Noob at Roaches Run

[Gadsden Merrill]

I went out the the duck pond at Roaches Run this afternoon around 2:30.  I saw fish hitting the surface making splashes all over the place, both near the outlet and elsewhere.  I tried the typical patterns (Clouser, wooly bugger, popper, shad dart) but I couldn't get any action.  I tried a slower deeper retrieve and faster stripping as well as a pretty dead "drift".  After about an hour or so there was a lot less splashing so I just turned it into some casting practice (which I badly needed anyway).

Any advice on what I was doing wrong?  I only had a floating line but it's not all that deep there... do I need to be deeper than just a weighted fly can get me?

[Rob Snowhite]

Most likely spawning herring, perch, and Shad. Males chase females around, school them up, and force them against structure or to the surface. Females release eggs, males fight each other to fertilize. Thus the splashing. Use Shad flies and very small Clousers. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 21, 2015, at 6:00 PM, Gadsden Merrill <gall...@gmail.com> wrote:

I went out the the duck pond at Roaches Run this afternoon around 2:30.  I saw fish hitting the surface making splashes all over the place, both near the outlet and elsewhere.  I tried the typical patterns (Clouser, wooly bugger, popper, shad dart) but I couldn't get any action.  I tried a slower deeper retrieve and faster stripping as well as a pretty dead "drift".  After about an hour or so there was a lot less splashing so I just turned it into some casting practice (which I badly needed anyway).

Any advice on what I was doing wrong?  I only had a floating line but it's not all that deep there... do I need to be deeper than just a weighted fly can get me?

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[Gadsden Merrill]

Nice, I'll try that.  Should I be casting to hit them on the head or stripping past them?

Also, I coulda sworn I saw the big red gills of a largemouth during some of those splashes...

[Rob Snowhite]

I'd toss all around them. I'm sure they are being consumed by other fish in there. We had a herring eat a fly and the herring was then eaten by a largemouth bass. The bass was the biggest I've seen caught on the fly in the Potomac and was landed after the fish was swallowed and the fly stuck somehow in the bass's mouth.

Pay attention to each type of splash. You will be able to tell the species apart. White perch have a quick burst, herring a more explosive, and shad a louder and bigger splash.

 

Rob Snowhite
Fly Fishing Consultant

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From: Gadsden Merrill <gall...@gmail.com>
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Noob at Roaches Run

Nice, I'll try that.  Should I be casting to hit them on the head or stripping past them?

Also, I coulda sworn I saw the big red gills of a largemouth during some of those splashes...

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[Trent Jones]

Gadsden,

Rob hit the nail on the head...just like he hit the Fletchers dock with his boat Sunday morning...I saw that Rob :)
 
We probably just missed each other yesterday Gadsden, I scouted the duck pond to make sure the water wasn't to off color to fish the Potomac side at Gravelly Point for Stripers. I saw a ton of herring in the duck pond and when I went to Gravelly I caught mostly Perch and Herring, with a few Hickories mixed in.
 
As Rob said, Small Clousers will get the job done. I suppose shad flies would work as well but instead of going smaller, why not go bigger and see if you can trick a fish that may be feeding on Perch or Herring? I went to a 2/0 Half and Half and fooled a good sized Largemouth that eventually jumped and came off.
 
You will find the same where you were fishing but I think that the floating line may have been the deal breaker. That section by the inflow/outflow is deeper than you think especially with the high water we have right now...and once the tide starts to move you are not getting nearly as deep as you think you are.
 
Maybe wait for the water to come down a bit and get yourself a sinking line, I am sure there is a big Largemouth in the Duck pond with your name on it!
 
-TJones

 

Oh, I did find two Stripers at Gravelly, 7 inches and 8 inches respectively.

[Rob Snowhite]

The dock hit me.

Art landed this for Harry yesterday at the tidal basin. The pic doesn't do justice S to how massive this bass was and to its gut full of herring.

Sent from my iPhone

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