January 15th, 2025
Fishing License Reminder: Fishing licenses from the 2024 calendar year have expired. Please purchase a 2025 D.C. fishing license if you plan on fishing in the district this year. Fishing licenses can be purchased on our Get a Fishing License webpage.
Welcome back to the District Fishing Report! We hope everyone had a great holiday season and a happy New Year. It has been a cold and snowy start to 2025, which is not ideal for getting out and fishing. However, there have been some dedicated anglers hitting the rivers despite the blistery conditions. The forecast is calling for more cold weather, so ice may start to become more prevalent throughout our waterways. As always, it is important to take appropriate safety measures when fishing. Let others know when and where you plan to fish, dress appropriately for the weather, and always wear a life jacket if you plan on boating in the winter. The big fish are still biting, and we even have a new D.C. fish record to talk about, so let’s get into it.
Captain Owen Koch holds up a 37-pound blue catfish caught on the Potomac River
Blue catfish are the main target for anglers in the winter as they are the most widespread and active in our waters this time of year. These fish can be caught everywhere from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge up to Chain Bridge and all the way up the Anacostia River. You don’t need a boat to catch them and there are several public fishing locations including Anacostia Park, Diamond Teague Park, Hains Point, the Tidal Basin, and Fletchers Cove. If you are taking a boat out to fish for them, keep an eye on the tide. The strong winds have been making the water on the river very low exposing sandbars and other hazards. Pay attention to channel markers and keep a close eye on your depth finder so that you don’t run aground. There have been some very big fish caught in our waters recently. We had a report from Captain Owen Koch of Capital Blues Fishing Charters who was out last week and had a great day catfishing. His anglers boated a few 20 pounders that were caught in 10 feet of water near the Oxon Creek Bridge. Captain Owen was also out earlier this week and reported another good bite for bigger fish. He caught a 32-pound and 37-pound catfish in 50 feet of water, then moved shallower and caught a 44-pound fish in 10 feet of water just south of the Oxon Creek Bridge. All fish were caught on fresh fillets of gizzard shad. Another angler fishing just before the New Year reported he had an excellent trip while bank fishing on the upper Potomac in D.C. catching four blue catfish up to 44 pounds. Blue catfish will continue to bite through the winter and will begin to concentrate more in the area of Fletchers Cove once our migratory species like shad and herring begin to show up in the spring.
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Angler Kasper Parfomak holds up his record common carp caught in the Tidal Basin
We have a new record fish catch in the district. Angler Kasper Parfomak set the new common carp record with a 37.55-pound; 41.125-inch fish caught on December 19th. Kasper caught the carp while fishing for largemouth bass in the tidal basin. He was using a crankbait and retrieving it slowly on the bottom when he hooked into the massive fish. Coincidentally, Kasper was the previous record holder of common carp with a 21.35-pound fish. Anglers who are interested in submitting fish for the Recreational Angling Records Program can find more information on the Records Program webpage. The Tidal Basin is a great location to fish throughout the year and you really never know what you may catch there. In the winter, the more prevalent species include common carp, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and bluegill. Each of these species can be found hanging around structure such as the sea wall and the outflow bridges on the south and east side of the basin. Another popular winter fishing location in the district is the Blue Plains Advanced Water Treatment Plant. There is a warm water discharge near the concrete dock along the shore which attracts many fish species seeking warmer water than the colder river temperatures. Largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, blue catfish, and several other local species frequent the waters around the discharge in the winter. This location can only be accessed by boat, and the closest boat ramp is at Gravelly Point on the Virginia side of the river. There is also a boat ramp in Anacostia Park that can be used to access D.C. waterways.
Other notable news is that DOEE has announced a Fish Consumption Advisory update. DOEE recently completed a tissue study of fish caught in DC waters. Results of the study indicate that persons who eat fish caught in the District of Columbia’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers need to consider eating less of those fish. This notice does not pertain to fish purchased from restaurants, fish vendors, or supermarkets. This notice is preliminary as US EPA final guidance on how to interpret PFAS fish tissue concentrations is not currently available. Once the guidance and revised equations are available, DOEE will complete the analysis of the findings of the fish tissue study and make new fish consumption recommendations, as appropriate.
The full set of regulated fishing activities for The District can be found on the 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. Washington D.C. has a Recreational Angling Records Program that allows anglers to check in eligible fish caught in D.C. waters for record fish awards and trophy fish awards. There are 29 different eligible species, and many categories currently have vacancies, so we encourage D.C. anglers to check in their fish. The full set of rules for the records program can be found on the Recreational Angling Records Program webpage. 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! 🎣
Upcoming Events
Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest
DOEE is collaborating with Wildlife Forever to announce the opening of the 2024-25 Art of Conservation® Fish Art Contest. The contest is open for submissions until February 28th, 2025, and is open to all District residents between the ages of 5-18. For more information, visit the Fish Art website of go to doee.dc.gov/service/fish-art-contest. For questions, please email doee.arec@dc.gov
Volunteer Angler Creel Survey
The Department of Energy and Environment’s Fisheries Research Branch is conducting it’s 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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