripers, catfish, bass and the occasional walleye, musky or pickerel. Fletchers is one of those places where you never know what you are going to catch when you throw a bait in the water. I have caught everything from 3/4# herring to 44# carp and just about everything in between. And the beauty of this is that I always use ultra light rods with 4# line. You can believe that an 8# American Shad, a 20# striper or a 15# catfish are a real hoot on this tackle.
Charlie.........
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Charlie is SO right!
As well, there are snakeheads in the shallows.
Lots of guys from TPFR fish it every day. Check them out: http://groups.google.com/group/tidal-po … ly-rodders
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I am planning on going on May 15. Does a VA license work here or do I need a D.C. license?
I know you throw the double shad darts for the Shad, but how do you catch herring from shore?
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You need a DC license!
For herring, throw a sebiki. if you don't have any, stop on by for one (or 2) and a quick lesson.
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Are the hickories still being caught? I've been hearing that they are getting fewer and farther between.
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I heard quite a bit about Fletcher's but have never been there myself. What is it about that place that makes it so good?
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purpleworm wrote:
What is it about that place that makes it so good?
The April/May run of stripers, cats (blue and channel), herring, shad (American & Hickory), white perch. Plus, there are smalies, LMB, Musky, snakeheads and I am sure I have missed out on a few others.
People come from all over the place to fish for shad!
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To properly answer your question, anadromous fish come into freshwater rivers to spawn. Stripers, herring, Hickory and American shad, white perch, etc. have to go to the most distant point upstream to spawn. Stripers, in particular, have to spawn in enough current to allow their eggs to float for 96 hours. If they sink, the eggs die. Thus, they head as far upstream as possible. Little Falls stops their ascent on the Potomac river and they then tend to hang around the current seams where the water emerges from the 50-55 foot depths to the 15-20 foot flats around Fletcher's.
Hopefully, this answers your question.
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