March 21st, 2025
Welcome back to the District Fishing Report! District anglers have been patiently waiting for warmer weather and longer days as winter’s grip has been slow to let go. The first signs of spring are arriving as cherry blossoms around the city are beginning to bloom. Daylight savings starting has given us sunsets after 7pm and, after work fishing trips are back on the table. The waters in D.C. offer great fishing throughout the year, but spring fishing brings us an abundance of opportunities that anglers of all experience levels can enjoy. Anadromous fish, meaning that they spend their life in the ocean and migrate up rivers to spawn in the spring, are starting to return to our waters. Hickory shad, American shad, river herring, striped bass, and others will be arriving in the district over the coming weeks. The Potomac River from Georgetown up to Chain Bridge is an excellent stretch of river to fish for these species and many more. As we are entering prime fishing season, we want to remind anglers about the Recreational Angling Records Program. This program gives anglers the opportunity to submit their catches for award certificates. Trophy fish awards are length-based photo-entry awards that can be obtained by submitting a picture of a qualifying fish on a measuring device. District angling record certificates are weight-based, and catches must be verified by a DOEE biologist. Anglers can reach out to fishing license coordinator Dillon Waters at dillon.waters@dc.gov to submit pictures for trophy fish awards or to schedule a time for their catch to be weighed at the Aquatic Resources Education Center located in Anacostia Park at 1900 Anacostia Drive. The full list of eligible species and minimum length and weights for entry can be found on the Recreational Angling Records Program webpage. Now is the time to get your fishing rods ready for one of the best times of the year to fish in D.C.
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Hickory shad have arrived at Fletcher’s Cove. They will offer excellent catch and release fishing opportunities throughout the spring.
Shad season is underway, and the first hickory shad was caught near Fletcher’s Cove on March 7th, about a half mile upriver from the cove. Since then, there have been a few more catches, but the big schools of fish have not arrived yet. Water temperatures are in the low 50s but steadily climbing. Warm sunny days should bring more fish into our waters over the coming weeks. The National Park Service is predicting the peak cherry blossom to be between March 28th to March 31st. This peak usually coincides well with the large schools of shad arriving to the upper Potomac. Shad fishing can be done from a boat, but part of its appeal is that shoreline fishing can be just as productive, if not more so, in many of the upriver areas they’re found during the run. The rocky shorelines lining the river from Fletcher's Cove to Chain Bridge are popular casting locations for shore-based anglers. Shad will be sitting in the slower-moving pools of water outside the main current. You will often find the most success where you can spot and cast to a seam in the current between sections of water moving at different speeds. These visible water barriers tend to congregate the fish. Shad will hit small spoons and shad darts, but they can get quite picky about just what they’ll strike 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. A slow retrieve with very subtle twitches of the rod tip is normally the most effective. We had a report from an angler that said he spent a few hours casting into the current last week, but did not get any bites. Another angler said he fished for half a day and only caught two hickory shad. Local guide Chad Koenig reported that he saw signs of hickory shad splashing on the surface in the Fletcher’s area last weekend. The fishing will only get better next month! Anglers can sign up for the Friends of Fletchers Cove Shad Report for the best updates on this season's shad run.
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This giant blue catfish was caught by an angler fishing with Captain Chad Koenig of Dog Days Fishing Charters.
The catfish bite has turned on big time this month with anglers reporting success across the District. Several charter captains have also moved their boats to D.C. to fish for catfish this spring, and they have caught a lot of impressive fish recently. Captain Greg Buckner of Miss Susie Charters has three boats running trips in the district and says most days are offering steady action from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the Georgetown Waterfront. Last week he had a trip where his crew boated over 50 fish, with the largest being 41 pounds. Another day last week saw all three boats catch over 30 fish each with numerous double-digit fish. Captain Greg has caught fish up to 67 pounds this spring and there are bigger fish out there. Captain Tim Blanchard from Fish The Potomac has been running trips up to Georgetown and reports a great bite that should only get better. Light tackle guide Chad Koenig of Dog Days Fishing Charters has also been out on the upper Potomac several days this month. Captain Chad spends most of his trips fishing the stretch of river from Three Sisters Island to Chain Bridge. We wouldn’t believe it if he didn’t have pictures to prove it, but his anglers are catching an average of 500 pounds of fish a trip. They are catching 20-pound fish all trip long, with about a dozen fish over 30 pounds each trip. Two to three fish per trip have been over the 40-pound mark. The river is running low and clear right now, which offers excellent fishing conditions. Captain Chad is catching fish with both cut bait and on artificial lures. His anglers aren't only catching catfish, when they are using jigs and soft plastics, they have caught white perch, walleye, smallmouth bass, flathead catfish, and, of course, blue catfish. Last weekend he also saw signs of hickory shad splashing on the surface in the vicinity of Fletcher's Cove. A kayak angler fishing upstream of Fletcher’s Cove took advantage of the great river conditions to jig for catfish. He caught a 20-pound flathead and three blue catfish in the 10-to-15-pound range using a 7-inch paddletail and a two-ounce jighead. Other anglers fishing from the bank north of Fletcher's are reporting a steady bite for blue catfish too. Gizzard shad is working best for bait, but other baits such as eel, worms, and chicken are also working. The catfish bite at Hains Point has been on the slower side recently, but that should change as water temperatures warm up and more herring move into the area. Anglers fishing on the Anacostia River are starting to see an improved catfish bite and fish are being caught at Diamond Teague Park, Anacostia Park, and Kenilworth Park. Things are just starting to heat up. Don't miss out on the action this spring.
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Flathead catfish are another invasive catfish species that can be found in D.C. waters.
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
Spring Evening Fishing Event
The Aquatic Resources Education Center will be hosting a Spring fishing event on Wednesday April 23rd from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Tidal Basin. DOEE biologists will offer fishing instruction and information for fishing in D.C. All equipment and bait will be provided. We hope to see you there!
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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