Tidal Basin this morning: There was a fish party and I wasn't invited

[tatu...@gmail.com]

Showed up around 0600 and fished until 0800.  Tons of surface activity, big splashes everywhere and I even saw a carp gets its entire body clear of the water going after something.

 

Here is the issue, I was skunked.  I threw carp bugs out there, minnow patterns, surface bugs.  Not a nibble, nothing even came up to check my stuff out. 

 

Are the fish feeding or chasing stuff sub-surface?  Is anyone catching anything out of the basin on a fly. 

 

One thing I did notice was that ~85% of the surface activity ended around 0800.  Just seemed everything died down. 

 

Finally moved around a little and then left when an old time bait fisherman came and plopped down about 10 feet from where I was casting and set up shop.  Guess I was in his spot and he just didn't say anything but fly casting was out of the question with all his gear in the way.  Oh Well. 

 

Cheers

Collin

[Rob Snowhite]

I got a big largemouth along the wall on Wednesday. Walking very slow. Fished sized 1 orange Reaper. Keep fishing there but slowly. Don't be in any rush and talk to the guys that set up there like Harry. Art and I watched him pull a monster bass out in April. 

Also found a baby shad so try to match the hatch with that as they will congregate in there. 

 from my iPhone

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[tatu...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the info and tips.

 

Q:  Were you using a sink tip line to get your fly down....or floating line and just letting it settle?  I hear the basin is only about 4-5 deep.  I have been putting things on or near the surface, I might fishing a bit shallow.  I'm just amazed at seeing the carp and others jump clear of the surface. 

 

Cheers

Collin

On Friday, July 3, 2015 at 4:41:41 PM UTC-4, Rob Snowhite wrote:

I got a big largemouth along the wall on Wednesday. Walking very slow. Fished sized 1 orange Reaper. Keep fishing there but slowly. Don't be in any rush and talk to the guys that set up there like Harry. Art and I watched him pull a monster bass out in April. 

Also found a baby shad so try to match the hatch with that as they will congregate in there. 

 from my iPhone

On Jul 3, 2015, at 8:40 AM, tatu...@gmail.com wrote:

Showed up around 0600 and fished until 0800.  Tons of surface activity, big splashes everywhere and I even saw a carp gets its entire body clear of the water going after something.

 

Here is the issue, I was skunked.  I threw carp bugs out there, minnow patterns, surface bugs.  Not a nibble, nothing even came up to check my stuff out. 

 

Are the fish feeding or chasing stuff sub-surface?  Is anyone catching anything out of the basin on a fly. 

 

One thing I did notice was that ~85% of the surface activity ended around 0800.  Just seemed everything died down. 

 

Finally moved around a little and then left when an old time bait fisherman came and plopped down about 10 feet from where I was casting and set up shop.  Guess I was in his spot and he just didn't say anything but fly casting was out of the question with all his gear in the way.  Oh Well. 

 

Cheers

Collin

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[Rob Snowhite]

Floating line with a leader shorter than my 9' rod. Fishing slow gets it to the bottom. It was also high tide, full moon, and swollen river from rains. 

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[tatu...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the tips. Went back out this morning fishing from 0630 until 0930. SKunked again. Tried both surface and streamers. Might try some evening fishing. Maybe luck when the sun is going down instead of up.

Cheers
Collin

[Jamie Carracher]

I spend a lot of time at the Tidal Basin because I don't have a car and live in D.C. I find it to be a tantalizing but very challenging place. I started fly fishing last year and I caught a fish on my second cast and then I went back six weeks in a row and didn't catch a damn thing. It was frustrating. This year I've been way more successful there but I was still skunked when I went there last Thursday.

I always wonder what it'd be like to fish from a paddle boat in there.

[Jamie Carracher]

Had a strange encounter this afternoon. I was standing off by myself (fishing of course) when a park service volunteer came up and asked me if it was me who killed a catfish and threw it back in the Tidal Basin. I had noticed a couple of dead fish floating in various places when I arrived but didn't think much about it. I laughed and said no, that was not me. Both looked like they had been dead for quite some time.

Then she said she wasn't sure if I was allowed to fish in the Tidal Basin. I let her know that fishing is permitted and I had my DC fishing license on me. She said some of the park rangers might disagree and that Ranger Joe "hates" fishing there. Then she walked away. No one else said anything to me. It was real odd because about six weeks ago I caught a catfish (toughest fish I've caught yet) and two rangers happened upon me. One took video on her phone and the other congratulated me and thanked me for giving them a little variety in their day. 

Probably just an anomaly but I figured I'd share.

[Rob Snowhite]

From 1963? National Geographic. At least been legal since then...

Sent from my iPhone

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[Misha Gill]

I've always thought that the leaping carp and catfish in the Potomac are probably chasing emerging caddisflies. Try stripping a big ol' soft hackle through the tidal basin behind some split shot, or swing it up by fletchers, and let us know how you do. I have meant to try it in the past, but keep forgetting to bring my soft hackle box with my bass stuff. It usually resides in my trout vest.