Yes, the shad have returned to Fletcher’s Cove in Washington, DC
The first fish were caught on march 7 according to the Shad Report. I caught my first seven shad —all hickories— on March 17, 2024.
The fish were hammering silver spoons, although some were caught on darts. To catch them, you had to get your baits down in thw swift current. For me, that meant using a dart-spoon combo rig and adding two splitshot high up the leader. Below is a quickie video showing how to tie this rig.
For more tips on catching shad, surf the posts at https://kosarfishing.wordpress.com/?s=shad.
Have fun—and remember: treat the fish gently and put them back in the water. It is against the law to keep shad in Washington, DC.
Spring is a great time to catch trout on Colorado’s Fryingpan River
Once again, there I was with Brandon Soucie on the Fryingpan River. He has helped me catch innumerable trout —browns and rainbows— on this glorious stretch of water.
Each time I have gone in March, which is a great time to fish. The river is thronged with anglers in summer, but far fewer show up in March. It is the time of year when the first hatches of midges and blue-winged olive flies occur—especially on sunny days.
And my-oh-my, the hatch was big the two days I was out there this year. Bugs everywhere, and trout all around me poppping their heads from the water to gobble them up.
I was catching plenty of fish, but I know my techniqiue is not great. So I asked Brandon to show me how to drift a dry fly properly to catch a brown trout. Well, half a minute later he had one. You can book a trip with Brandon by ringing up Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Basalt: https://taylorcreek.com/pages/guide-profiles. And if you want to fish this water yourself, visit the guys at Taylor Creek and they will set you up with the right tippet and flies.
No, you can’t take shad from the Potomac River
Thanks to the Washingtonian for publishing this article. It pains me each spring to see yahoos and assorted imbeciles taking spawning shad and herring. They chuck cast nets. They drag big treble hooks and snag them. Other times they use sabiki rigs. They even use regular rods and legit lures (which is legal) but then refuse to return the fish to the water.
The ban on taking shad is there to help the population return to healthy levels. Poaching shad is illegal and inane. DON’T DO IT.
Now if only the authorities responsible for policing the waterways would put more men on the job to ticket the poachers. Warnings don’t work. Poachers will not change their ways unless you hit them in the wallet—hard.
And don;t get me started on the jerks at Chainbridge who poach striped bass—they deserve to have thier fishing gear seized and to be dunked in the Potomac. Many times.
My favorite baits for catching blue catfish at Fletcher’s Cove
My go-to baits for catching blue catfish big and small are: alewife, menhaden (bunker), and stinky chicken. The recipe for stinky chicken is below. I love to use cut eel when I can get it. Cut bluegill also works. And while I am mentioning baits, yes, you can catch blue catfish on chicken livers, bologna, and hot dogs(!)
Fishing Crystal Lake in Silver Lake, Ohio
Crystal Lake is a private lake. You need to purchase a membership, or to come as the guest of a member. Do not try to sneak into this lake. The police keep an eye on it, as do residents and members. You can apply for membership at https://www.crystallakebeach.com/. It is well worth it: you can swim in this 24-acre, spring-ef lake, enjoy the basketball and pickleball courts, use the grills, and borrow (free of charge) boats, kayaks, and paddleboards.
I started coming to this lake in the 1970s, and it is a beauty. Crystal Lake is loaded with fish: smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, yellow perch, carp, catfish, pike, black crappie… and who knows wht else. I love fishing plastics here: Gulp minnows (2.5″) on jig heads bring crappie and bass; senko worms Texas-rigged or wacky-rigged bring bass. Here you see me using my fly rod and a squirmy worm to score a panfish. Earlier I used a conventional rod to pull up two largemouths.
If you live anywhere near Silver Lake, Ohio—consider getting a membership at Crystal Lake. The fishing and fun last from late May through September. And if you buy a fishing key, well, you can open the gate to the lake and go fishing when nobody else is there. Your own private paradise!
Gear: Get a fish cleaning table
I love catching, cleaning, and cooking fish. But that middle step is one that inevitably creates household issues. Sure, you can clean a fish on a kitchen counter, but you will end up with fish juice leaking off the counter and down your cabinets or walls. And then there is the smell of fish—even with a thorough cleaning it can linger in your home for days.
A couple of times I have tried cleaning outdoors on a cheap folding table. That was fine, but it meant I didn’t have a readily handy water source for washing my hands or the fillets I cut. I ended up having to bend over and grab the garden house again and again, which was a bother. There also was no place to put down my fillet knife without it sitting in fish blood and juice, which makes the handle slippery.
So I took care of all those hassles by buying an Avocahome folding fish table. You connect your garden hose to it (which is easy and takes about 30 seconds), and voila! You have a table with a little sink, faucet, and sprayer.
I used the table the first time yesterday and it was great. My cleaning from start to finish was faster. The sprayer nozzle can be tuurned t create a powerful jet of water that blast the table clean. Setting it up the first time took maybe 15 minutes and required no tools. and take down is really quuick. You unscrew your garden hose from the bottom, fold the faucet into the sink, then tilt the table on its side, and fold in the legs., then put it wherever you want to stow it. Great gear!
Gear: Build a bait bucket / live well for cheap
Call it a bait bucket; call it a live well. Either way, what you want is something to keep your fishing bait live. The bucket and lid cost $5 at Lowe’s and this frabil aerator was $12 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Okmqdr You can build this in 5 minutes, and it works great.
I filled it half full of water and put a half dozen bluegill in it the night before a fishing trip. The next morning the aerator was running strong and the bluegills were very lively. And, yes, you can snap the lid tight so that the water does not slosh out while you are lugging it.
Gear: DIY Kayak/Canoe Cart (or Dolly)
My brother-in-law built this cart. The materials are:
(3) 2 by 4s
(2) casters
(2) eyehooks or similar hardware
(2) pieces of pool noodle
(1) bungy cord
He put small PVC pipes inside the noodle pieces, but they are not necesary. You can staple or screw the noodle directly to the 2 by 4s.
Below is a brief video I made where I discuss the cart.
Gear: Squirmy worms for catching bluegill, sunfish, little largemouth bass — and trout!
These Thor Outdoor Squirmy Worms are great for catching blluegill, sunfish, and small bass. The size 14 hook version works really well—it will catch slab-sized panfish and wee little pipsqueaks.
I first started using them to catch trout on my fly rod. The bead helps sink the worm in the current of streams and creeks. I have had untold rainbows hammer these worms—and a few fallfish too!
Then I started using them to catch panfish and little bass. Boom! Success aplenty.
When one of my kids wanted to join me in the fun, I tied one of these to the 10-pound line on his conventional fishing rod. Super light lures like this one are hard to cast on a regular rod, so I added weight in the form of a thin balsa bobber. (Note: Big bobbers often scare off panfish and bass. Also note: I’d advise using 6-pound monfilament or braided line instead of 10-pound. Panfish a little bass don’t require more than 6-pound line.)
Wham! Each of us caught one fish after another.
These Thor Outdoor Squirmy Worms are a staple in my tackle box. You can order them at https://amzn.to/42W7d8i or https://www.ebay.com/itm/204206122366?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=WZtRAe3VRxm&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=qm-drad7ryy&var=504784020143&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY.
Kosar's Fishing Notes 