Pacemaker Fishing Forum

"A Season in a Sunday"


Fishing can be a fantastic way to forget messy miseries, and Jamie and I found a mess of migrating and cooperative hickory shad to occupy our busy minds with busy hands as blissful morning mist rose from the river's shimmering surface.

Bites missed weren't cause for concern but merely friendly banter because more bites would surely materialize.  Bent rods of the fly and spinning type arched over the gunwales of a recently added Corecell model Fletcher’s rowboat whose occupants had a great time catching up – on recent life events and on acrobatic alosines.  Jamie only averted attention from the long rod for a quick break or a cast upstream to a seam that I seemed to think might produce.  “Fish on, good tip”, “Kinda like being guided, ain’t it?”  “Yeh, but I’m not paying you!” 







The bites, banter, and a couple beers filled our cups until Jamie had to mosey off to help a brother move before the morn came to an end.

I decided to extend the trip, surely not the first time I’ve made a half day into a full day!  Attempting to row a bit as I eased away from the dock, I quickly realized I’m too impatient to learn new skills when fish may await beneath, and at least usually, more graceful and efficient moving rods with intention rather than oars.  Drifting downriver at a slow pace atop the paltry flow of the Potomac I connected with 3 hickory shad in somewhat unexpected spots, but amazingly managed to screw up a spinning reel by winding line around the main shaft instead of the spool.  Darn, down to just 3 rods…

After discovering a wandering kayaker and red rowboat near my favored location and an outgoing tide that hadn’t quite begun moving enough water to reveal afternoon shad alleys, I made my way back upstream, a trusty trolling motor providing the locomotion against the current.  One of my better moves ever as for the entirety of the afternoon a prodigious pod of baby tarpon tested my tackle time after time.  It wasn’t a counting day as I had landed over two dozen before dawn, but when I leave having caught enough and am too tired to re-rig another rod, the totals are of the seasonal not the daily variety.  I’ve fished Fletcher’s more than once from dawn to darkness.  My only curiosity is if I made it to 200, a distinct possibility.






The Rundown:

Weather:  Stupendous all morning, clear, crisp, and cloudless.  Winds gusted and skies opened occasionally and briefly after noon, but not in a manner that dissuaded continued casting and catching.  Temps from 50 to low 60s.

Water Temp:  Between 69F and 71 F.

Turbidity:  Started well above 10 at dawn and dropped to below 4 FNU, surely helping the cause.

Water Level: Low, low, low, less than 5,000 cfs and falling steadily, 3.35 to 3.30 gage height.  Late summer like conditions.

The Fish:  Surely over a 100 partnered up in the morning, and another 100 or more for the afternoon stint.  Many plump hickories interspersed with other visitors like a blue cat, a striper and herring.

Colors:  Orange and gold spoons were the clear winners, but chartreuse worked as well.

Time:  Morning shift 6:30 – 11:30 AM, afternoon 12 noon – 4 PM.

Tip:  When the hickories are spawning or already departing, be sure to try super quick jig jerking high in the water column.  When their guard is up, they come up to smash rapidly moving baits.