Fresh Water
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.
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: 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.
The Shad Have Arrived at Fletcher’s Cove!
At Fletcher’s Cove in Washington, DC, The first shad of 2023 was caught on March 1, which is early compared to most years. But, a cold snap and some rainy weather stymied the shad run. I gave it a whirl a few days after that first reported catch, but got doddly squat despite fishing four different known shad spots over a half mile stretch.
Come the last week of March, the shad showed up in considerable numbers. On April 4, I finally got out there and was amply rewarded. I got a nice one on my third cast. During my four hours of fishing, I landed between 25 and 30 shad, most were hickories but there were several Americans.
In the next few weeks, the shad run will grow more intense and anglers may find themselves catching fish on cast after csat. (Last year, if memory serves, my record was fish on seven consecutive casts and nine out of ten.)
If you have questions about how to catch shad, check out my instructional posts. Shad fishing is an annual spring rite, and a very fun one.
How to tell a hickory shad from an American shad
Great visual from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/american-or-hickory-id-your-shad-catch/.
For good measure, the same DWR page also shows you how to tell the difference between an alewife and a blueback herring.
Virginia DWR: Kill those Alabama bass!
The Virginia govenrment is asking anglers to identify and off any Alabama bass they catch. They are invasive species and a “tremendous threat to largemouth and smallmouth bass fisheries.” The Department of Wildlife Resources say you may catch as many as you want. The agency wants them gone.
The DFW notes you can identify an Alabama bass from a largemouth a few ways. One is to look at the closed mouth: “the jaw of Alabama bass lines up with the middle rear of the eye, while largemouth bass jaws extend past the eye.” but careful—don;t confuse it with a smallmouth bass. (See the pic above or the bigger version here.)
You can find out more information at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/fish/alabama-bass/.
So, you can eat them, or you can lop them up and use them for bait to catch catfish.
Catching trout at DoubleSpur on Cedar Creek in Star Tannery, Virginia
Less than two hours from Washington, DC, one can pay to fish a long, private stretch of Cedar Creek. The water is superb, and the owner stocks it with rainbow trout, brookies, and who knows what else.
When I visited, the creek was loaded with fish. Levi Pitcock, the owner, wisely limits fishing to 6 persons per day, so you can definitely find a spot with fish.
In December 2022, I spent a day there. I had no luck getting fish to take a little rubber trout worm or various egg patterns. Then I met Woody, a guy who fishes there almost weekly, who explained I should go with a tiny dry fly and a nymph. And the nymphs preferably should be green or brown, he counseled. That is what the fish want in the winter.
Well, the bites started coming right after I made the switch in flies. Good times!
Details about DoubleSpur are at http://www.doublespuroutfitters.com/trout and it is there you can also reserve a spot. There also are cabins out there you can rent, and you can hunt at DoubleSpur. Enjoy!
Kosar's Fishing Notes 