| April 5th, 2024
Welcome back to the District Fishing Report! You know what they say, April showers bring May flowers. This past week has been filled with heavy rain and it has made fishing conditions less than ideal. The Potomac is currently running at flood stage and conditions aren't expected to improve until next week. It will be best to fish down river if you can, but water will still be muddy with a lot of debris. Before the rain, fishing was excellent, and many anglers were taking advantage of an abundance of opportunities that Spring provides here in Washington D.C. Many of us are eagerly waiting for conditions to improve so that we can get back in on the action.
The shad run is moving along right on schedule with most anglers finding success from Fletchers Cove up to Chain Bridge. Hickory shad have made up most of the catches, but we got confirmed reports of the first American Shad showing up last week. Boat rentals are now available at Fletchers Boathouse, so if you want to get away from the crowded shorelines, a rowboat is a good option. The shad have been biting on shad darts and metal spoons but can get picky about what they bite from day to day. One morning a red/white dart might be the hot ticket, the next a tiny gold spoon gets all the bites, and the day after that silver might be the magic color. It is good to have different options in your tackle box when shad fishing. These fish are hard fighters which dart every which way in a fraction of a second, leap clear of the water, and use the current to their advantage to tug far harder than most fish their size. A common rod setup is a seven-foot spinning rod with main line in the 8 to 12-pound range. Some prefer light and some prefer heavier, so it is up to angler discretion to decide what works best for them. A 10-pound fluorocarbon leader is standard to help reduce break offs since the fish are usually in rocky areas. When river conditions improve next week, there should be a good mix of hickory and American Shad waiting for you to cast your line. Don’t miss out on some of the best fishing of the year. If you want more detailed shad reports, we encourage you to sign up for the Friends of Fletchers Cove Shad Report.
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Angler Patrick O’Connor holds up a huge striped bass he caught on the upper Potomac. The fish measured 41 inches and qualifies for a D.C. trophy fish award!"
There are some very big fish in our waters right now. As we highlighted in the last report, striped bass are making their annual migration to the upper Potomac River for their spawning run. Anglers are having success catching them in the area of Fletchers Cove and Chain Bridge. The stripers tend to hang out in the deeper sections of the river, so getting out by kayak or boat can increase your odds at catching them. Catfish anglers are also still catching some stripers while soaking cut bait at Hains Point. We did get a report from a shore angler fishing on the Virginia side of the river who caught a trophy size fish this week. They were fishing with a large soft plastic bait, casting out into the river when they hooked and landed a striper that measured 41 inches. After a quick picture, the fish was released back into the river. Striped bass this size are the breeding stock of the population and should be handled with care since the future of the fishery relies on them to have successful spawns. Catching striped bass is strictly catch and release fishing right now and the season will not open until May 16th. Once the season opens, D.C. anglers will be allowed to keep one striped bass per person per day with a slot of 19 to 24 inches.
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Angler Dwight Palmer holds up a big common carp that he caught while fishing at Hains Point on the Potomac River
As water temperatures are warming, more opportunities are presenting themselves to D.C. anglers, including carp. These fish are getting more active and are commonly found in the Anacostia River, the Tidal Basin, and at Hains Point. If you enjoy fishing for carp, or are interested in catching them, there is a fun event coming up at the end of the month. Amped Up Outdoors is hosting their 4th annual Carp-a-thon on April 27th and 28th. The event will be held at Hains Point for two days of fishing fun on the Potomac River. The event is FREE to anyone who wants to attend, but a valid D.C. fishing license is required to fish. There will be prizes for big fish, music, food, and on-site instructors to help anyone who wants to learn how to catch these hard fighting fish. Carp are abundant in D.C. and a fun species to catch! One of the most abundant species in the District is still offering great fishing opportunities for anglers. Blue catfish are very active this time of year and will be moving into shallower water to feed as water temperatures warm up. Bank fishing anywhere along the Potomac or Anacostia can produce a good bite for catfish. If you have access to a boat or kayak, drop baits along the major channel edges or holes and you might catch some giant fish. The most popular baits are chunks of eel, gizzard, shad, and chicken. Fish over 50 pounds have been caught this week and there are bigger ones out there. Go catch them up!
There are 29 different species of fish that are eligible for record fish awards and trophy fish awards. More information can be found on the Recreational Angling Records Program webpage. You can view the full set of Regulated Fishing Activities for The District on our Regulated Fishing Activities webpage. If you would like to buy a fishing license, please visit the Get a Fishing License webpage. Fishing licenses are sold on a calendar year basis. Anglers under the age of 16, or age 65 and older are not required to buy a fishing license to fish in The District. If you would like to submit information for the report, please email dillon.waters@dc.gov. If you would like to submit a photo to be included in the report, please send an email with photo attachments to fishandwildlife.photos@dc.gov.
Tight lines everyone! 🎣
Volunteer Angler Creel Survey
The Department of Energy and Environment’s Fisheries Research Branch is conducting their annual creel survey and encourages local anglers to participate. The goal of the survey is to better understand recreational angling efforts, perceptions, and harvests within Washington D.C. The information obtained from the survey will be used to inform fisheries management decisions and regulations. To make it easier for anglers to participate, a QR code has been developed. To access the survey, just scan the QR code using the built-in camera on your mobile device and tap the banner that appears. Already reading this on your phone? Click here. The survey is voluntary, but we encourage anglers to fill out the form after every fishing trip. Good luck fishing and let us know how you do!
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