Fall Stripers

[chad tokowicz]

Good day everyone!

New to the area but not new to fly fishing.

Just read charlie taylors fishing report and it stated that stripers are being taken in the Potomac in various spots close to D.C.

Just wondering if anyone has gotten out for stripers recently and if you have had any luck.

Also curious as to how the fishery changes in the fall, does it become more active/ does the fishing pick up?

Been too long since I have felt the tug of a striper so it would be great to hone in on the fish.

Thanks and Tight Lines!

- Chad 

[Evan D]

Chad, welcome to the area! You’ve come to the right place for info on striper fishing. Fall is a great time to search for them here around DC. The Chesapeake Bay rivers and the bay itself get very active for striped bass in October and into November. This includes the Potomac but also rivers like the Severn and Patapsco which can be accessed easily at parks or even at the end of city streets. I prefer low light conditions (morning, evening, night, or overcast) with moving currents and fluctuating tides. At night, lights on the water help a lot! A clouser minnow or a topwater gurgler/popper work well. Do some searching on this forum as there is a lot of information available to you from over the years! Good luck!!

-Evan

[Dave Stephenson]

Welcome! Went out of Chesapeake Beach on Sunday with a good friend on his 24 ft center console. Left the harbor about 7:30 am and by 9:00 we were chasing one surface melee after another. We probably put 75-100 Stripers on the deck until we knocked off about 12:30. Was a blast but we didn’t see a single fish over 18 inches (19 being the minimum for dinner), average was probably about 15”. All those schoolies looked fantastic-great color, healthy, and full of energy. A few weeks ago we didn’t boat anything under 20 inches in the same stretch of the bay. You just never know!

[Andrew Sarcinello]

Chad,

What Evan said. I'll add that last year, the bite in the Potomac here in DC shut off for me when the water temps dropped below 50 degrees in mid November.  The year before, it was warmer and they were around until Thanksgiving. So you have a solid 4+ weeks to get into them.

Check tides for the Washington Channel and look for days when high tide occurs about an hour before sunset or later. A number of local spots fish best at the early part of the outgoing tide.

[Gregg DiSalvo]

Chad, Outside of shad fishing, this is my favorite time of year to fish.  I, like most, have the best luck in low light.  I prefer dusk to dawn and moving water is a must.  There are spots that have moving water that fish well in the 30 minutes on either side of sunset regardless of tide.  If you have a kayak or canoe, there are some cool back of rivers and potomac tribs that the schoolies (this time of year they are mainly preschoolies but great fun on a 6 wt) hang out in.  In my experiences, the bite is essentially non existent in the areas I hit until that 30 minute period on either side of dark.  A switch turns on, and the surface blows up. I can often catch a schoolie on every cast for 30 minutes and then they shut off.  I am sure with enough focus, I could find a few more willing fish, but I usually pack it in.  

These are great weeknight trips after work.  On the water at 6:30, casting by 6:40, off the water by 7:30.  A lot of work with the cartopping, but worth it.  


Gregg

[Gregg DiSalvo]

BTW, these are the sizes i'm talking about.  You'll find an occasional bigger fish, but most that I find are around this size.  This is from last night.  the first always gets the picture.  It's too dark for good pictures later.  

[chad tokowicz]

Hey all really appreciate all of the input here.

I was scanning on google maps and might start off fishing the Gravelly point area looks like on an outgoing tide there could be some good water movement near the bridge. Thoughts on this spot? 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Gregg DiSalvo]

Chad, That is always a fun spot.  I like hitting it around 2 hours into outgoing tide, especially when it coincides with dark.  Just bring waders and a headlamp.  It can be hit or miss, but this time of year should get you at least a few striper.  Just swing, twitch and strip flies.  It's also just a unique spot for its serenity.... All jokes aside, having planes taking off overhead while catching fish is super cool!  Very much urban fishing

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 12:54:18 PM UTC-4, chad tokowicz wrote:

[chad tokowicz]

hahaha I bet its quite the rush.

I will try and head out some time this week and let y'all know how I make out. 

If anyone wants to fish let me know would love to learn the spots from a local. 

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[N Elgas]

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 12:54:18 PM UTC-4, chad tokowicz wrote:

[N Elgas]

Does anyone fish it in the AM pre dawn.  Any one want to meet up before work.  I get in the City between 6 and 630 and normally run or fish the basin to beat rush hour,  but I would love to catch a striper!

I've never fished Gravely or waded there.  I don't have the balls to do it solo in the dark for the first time.  I will bring the coffee and donuts if anyone what's to show me the ropes or figure it out together. 

[Yambag Nelson]

The wading is extremely easy. It would take doing something incredibly idiotic to get yourself into trouble.

[Brian Halpern]

I am new to the area as well and would love to connect with a few people learn the area a bit better.

By no means am I an expert at fly fishing ukyet love getting out on a river or stream.

My experience is with trout fishing in North West USA so would love to learn other techniques.

Brian

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[tperkins]

I would respectfully disagree with Yambag, while it is not super technical wading, there are some deep holes to watch out for (at least last year), wobbly rocks, and the current can be ripping at times. So just wade slowly and be smart, and you will be fine. 

On Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 1:13:49 PM UTC-4, Brian Halpern wrote:

I am new to the area as well and would love to connect with a few people learn the area a bit better.

By no means am I an expert at fly fishing ukyet love getting out on a river or stream.

My experience is with trout fishing in North West USA so would love to learn other techniques.

Brian

On Wed, Oct 24, 2018, 10:57 N Elgas <caca...@gmail.com> wrote:

Does anyone fish it in the AM pre dawn.  Any one want to meet up before work.  I get in the City between 6 and 630 and normally run or fish the basin to beat rush hour,  but I would love to catch a striper!

I've never fished Gravely or waded there.  I don't have the balls to do it solo in the dark for the first time.  I will bring the coffee and donuts if anyone what's to show me the ropes or figure it out together. 

On Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 10:54:21 AM UTC-4, N Elgas wrote:

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 12:54:18 PM UTC-4, chad tokowicz wrote:

Good day everyone!

New to the area but not new to fly fishing.

Just read charlie taylors fishing report and it stated that stripers are being taken in the Potomac in various spots close to D.C.

Just wondering if anyone has gotten out for stripers recently and if you have had any luck.

Also curious as to how the fishery changes in the fall, does it become more active/ does the fishing pick up?

Been too long since I have felt the tug of a striper so it would be great to hone in on the fish.

Thanks and Tight Lines!

- Chad 

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[Yambag Nelson]

While the current does move, I have never waded anywhere near where the current is moving as I am always standing in the frog water. There are a few slippery rocks near the bridge but if you fell there you would just need to pick yourself up. As you wade down from the bridge the bottom is all gravel, shells and silt-very easy to wade. It can get a bit deep during a higher tide but there isn't much to cause you to loose you footing and even if you did, you should be in dead water.

Just don't wade in the current and you will be fine. It isn't a very wide spot so as long as you are a somewhat competent caster you should have no reason to be anywhere near the current.

[Yambag Nelson]

I would also add that they have removed a lot of the brush that otherwise would have been in the way of a right handed caster. As a lefty I never had a problem but I can see where a right handed person may have wanted to wade further than they should have in order to get away from the brush.

[N Elgas]

Any places near Potomac park or the channel to get them from shore?