I must be the worst fisher of the Todal Basin

[tatu...@gmail.com]

I see post after post of folks catching stuff in the basin....I typically come away not catching a thing. 

I've been down there many many many many times over the past years and get a nibble here or there....or a small fish or two. What am I doing wrong?

Where are the hot spots?

What are the hot flies?

What are the best times to throw my fly?

Collin...the frustrated fly guy normally standing by the Jefferson Memorial.

[Ashley Frohwein]

My best guess is that technique (i.e., presentation, detecting strikes, depth, etc. ) - not fly selection, location, or time - is the issue. Even if you got location, fly selection, and time completely wrong, you would still get more than a small fish or two after many visits if your technique is right.

[TurbineBlade]

Without seeing what you are doing it's hard to know.  Are you fishing in areas that hold fish?  Leader?  Keeping a tight line during retrieve?  You don't always need actually "cast" either -- I've never fished the basin, but can envision you plucking a few fish here and there simply by using your fly rod as a cane pole (e.g., "dapping") in the vicinity of some hungry fish. 

I agree with Ashley. 

Gene

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 10:12:13 AM UTC-4, tatu...@gmail.com wrote:

[Casey Peltier]

Collin,

As an angler who has never caught a fish on a wooley bugger, I feel your pain. For some of us, the planets just don't align; some of us hold our mouths funny; sometimes our genetic makeup gets in the way....fishing has so many variables, and so much has to go right, that it's possible to fall through the cracks in the universe (and have no one believe that it's possible!)

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[tatu...@gmail.com]

I'm pretty good at catching fish elsewhere (you can search posts here), but seems I keep hitting a dry hole when I visit the Basin. 

Collin

[Andrew Sarcinello]

This is me at Gravelly Point. LOL.

[Yambag Nelson]

I don't fish the tidal basin much, but if you are fishing right in front of the Jefferson that might explain things.  There are better spots.  Try walking around the basin and pay attention to the tides.

As far as gravelly is concerned, I have caught a lot of fish there, but never during daylight hours.

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 10:12:13 AM UTC-4, tatu...@gmail.com wrote:

[tperkins]

What Yambag said: Move around. Fish will be hiding under the trees and such. Cast parallel to the walls. Rob Snowhite has a podcast about fish the Tidal Basin that is very helpful.  

[davidwi...@gmail.com]

I have found the Tidal Basin to be either very hot or very cold and very Tide Dependent.

Spring has always been the best for me - but I was last there on a day in late April and got skunked.

I believe at low tide the fish must congregate in the center of the pond? When the water is high they hang out near the seawall.

Incoming tide at either of the outlet (inlets) is the best time and place to be.

For some reason, the area near the MLK Memorial hold yellow perch . I've never caught them anywhere else.

But keep at it. Time your trips for the last hour of an incoming tide and try around the inlets.

[Marek Rich]

This is gonna hurt Collin … I’ve actually caught some nice bass just walking along the basin wall with my fly in the water J

 

From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com [mailto:tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of TurbineBlade
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 11:11 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: I must be the worst fisher of the Todal Basin

 

Without seeing what you are doing it's hard to know.  Are you fishing in areas that hold fish?  Leader?  Keeping a tight line during retrieve?  You don't always need actually "cast" either -- I've never fished the basin, but can envision you plucking a few fish here and there simply by using your fly rod as a cane pole (e.g., "dapping") in the vicinity of some hungry fish. 

--
http://www.tpfr.org

[Andrew Sarcinello]

I've actually almost exclusively fished gravelly at night. The schools of stripers I hear about have never shown when I was there and I always hit end of high tide through the outgoing. I've fished it easily 10-12 times at night and maybe caught 10 tiny schoolies total...plus one big walleye the very first time I went.

Sorry to get off topic - can't help you with the tidal basin.

[tatu...@gmail.com]

Very much appreciate the tips David.

Cheers

Collin

[namfos]

That's COLD, Marek. ☺ 

[Andrew LaVigne]

that place can be super-frustrating. Probably been down 15 times the last 5 years, caught fish maybe 4. 

Here's what's worked: 

-the seawall on the river side of the ohio drive bridge. Strip a clouser or big deciever along it. don't spend too much time, but I have caught smallmouth there. 

-the stretch just west of the ohio drive bridge. again, skunked 14 of 15 times, but one time ran into a nice largemouth and some schoolies, again, on baitfish patterns.

-the more open area west of the jefferson that gets some flooding. Had my best day there 3 years ago in a flood tide, carp everywhere, bonkers fishing. Also hit a school of white perch & schoolies last month in the same area - good part there is there's backcasting room, so you can cover water farther off the wall. 

The key that day last month was seeing surface disturbances, and then working the area around them. if you find 1 perch or schoolie, there's more, so keep hammering, and strip fast. Of course, while I was putting the hurt on 9 inch fish, some dudes were catching 20lb carp just down from me, so I'm not exactly the head guide down there. 

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 10:12:13 AM UTC-4, tatu...@gmail.com wrote: