The Hickory Shad are in

The forums are very quiet

The Global FlyFisher forum has existed for almost as long as the site, and the oldest posts are more than 20 years old. Forums aren't what they used to be. Social media has taken over a lot of their roles, and the GFF form is very quiet ... to put it mildly.
We keep everything online for the sake of history, and preserve the posts for as long as possible, but as you will see, quite a few of them aren't in a good shape, but rely on old images hosted elsewhere, which are no longer available, odd codes from old systems and much more, which can't be shown in a decent way.
But the posts are here, and you can - if you insist - start new threads. But don't stay awake waiting for replies, because they are unfortunately few and far apart.
Martin

Fly fishing - Fish Better

Hi all,
I went down to Fletcher's Boathouse on the Potomac River in Washington, DC today. It was warm and breezy. I have been tying a lot of old traditional flies and I had a half dozen Mickey Finns with me that I tied last night. I was using a 250 grain Scientific Anglers sink tip with a three foot straight 15 pound mono leader. I landed eight shad and had another five or six on. The first two were both big for Hickorys. About twenty inches. They fought like badgers. They felt about two pounds or so. Really nice fish. I had caught several small ones before but now I understand the quest a bit better. I caught another one in the upper teens and I can see that there is a big difference in the fight. They didn't jump as much but dug down and ran hard and into the current. The American Shad wil soon be mixed in with the Hickorys and I can't wait to connect with one. I have caught many in New England but not for several decades. An eight pound American took a half an hour to land on spinning tackle when I was about fifteen. My arm is sore.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

[quote:c938d5da9b="Esox"] I was using a 250 grain Scientific Anglers sink tip with a three foot straight 15 pound mono leader. I landed eight shad and had another five or six on. [/quote:c938d5da9b]

That's nice, Bob. You like the sink-tip line now? :lol:

Most definitely love the sinking tip. I was using it at a local farm pond soon after I bought it to test it out for casting and such. I put on a big hellgramite immitation and caught many Largemouths. They were pounding it and I had fished the same pond a couple of days before with the same fly and got semi-skunked. It is too heavy for the five weight. I am going again this week with a nine weight. Grizz at Angler's Lie thought a 150 grain would be good for my five weight. What a great new way to fish.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

Bob:
Try fishing a floating fly, like a Crease Fly, with the sink tip. I've found it to be effective on bass in fresh water. A 3 to 6 foot straight fluorocarbon leader should do the trick.

Another day, another 30-40 Shad. I guess I hit it right yesterday. I got to my favorite rock at around three oclock and it was occupied. I went another 100 yards upstream to a slightly more precarious rock and started catching Shad immediatley. I stopped counting around two dozen and I continued to catch fish for another two hours. I was using the same 250 grain sinker but this time on a nine foot Loomis nine-weight. Much nicer but after a few hours, between casting and fighting fish,my forearm was pretty done. I packed it between two bags of frozen peas when I got home. Every fish I caught was on a Mickey Finn. The Loomis was not too much rod for the Shad. I hooked most of them in deep water and near the bottom. Between their hard fighting style and the current they were fine fare for the nine-weight. My only regret was that I lost what was probably an American Shad that I never got to see. It could have been a small Striped Bass, too. The water was quite clear for the Potomac and my perch was about six feet above the water surface so on the retrieve I could, for the first time, watch the fish flashing around the fly. It is amazing how many fish there were out there and how many pass at the fly on every retrieve. Since these fish do not eat on this breeding trek (so I have been told) I would love to know what motivates them to strike so gallantly at the fly. There were times when I either caught a fish or was hit hard and lost the fish on fifteen casts in a row.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

And yes, more Hickory Shad today and an American Shad as well. I am embarrased to tell you how many Hickorys I caught today. Lets just say that it was more than all of the others that I have caught in my life. I caught one that measured a full 22" long and weighed three pounds. I had to think it was an American, but no. Just a big roe Hickory. Several 15-25 pound Striped bass were caught before dawn on bait. Amazing fishery right in Washington, DC.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

[quote:f0510f7dfe="Esox"]And yes, more Hickory Shad today and an American Shad as well. I am embarrased to tell you how many Hickorys I caught today. Lets just say that it was more than all of the others that I have caught in my life.[/quote:f0510f7dfe]

Bob,

Great to hear that fishing is good! Any pictures to post? I'd love to see the places, the fish and your happy face when you hold up those large shad!

Martin

The American Shad will be in soon. When I go next (that is, when my arm recovers) I'll bring a camera. I will be working in DC today, right across the street from the famous Watergate Hotel, and I will probably stop in at the boathouse on my way home. I give you all a report.

[quote:c938d5da9b="Esox"] I was using a 250 grain Scientific Anglers sink tip with a three foot straight 15 pound mono leader. I landed eight shad and had another five or six on. [/quote:c938d5da9b]

That's nice, Bob. You like the sink-tip line now? :lol:

Most definitely love the sinking tip. I was using it at a local farm pond soon after I bought it to test it out for casting and such. I put on a big hellgramite immitation and caught many Largemouths. They were pounding it and I had fished the same pond a couple of days before with the same fly and got semi-skunked. It is too heavy for the five weight. I am going again this week with a nine weight. Grizz at Angler's Lie thought a 150 grain would be good for my five weight. What a great new way to fish.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

Bob:
Try fishing a floating fly, like a Crease Fly, with the sink tip. I've found it to be effective on bass in fresh water. A 3 to 6 foot straight fluorocarbon leader should do the trick.

Another day, another 30-40 Shad. I guess I hit it right yesterday. I got to my favorite rock at around three oclock and it was occupied. I went another 100 yards upstream to a slightly more precarious rock and started catching Shad immediatley. I stopped counting around two dozen and I continued to catch fish for another two hours. I was using the same 250 grain sinker but this time on a nine foot Loomis nine-weight. Much nicer but after a few hours, between casting and fighting fish,my forearm was pretty done. I packed it between two bags of frozen peas when I got home. Every fish I caught was on a Mickey Finn. The Loomis was not too much rod for the Shad. I hooked most of them in deep water and near the bottom. Between their hard fighting style and the current they were fine fare for the nine-weight. My only regret was that I lost what was probably an American Shad that I never got to see. It could have been a small Striped Bass, too. The water was quite clear for the Potomac and my perch was about six feet above the water surface so on the retrieve I could, for the first time, watch the fish flashing around the fly. It is amazing how many fish there were out there and how many pass at the fly on every retrieve. Since these fish do not eat on this breeding trek (so I have been told) I would love to know what motivates them to strike so gallantly at the fly. There were times when I either caught a fish or was hit hard and lost the fish on fifteen casts in a row.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

And yes, more Hickory Shad today and an American Shad as well. I am embarrased to tell you how many Hickorys I caught today. Lets just say that it was more than all of the others that I have caught in my life. I caught one that measured a full 22" long and weighed three pounds. I had to think it was an American, but no. Just a big roe Hickory. Several 15-25 pound Striped bass were caught before dawn on bait. Amazing fishery right in Washington, DC.

Bob Abrams
McLean, Virginia

[quote:f0510f7dfe="Esox"]And yes, more Hickory Shad today and an American Shad as well. I am embarrased to tell you how many Hickorys I caught today. Lets just say that it was more than all of the others that I have caught in my life.[/quote:f0510f7dfe]

Bob,

Great to hear that fishing is good! Any pictures to post? I'd love to see the places, the fish and your happy face when you hold up those large shad!

Martin

The American Shad will be in soon. When I go next (that is, when my arm recovers) I'll bring a camera. I will be working in DC today, right across the street from the famous Watergate Hotel, and I will probably stop in at the boathouse on my way home. I give you all a report.

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