Best spots for turbid water/after a rain

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Patrick Kearns

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Jun 12, 2014, 7:53:54 AM6/12/14
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Hey all,

Bit of a lengthy set of questions:

Given the miserable forecast this week, and the amount of rain we've been having during the week despite our last few sunny weekends, I've been wondering - what are the best places in the area to fish after a rain?  Do they clear up more quickly, or are they productive even when the water is murky?

I'm limited to public transportation, so I'd be especially interested in your thoughts on the best option out of Fletcher's, Chain Bridge, the C&O Canal, Rock Creek, the Tidal Basin and anything else in metro & bus range.  Other spots are great for future reference & the benefit of the board, of course.

Assuming the water is mucky, what's the best bet, tactically?  I've always gone with loud & flashy or stinky (bait), but I've yet to have much luck.  If the water bears an alarming resemblance to my morning coffee, am I mostly out for a nice walk?

Last question:  Does anyone ever use this DDoE site?  It's got real-time data on turbidity, pH, temp and a few other things I don't really understand, but I haven't had a chance to see how well the turbidity readings correlate with what I see at the river.

Thanks y'all!


Paul Kalajainen

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Jun 12, 2014, 9:28:20 AM6/12/14
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I'm certainly not an expert on this, but I know after we get enough rain the water in the tidal basin comes up over the wall and you can fish for some pretty big carp feeding in the shallow water that forms over the grass.  I'm hoping to take advantage of that if the water gets high enough.

Paul

Andrew LaVigne

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Jun 12, 2014, 10:24:30 AM6/12/14
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I would not touch Rock Creek right now. Water was chocolate brown and rising this morning, and it gets sewage blowouts if there's too much rain. 

I concur with Paul on the Tidal Basin. I had a blast about a month ago down there after one of those huge rainstorms pushed the river level up. 

Jeffrey Silvan

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Jun 12, 2014, 10:46:19 AM6/12/14
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Does anyone know around what height the Little Falls gauge needs to be at to get a flood tide at the Basin? I'm dying to try that out sometime.


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Patrick Kearns

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Jun 12, 2014, 11:25:12 AM6/12/14
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Sounds like the tidal basin is the way to go, which is what I suspected.  Given what the weather channel is telling me (below), it sounds like there's a decent chance the tidal basin will flood, which, looking at old reports, looks like an absolute blast.  It looks like it's going to rain or storm Friday afternoon and evening, which was my original plan.  I've got plans for Saturday morning, so, of course, the forecast is beautiful.  One way or another, I'll be out Friday getting soaked if the thunder and lightning have passed, or maybe Saturday afternoon if they haven't.

"ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... IN ADDITION TO THE RAINFALL FROM THE WEDNESDAY. A GENERAL ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA PIEDMONT... NORTHERN MARYLAND... THE EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... AND PORTIONS OF THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA. ANY STORMS THAT FORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN THAT COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING."


On Thursday, June 12, 2014 10:46:19 AM UTC-4, Jeff Silvan wrote:
Does anyone know around what height the Little Falls gauge needs to be at to get a flood tide at the Basin? I'm dying to try that out sometime.
On Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 10:24 AM, Andrew LaVigne <andrewr...@gmail.com> wrote:
I would not touch Rock Creek right now. Water was chocolate brown and rising this morning, and it gets sewage blowouts if there's too much rain. 

I concur with Paul on the Tidal Basin. I had a blast about a month ago down there after one of those huge rainstorms pushed the river level up. 


On Thursday, June 12, 2014 9:28:20 AM UTC-4, Paul Kalajainen wrote:
I'm certainly not an expert on this, but I know after we get enough rain the water in the tidal basin comes up over the wall and you can fish for some pretty big carp feeding in the shallow water that forms over the grass.  I'm hoping to take advantage of that if the water gets high enough.

Paul

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Rob Snowhite

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Jun 12, 2014, 11:36:08 AM6/12/14
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Washington Channel where the Tidal Basin drains is usually clear after a major storm. A lot of construction on the sea wall so casting space is limited.
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