Massive schools of fish in 4MR

[Jeff Silvan]

I went out to 4 Mile Run yesterday afternoon with my friend. We had mild success - a few largemouths and sunfish, but nothing of size. I did, however, see one giant largemouth (at least 5 lbs, conservatively) right next to the treatment plant discharge and three needlefish that kept chasing my fly. The most interesting thing I saw were massive schools of fish swimming around. These fish numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, all in the area of the discharge. I'm not sure what they were, but they appeared to be silvery and looked like shad. They were all about 6 inches, but every once in a while I'd see a loner that was 10 or 12 inches. They completely ignored any fly (although I wasn't really trying for them except for three casts with a nymph), and seemed like they were simply displacing any fish that would normally be there. Any thoughts on what these could have been? Lane actually foul hooked one and got a picture, so hopefully he can post it for confirmation. He said it was very slimy if that gives any clues...

Jeff

[Mike]

Look like this?

On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 10:39 AM, Jeff Silvan <jeffre...@gmail.com> wrote:

I went out to 4 Mile Run yesterday afternoon with my friend. We had mild success - a few largemouths and sunfish, but nothing of size. I did, however, see one giant largemouth (at least 5 lbs, conservatively) right next to the treatment plant discharge and three needlefish that kept chasing my fly. The most interesting thing I saw were massive schools of fish swimming around. These fish numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, all in the area of the discharge. I'm not sure what they were, but they appeared to be silvery and looked like shad. They were all about 6 inches, but every once in a while I'd see a loner that was 10 or 12 inches. They completely ignored any fly (although I wasn't really trying for them except for three casts with a nymph), and seemed like they were simply displacing any fish that would normally be there. Any thoughts on what these could have been? Lane actually foul hooked one and got a picture, so hopefully he can post it for confirmation. He said it was very slimy if that gives any clues...

Jeff

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[Jeff Silvan]

I'm almost certain that's it! I was downriver a bit, so I didn't see them out of water, but that looks right.

On Monday, September 24, 2012 10:50:07 AM UTC-4, Mike wrote:

Look like this?

On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 10:39 AM, Jeff Silvan <jeffre...@gmail.com> wrote:

I went out to 4 Mile Run yesterday afternoon with my friend. We had mild success - a few largemouths and sunfish, but nothing of size. I did, however, see one giant largemouth (at least 5 lbs, conservatively) right next to the treatment plant discharge and three needlefish that kept chasing my fly. The most interesting thing I saw were massive schools of fish swimming around. These fish numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, all in the area of the discharge. I'm not sure what they were, but they appeared to be silvery and looked like shad. They were all about 6 inches, but every once in a while I'd see a loner that was 10 or 12 inches. They completely ignored any fly (although I wasn't really trying for them except for three casts with a nymph), and seemed like they were simply displacing any fish that would normally be there. Any thoughts on what these could have been? Lane actually foul hooked one and got a picture, so hopefully he can post it for confirmation. He said it was very slimy if that gives any clues...

Jeff

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[Matthew Longley]

Hi Jeff,

Can I ask what your approach was?  I swung by the other day and walked down to the water, and the bank seemed really tight with growth, with a fast drop of water depth.  Did you just side cast off the bank?

Thanks!

Matt

[Jeff Silvan]

Matt - what I've seen the most (but I'm no expert on 4MR by any means) is getting across from the treatment plant (the opposite bank). There's a section right before the soccer fields (if you park at Pier 1 or the Toyota dealership) where you can walk carefully down some rocks to get into the water. Even at high tide, it's typically no deeper than knee deep until you get very close to the treatment plant discharge. The side with the treatment plant does tend to drop off faster, so I'm not sure where/if you can access from that side.

[Lane Smith]

I'm positive they were gizzard shad. So annoying. When I accidentally
foul hooked one it put up less of a fight than a panfish half its
size.

On Sep 24, 10:50 am, Mike <m...@shadfishing.com> wrote:
> Look like this?
> [image: Inline image 1]
>

> On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 10:39 AM, Jeff Silvan <jeffreysil...@gmail.com>wrote:> I went out to 4 Mile Run yesterday afternoon with my friend. We had mild

>  image.jpeg
> 413KViewDownload
>
>  GizzardShad.jpg
> 413KViewDownload

[r...@robsnowhite.com]

Gizzard shad are the Jawas of the Potomac. No one likes them. They will eat strike indicators and flies in yhe winter in 4mr. There should be white perch schooled up around them now.

Sent from my iPhone

[Lane Smith]

Jawas are kind of cute though. These things were annoying like that
Jarjarbink person. Don't they only
Eat mud normally? I've never caught a perch will be on the lookout for
them.

On Sep 25, 12:52 pm, "R...@robsnowhite.com" <r...@robsnowhite.com>
wrote:

> Gizzard shad are the Jawas of the Potomac. No one likes them. They will eat strike indicators and flies in yhe winter in 4mr. There should be white perch schooled up around them now.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

[Rob Snowhite]

I was out at 4MR today at low tide and saw two things that I had never seen before.

1st - fishing at the sewage outflow all of a sudden gizzard shad started to explode out of the water in all directions. It looked like salmon trying to jump a waterfall. Then as soon as it started, they all vanished. I can confirm they are gizzards as I saw one foul hooked yesterday.

2nd - a few minutes later something strange popped up out of the water. Not a doodie. It moved toward shore. It turned out to be a good sized brown water snake with a good sized bluegill in its mouth. I got my iphone up to it to record some video before it spit it out. I then slipped and filled my waders. I got lucky with the phone. Time to get a lifeproof case. And about the worries of putting a tippet in mouth after its been in the water, I'm pretty sure I ingested some of the 4MR and have not had any issues so far.

Found an AAA card and another credit card today out there.

[TurbineBlade]

Nerodia!  I worked with Western Cottonmouths in 2008 -- also had some pygmy rattlers, copperheads and many northern water snakes in the lab.  Funny thing about the northerns (and other nerodia from what I understand, Concho, etc.) is that grasping them at any point along their body most always elicits a strike and musk response......but if you immediately place the snake back into it's cage and present food, they will eat it right away! 

 

The Cottonmouths....not so much.  So it's almost like the nerodia strike purely as a reflex action (likely selected for due to avian predation) but are not "stressed" by the experience.  Kind of interesting. 

 

Sometimes I miss the lab, but you can only watch so many hours of neonatal cottonmouths moving through Y-mazes.  Bill Nye was much more exciting.  

 

Gene

[Scott Stankus]

I was out for a couple hours today first at Gravelly Point, then at Four Mile Run. I was have never seen the water so clear at either location. I was amazed. I also found it to be really low, even though I was out shortly after high tide. 

I saw schools (at least a hundred fish in one - and an 18" LMB following) of Gizzard Shad at 4MR, but the battery in the camera was dead, so I didn't get to film them. I did get a fun compilation of Bluegills, though:

https://vimeo.com/50499300

Also, can anyone identify the little fish in this video? Sculpin? Some kind of Dace?

https://vimeo.com/5049260

Attached is a photo of the only fish I caught all day. What a fun fight!

--Scott

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[r...@robsnowhite.com]

Looks like a tessellated darter.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 30, 2012, at 9:45 PM, Scott Stankus <ssta...@gmail.com> wrote:

[TurbineBlade]

Yeah, that's a tessie.  We used to shock those up in a lot of places, including the Anacostia River believe it or not -- literally right under where Benning road crosses the river.  They make good aquarium fish -- extremely hardy.  Of course, so do blacknose dace, banded killifish and mummichogs (if you have a large enough tank for them). 

 

Gene

On Monday, September 24, 2012 10:39:19 AM UTC-4, Jeff Silvan wrote:

[Lucas Rudd]

Maybe that is somthing that sombody flushed down there toilit.