Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Bob and I got out to the Occoquan today to see if we could get our 1st shad of the year. We did.

We were on the water shortly after 7:30a and on the way up I asked Bob if he had anywhere in particular that he wanted to try. He said no so I headed up all the way to the rocks. The tide was high and it stayed like that most of the time since the wind was assisting it a bit.

The wind was not a factor as we started catching fish almost immediately.





It was pretty good  pickin's  and then this!



I thought we would have to leave but the mud dissipated nicely and we were able to keep catching!









While the action was steady, there was a lot of bird action up in the rocks. I managed to get these two guys in a tree.



I did get a call earlier from my friend Don, who had John with him. They were below the footbridge and had only caught a couple. They joined us (just below) and did well.



John was able to catch a nice 19"er!



For the day, Bob and I caught more than 80 shad. About a 1/4 of them were smaller males but the balance were plump females up to almost 18"! They were busting a gut for sure!

Great day out. It was nice and warm. Water temps were 60-62dF. The wind only affected us when we fished below the bridge for a bit. We only caught 1 down there. Glad we stayed up for most of the time.

We called it just before noon. Don and John joined us for lunch. No pics but Bob had the Fish 'n Chips and I had the calamari. Great stuff!