April 19th, 2024
Welcome back to the District Fishing Report! We have been enjoying mild spring temperatures and it has even felt like summer during a few days recently. The warmer weather and springtime run of spawning fish has brought a lot of anglers to the water's edge. There are many fishing opportunities right now no matter your skill level. In fact, this time of year is great for getting new anglers out to the water because of the abundance of fish running through our rivers. Whether you are looking to catch hickory and American shad, searching for spawning largemouth bass, or wanting to tussle with giant blue catfish, you can do it all right here in Washington D.C. There have been a lot of successful reports this week, so let's dive right in.
DOEE biologist Brady Waters shows off a 22-inch American shad that he caught near Fletchers Cove on the Potomac River.
The shad run is still going strong after the heavy rains at the beginning of the month made the river run high for a while. Water levels have dropped and fishing along shoreline from Fletchers Cove up to Chain Bridge has been very productive. American shad are showing up in better numbers, but these fish tend to stay in deeper water in the middle of the river. If you are looking to catch American shad, it is best to get out in the river by boat or kayak. Fletchers' Boathouse rents rowboats for anglers looking to get away from crowded shorelines and enjoy the tranquility of the rivers flow. DOEE Biologist Brady Waters was out last week at Fletchers Cove and managed to catch a 22-inch American shad while fishing from a rowboat. Thats one of the biggest we have heard of this year. There were reports from Gordons Rock of a nice class of hickory shad running along the shoreline last week. White was a hot color, and the fish were preferring a steady retrieve towards the top of the water column. As we mentioned in the last report, this can change from day to day. There has also been the arrival of schools of white perch over the past few weeks. The perch are running up the Potomac for their spawning run and reports have indicated there are big fish in the river. Anglers in the area of Fletchers Cove have caught perch as big as 12 inches which are great eating size fish. You can catch them using the same methods you would for shad, but using bait can increase your success. Bottom rigs tipped with grass shrimp, minnows, or bloodworms works great for white perch. Perch will usually be hanging out in the deeper holes or channels, so trying different areas along the river is a good idea. Fishing in the upper section of the Potomac became tough from Sunday to Wednesday this past week as the river rose above five feet and peaked at just over six feet during that stretch. It was slim pickings for shad anglers as the high flows and muddy water made it difficult to find seams where the fish like to hang out. Flows have since dropped and it is shaping up to be a great weekend to get down to the river for the shad run.
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Howard University students attended a fishing event hosted by DOEE. The students were taught basic fishing skills and used them to catch blue catfish, bluegill, and white perch at Diamond Teague Park on the Anacostia River.
The Aquatic Resources Education Center hosted a fishing event for Howard University students at Diamond Teague Park last Saturday. Despite windy conditions, first time anglers got to experience some of the great fishing that D.C. has to offer. Students were taught casting skills, how to bait their rods, and other general fishing knowledge. They then put their skills to the test in the Anacostia River. A total of eight blue catfish, one bluegill, and one white perch were caught. It was a great fishing trip for many of the students first time. We want to extend a thank you to all the students who attended the event! Hopefully we have added to a few people to the next generation of anglers. DOEE is also hosting a fishing event with the Washington Spirit on April 28th from 9am to 2pm. Players from the Spirit will be in attendance helping to teach members of the community how to fish. Come out and meet some of the players who proudly represent Washington D.C. on the field. There will be two sessions for the event, one from 9am to 12pm and another from 12pm to 2pm. The morning session for the event has already been booked full, but there are still open slots for the afternoon session. You can register on Event Brite using this link: Learn To Fish with The Washington Spirit (Afternoon Session) Tickets, Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite
Bass fishing has really started to pick up with the warmer air temperatures. Water temperatures in the district are in the low 60’s which are prime for the largemouth bass spawn. One angler checked in after fishing the sea wall along the tidal basin earlier in the week. They were able to catch largemouth bass up to three pounds on soft plastic creature baits. If you are fishing around the Tidal Basin, the entrances under the bridges on Ohio Drive where the tidal water flows in and out are great places to fish. Largemouth bass and other gamefish will hangout around these areas waiting to ambush baitfish, or your lure. Shorelines with fallen trees and other hard structure will be good places to search for bass this time of year as they will be on beds in the shallows. Snakeheads are also getting more active with the rising temperatures. The Anacostia River has an abundance of snakeheads for anglers to target. Like bass, snakeheads will be hanging out close to structure such as sea walls, fallen trees, and rock piles. Creek mouths and shallow flats are great areas to search for the snakeheads as they will be looking for the warmest water to be in. The water in the shallows usually heats up the quickest during the day in spring which attracts fish. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits are great options to cover a lot of water while weedless jigs and soft plastics will be the best option when fishing structure to minimize snags. Make sure that you are using heavy line that can hold up to the snakeheads as they are strong fish and have sharp teeth. 30-pound braided line is usually the lightest you'll want to use, and many anglers choose to up their line to the 50-pound range. Adding a similarly rated fluorocarbon leader can help with break offs since it is more abrasion resistant. Snakeheads are fun to catch and will be a good option to target from now until the weather cools off again in the fall.
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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