shad run prep
boatdrinks
I know it's way in advance but I've been getting ready for the shad/
striper run in the Potomac. I have my 7 wt for fishing from shore and
I'm rigging an 8/9 with a really heavy line to get the fly down in the
current when fishing out of the Fletcher's boats. I find the 7 weight
full sink is fine off the shore but in the boat, where it's deeper and
faster, I'm thinking the 350 gr will be a big help.
I was also thinking about fishing the 8 wt with a big herring fly for
some of the big stripers that come through. I see people catching
them on bait and I see people catching schoolies on the fly but I
never hear about catching bigger fish at Fletcher's. I was also
thinking about rigging the 8 wt with a big herring fly at the end of
an 8 or 9 foot leader and put a shad fly in the middle of the leader
but I wasn't sure if that would be counter productive.
Ernie
Fletcher's since the early 80's).
In order to get down to the "zone" for stripers, we use 2-4 oz of
weight to get down to the bottom (20-25' of water). The
reason....current. The more of it, the more weight you need.
I just do not think any weighted line will stay down (vs getting down)
unless you start it on the calm side of a seam.
If I were you....I would try it!!
Ernie
PS- We have found that once the sun comes over the trees, the striper
bite slows down significantly....
boatdrinks
and 20 -25' is not that deep, it's not 50', but it is fast water. If
you guys get there before 7 is there a way to get a boat? Does Paula
set you up or something?
Dalton Terrell
need to arrive at 7AM or before to get a boat. I believe they
advertise as opening at 7, but they're normally open and renting boats
by 6:30. I saw on Sunday morning that they had a few of the boats
painted pink, may be the ticket to get more females out there shad
fishing.
Bob Grove
Bob G.
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Carl Zmola
> I find the 7 weight
> full sink is fine off the shore but in the boat, where it's deeper and
> faster, I'm thinking the 350 gr will be a big help.
In fact, I have gone back to spincasting for the shad run. You can catch
them on the fly, but it really is a lot of work. In addition, when
fishing from the boat, you don't really need to cast, just let the line
out, at which point, is it really fly fishing.
Let us know how the striper fishing turns out. Getting that line down
to the bottom is going to be really hard.
Ernie
clip on a separate line that has a lot of weight on it to get it down.
When the fish hits, the clip releases and the fight is on.
Ernie
Paul Brooks
First to is use lead core line for a weighted add in between the fly line
and the leader. I have a old spey running line that I plan to use with an
18lb lead core head this year for shad.
The second is to use a down rigger.
Fishing in current at 20-25' is like trolling in still water. I you have
never trolled, here is an article (fly specific) on how to troll with a fly
rod.
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/42462/fishing/trolling_fly_lines
_tips.html
Even using lead core or T14 or Class 6 sink you can see by the chart here
you will need close to 100' of weighted line in the water if the river is
running at 4kts. To reach 20'.
http://www.efishingbooks.com/info/leadcore_line.php
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Paul
--
boatdrinks
sun-up. I was just wondering how people got out on the water before
sunrise in the Fletcher's boats. That's good news that there are some
pink boats out there, that's just the color of them when they're
sanded down or primed. I find the best way to get the line down when
fishing out of the boats is if the boat's pointed dead upriver, cast
to about 11 o'clock, mend line and let her sink and swing. The
farther the cast the more sink. I do let the fly sit behind the boat
for a while but it really rides up the current there.
On Jan 5, 4:49 am, "Paul Brooks" <pnkbrook...@comcast.net> wrote:
> 2 tricks I've heard of to get flys down...
>
> First to is use lead core line for a weighted add in between the fly line
> and the leader. I have a old spey running line that I plan to use with an
> 18lb lead core head this year for shad.
>
> The second is to use a down rigger.
>
> Fishing in current at 20-25' is like trolling in still water. I you have
> never trolled, here is an article (fly specific) on how to troll with a fly
> rod.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
Dalton Terrell
Definitely let us know how your set ups work when shad season rolls
around. I just weighed some 14 lb lead core line at 4 grains per foot,
slightly lighter than AFTMA standards for a 5 wt line; your 18 lb line
may be the ticket for a 5 or 6 wt set up. I don't have a caliper to
measure the diameter, needed to calculate the sink rate--do you happen
to know the sink rate of the 18lb lead core line?
Also, keep in mind that the chart is showing the depth under sustained
tension in the current. An upstream cast, a mend, and dumping more
line out during the drift will get you much lower.
Last year I had a few set ups I wanted to try but ended up getting my
car broken into and a bunch of reels stolen just before shad season. I
ended up working with an Airflo Delta 8/9wt 9in/sec sinking line on a
7wt rod in the boat, and a 20 ft piece of T-14 on the end of a 550 gr
skagit line from shore. The Airflo line sunk well, with an up stream
cast and an aerial mend, I managed to snag bottom a few times and
actually broke the fly line a few time times using 10lb test, I was
down to about 10 ft left of the head when the calender turned to May.
I am guessing the fly line was defective but I ended up using it all
shad season before I could get more tackle. I now have an Orvis
Density Compensated 7wt line (similar to the RIO Deep 7), as well as
some T-14; might try to get another set up made before the shad come
around, I'll post results here.
Dalton
>
> First to is use lead core line for a weighted add in between the fly line
> and the leader. I have a old spey running line that I plan to use with an
> 18lb lead core head this year for shad.
>
> The second is to use a down rigger.
>
> Fishing in current at 20-25' is like trolling in still water. I you have
> never trolled, here is an article (fly specific) on how to troll with a fly
> rod.
>
boatdrinks
well off the shore at Fletcher's. I have no problem snagging rocks
and losing flies. I think it's a lot shallower closer to shore on the
MD side near Fletcher's. The only downside is that I like how the WF
full sinks cast a lot better. They seem to shoot much farther. The 8
wt I plan on using from the Fletcher's boats where the water's deeper.
>
> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
SteveK
has been tying some money flies for the run. Can't wait!
Lost Sailor
nearby, even VA side?
John Bilotta
people walk their kayaks over to the river get in and paddle off.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Lost Sailor
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 6:38 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} shad run prep
--
boatdrinks
small outboard to avoid being at the mercy of the rental boats. I
ended up getting some new waders and an inflateable life jacket.
Zach on the Hill
who have already commented, but I did have pretty good luck with the
shad last year with a 8/9 with fast sinking line and using weighted
shad dart fly and a longer tippet. As most places we fish, the real
challenge is finding a place to cast if you do not have a spey rod.
For this reason I usually switch-fish it with the spinning rod if I
can't find a favorable spot. I have never taken a striper on the
Potomac during the run, but may try this year.
As an aside, I believe there is a boat launching fee at Fletchers, but
it is public access.
All the best -
Zach
McFly
with a full sink 8 wt line and had trouble getting the fly down
through all that fast water, then I tried a 6wt with a sinking leader
like the ones orvis has for trout and salmon and I was getting the fly
down to the shad, go just outside of the cove and cast into the slower
moving water let the fly sink and bring the fly out to the seam and
the shad will hit it, I always fish during the week say a monday or
tuesday they're plenty of boats then.
Brad Gentner
charge and don't really appreciate folks launching their own boats down
there, but, at the end of the day, it is a public park. There is no
ramp and you cannot use their dock or dock area to get your boat in the
water. Please be respectful. If not, Paula will give you a tongue
lashing and may perhaps throw things at you or take a swing at you with
an oar! Plenty of people bring their small boats and launch them down
near the end of the parking lot. Just a word to the wise; the tunnel is
LOW. I can't drive my truck through with the canoe on top. I park on
top and walk it down when I bring my canoe, which is very rare. I
prefer to use their boats. Take the time to get to know the staff down
there - they are good people.
All this talk about getting flies deep for stripers is good, but not
entirely necessary. If you are out there before sun up, listen to the
water. You will hear the tell-tale signs of surface feeding activity;
it sounds nothing like a herring flipping on the surface - more like a
cinderblock being dropped in the water. It starts slowly at first, but
as the water warms it gets more noisy. While I've only be successful
with this strategy up near center rock, I know people that have had
success throwing big surface plugs and large surface and sub-surface
flies. There are natural places that allow bass to hide out of the
current that also force bait towards the surface; fish those areas. It
is a low percentage game because there is just so much bait in the water.
I live down there in the month of April. I'm there at least 2 days a
week before sun up. I'm gone by noon at the very latest. I fish for
stripers until the sun comes up and then shad after that. Love that
place in the spring......
Brad
vkernus
tips offered by Tim Pantzlaff at Speyco.net. I stumbled across the
product while ordering my new reel. I am told that he should have the
8 grain back in stock shortly.
I think that this tip added to a full sink line will drop the flies
fast and deep.
I am looking forward to experimenting with these come spring time.
Victor
Carl Zmola
> Please be respectful. If not, Paula will give you a tongue lashing
> and may perhaps throw things at you or take a swing at you with an oar!
But seriously, They have a concession at the dock and bay area and that
is theirs, and should be respected, but putting in a kayak or a canoe
in down at the end of the parking lot is completely acceptable. Just
remember to respect the Potomac there, especially in spring. Monitor
the Little Falls guage and be extremely careful if the gauge height is
over 4 ft. Between Fletchers and Little Falls is the section where
people drown. The rowboats at Fletcher's are stable and really do well
in the river there.
Carl
Bish
boats if it's over 5 ft.
boatdrinks
there before sunrise. I'd love to catch a big striper on the fly
right there. I'm guessing big herring flies?
MATTH...@aol.com
Brad Gentner
When the river first hits 55 degrees and stays there for 2 days, you can expect the run to start. The herring will be in there before that.
Brad
Paul Brooks
Sorry it has taken me months to respond.
I don't have a scale and have looking through the web for the grain weight
of lead core lines
I finally found this:
Cortland uses two sizes of lead insert, one size for their 14# test, and a
larger diameter for 18# -- 60#. This means that except for 14#, the weight
of the lead remains the same for all line strengths. The weight of the line
(core and case) is measured in grains (gr) per 10 foot section: 14# - 46 gr,
18# - 110 gr, 27# - 114 gr, 36# - 118 gr, 45# - 124 gr, 60# - 131 gr. The
minor differences in total weight are attributable solely to the weight of
the casing (stronger, thicker, heavier). One (1) ounce equals 437.5 grains.
Therefore 10 feet of 36# test line weights approximately 1/4 ounce. For you
trivia buffs a grain is an old English standard said to be the average
weight of a "grain" of wheat taken from the center of the head.
http://ludingtonsalmonfishing.com/fishingtips/leadcore.html
This matches what you said for 14lb lead core. I plan to build a 250 grain
or 23' head and a 350 grain or 32' w/ 18lb lead core line.
If this works, (lead core line & old running line) it will hopefully prevent
me from damaging my nicer sinking lines.
I'll report back...
I'll try and make a casting lesson before shad season. If I do, I'll bring
you a shot or two of line....
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Dalton
Terrell
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 11:49 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders