Washington DC was filled to capacity with visitors gawking at the spring time cherry blossoms. They can have the pretty little flowers, I had fish to catch. Recently, I had learned of a historic place of fishing lore, Fletcher’s Cove.
Shad fishing was once the welcoming spring ritual for me. If you wanted to find me in April, the best place to look would have been Deer Creek at the Stafford Bridge or any one of the lesser know shad holding holes between the bridge and the mouth of the creek at the Susquehanna River. However, over the last few springs the distance between me and Deer Creek has separated me from this welcoming of spring.
Fletcher’s Cove
Recently I learned about Fletcher’s Cove and the boat house from a co-worker. Wow, what a cool place. The history surrounding Fletcher’s boat house is book worthy. From the Indian artifacts left behind from fisherman of long ago to the “improvements” performed by Corp of Engineers in the 1960s that has caused tremendous silting in of the cove, Fletcher’s Cove is as much a part of Washington DC as the Cherry Blossoms of spring. To learn more about Fletcher’s Cover check out Friends of Fletcher’s Cove.
The other day when the weather was just too dang on nice to stay in the office, I made a few excuses, jumped in the truck and headed over to Fletcher’s Cove. In route I stopped to grabbed some cold fried chicken and a soda from the market. The kayak and fishing rods stay on the truck during this time of the year. You just never know when the fishing bug will bite and you need to be ready at all times.
When fishing Fletcher’s Cove one needs an anchor or you will spend more time paddling back up river than fishing. The current is too quick to drift fish. Or at least it has been the times I have been there.normally I don’t carry an anchor with the kayak and had to improvise with parachute cord and a rock. Yep, I carry parachute cord in the door pocket of my truck at all times; you just never know when you might need it. Doesn’t everybody?
I anchored the kayak in a few different positions testing out different depths and current lines before I found the Shad. In the slower water of an eddy toward the lower end of the cove, I tossed the pair of shad darts tied to the end of my line and slowly retrieved through a current break. Here I found the fish. For the next two hours, the shad came in waves. I would catch three or four on as many casts, then the bite would dry up for a while. The next wave would show a few minutes later and the fun would start again. I had found my new place to Shad fish.
During the last week, I’ve made 3 trips to Fletcher’s Cove and each time the shad were biting. How long they will stay, I don’t really know, But I’ll keep going until the run is over and they head back to the ocean. If you find yourself around DC with some free time, drive out to Fletcher’s cove, grab that fishing rod you keep in your car for those impulsive runs to the water and toss a shad dart. Don’t have any shad darts ? The fishing shop has them for sale. No boat is required as the shad can be caught from the shore, but if you do want Fletcher’s Boat House has reasonably priced row boats for rent. It is the best way I know to break up the work week.
