Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Tidal Basin Report (sort of)

I'm headed to the Tidal Basin Friday afternoon/evening, trying to get there right after high tide when the current starts moving back out.  I've never fished there before but have read a lot of posts on this forum where people say they are fishing clouser minnows in there on a floating line.  What's the advantage to using a sinking fly on floating line instead of using a sink-tip line?

I have a few clouser minnows to take over there, but was thinking I'd stop by the Orvis store in Clarendon before I go.  Any other flys I should pick up (I'm out of wooly buggers - probably need some more).

Thanks!
Paul

On Monday, June 11, 2012 10:10:22 AM UTC-4, Rockroller wrote:
I generally fish the Tidal Basin with a floating line, generally with a clouser or klawdad on the end.  I pitch the fly along the edges into shade, near floating debris, whatever.  I am generally not using long casts.

--- On Mon, 6/11/12, Todd Kuethe <toddkuethe@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Todd Kuethe <toddkuethe@gmail.com>
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Tidal Basin Report (sort of)
To: tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com
Date: Monday, June 11, 2012, 10:02 AM

I haven't fished the Tidal Basin in a few weeks, but I've had some luck fishing on the banks along the FDR memorial and north (clockwise might be a better way to say it) from MLK.  I've pulled in a few bass, sunfish, and catfish using a sinking line with a clouser or wooly bugger.  I also fished after work in the evening.  

On Sunday, June 10, 2012 10:13:16 PM UTC-4, Nomad wrote:
I've been watching this group for awhile but never felt like I had the knowledge to post anything.  I've been living in the DC area for almost two years now.  Specifically, I live on Bolling AFB.  Off and on for the past two years I have taken a spinning reel out to the banks of the Potomac on Bolling AFB and dragged in mostly catfish but the occasional bass or perch.  Several months ago I googled information on local fly fishing and found Rob Snowhite.  I had been fly fishing off and on for almost ten years now but it has almost all been in the Durango, CO area for trout.  I decided to purchase a few hours of Rob's services as a guide and get me and my oldest daughter some time on the fly fishing on the Potomac.  It was near the beginning of the shad run and Rob set us up on the Virginia side next to Chainbridge.  Skunked would be the appropriate word for that day of fishing.  My daughter did reel in one fish near the end and I think Rob posted that picture to this group or his website.  I do not believe this is representative of Rob's talent as a guide because I saw very few fish come out of the water that day from others around us and the few I did see were catfish.  My daughter and I went out a few days later to the same area and she caught several small fish near the banks while I was trying for the shad further out and in deeper waters.  Skunked would be the word again despite a gentlemen near me reeling in shad on every other cast.  I found my way to Fletcher's Boathouse a few weeks later and made my way up the banks trying to figure out this stripping thing which is a lot different than dry fly trout fishing.  Skunked again.  Not even a nibble.

I figured my gear was not necessarily set up for this type of fishing (floating line, etc) so I stopped by Urban Anglers a couple of times and purchased some sinking line and a good collection of clousers and other patterns.  I practiced casting near my house on base to get used to the extra weight on the line but I think I only pulled out one fish that almost matched the size of my clouser.  Not quite sure how he got the hook in his mouth.  I can't say that it is good fishing near Bolling either since it requires quite a good cast to get anywhere near the current of the river.  I think I have caught one striper worth talking about in my two years fishing with a spinning rod.  Plenty of catfish though.

After a long weekend of taking care of the kids while my wife was out of town, I decided to head to Fletcher's tonight.  Then I decided it was too late to head to Fletcher's so I figured I would try the Tidal Basin for my first time.  I found a parking spot near the bridge over the inlet and scoped out the area.  I tried the river side first but the incoming tide and previous storms put a lot of debris in this area and I only stayed there for a little while.  I made my way to the other side of the bridge and the fish were rising to the surface all over the place.  Can't quite say what they were but some of them had long noses (Gars???).  I made my way through my tackle box starting with a white/chartreuse clouser, followed by a chartreuse bullet looking lure (sorry I still don't know the names of these things), followed by a dark frog pattern, and ending with another clouser (golden).  I stayed near the bridge for most of the time because that's where I was seeing the most fish.  I cast towards every rise I could reach.  I cast under the bridge, or at least as far as I could get the lure.  I stripped at different tempos.  Nothing.  The final clouser got snagged as I started to make my way away from the Bridge and I lost it along with all the leader up to my sinking tip.  I determined I didn't want to go through the effort of tying on new leader so I packed up just after sunset.  I think I was out there for about 90 minutes.  Long story even longer, my report is that the Tidal Basin is really slow...for me.  But, as you can tell, even on good days, fishing is really slow for me.  Don't know if I have my account set up correct but I put my nickname down as Nomad.  Maybe I should changed it to Skunked.

I don't get out every week due to family obligations but I would really like to figure out what I need to do differently.  I did notice someone posted about canoeing recently and looking for a partner.  I'll be keeping an eye out for those types of messages.  The one drawback is I only have a DC license so it limits me to certain locations.  I've been meaning to go to the second Monday Beer Ties to meet and greet some of you face to face but being the father of a 10 and an 8 year means fishing isn't the top priority.  I'm not going to make it to the beer tie this month either.  I hope to see some of you out on the Potomac and welcome any suggestions.
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