I've gotten off to a slow start this year. I went out beginning in mid-March, here and there. After fishing all but daily over the last 2 weeks, I didn't get so much as a nibble until yesterday afternoon.

Tuesday, 13.April:
Arrived ~4:30pm after work. The water has been way down, for want of rain and snowmelt, so I went to the Bissell boat launch rather than Bart's where I had spent most of the last month, and the preceding week. Half a dozen regulars were plying the water, but with no shad on the bank. Just before 5:pm, I had a solid hookset, and after a few minutes, netted a feisty buck, ~2#. Finally, my first shad of the year, and as usual, my vitamin shad (one-a-day). Only saw 1 lone alewife caught after that, and not another thing. I left about 6:30pm. (For those who keep score, the hook up came on a hammered silver in bright green w/black dot.) Water temp was in the mid-to-upper 50º F range, flow was fair and linear. A 1/2 oz or 5/8 oz drail was plenty for me, altho' others were throwing 3/4 oz.

Wednesday, 14.April:
The Surf Nazis were hogging the bottom of the ramp at Bissell, and rather than waste my time dodging those no account self-raised bastids, I headed down to Bart's. The water was as low as I've seen it this year, the footings on the RR bridge are exposed. However the water was clear, the current was flowing pretty well, and the water temp was just shy of 60º F. Only 2 regulars were plying the banks when I got there, but by 5:pm there were 9 of us spread along the bank. One of the original 2 had 3 hits between 3:30pm and 4:pm, he landed 2, lost 1, and kept one. About 5:pm the fella to my left landed a small buck. And that was all she wrote. I left about 5:30pm; no fish today.

Tackle:
Rod: a one-piece Ugly Stik, 4'6" U/L Pro
Reel: a Penn 4200 SS, spooled with 15# Power Pro

Terminal Tackle: 5/8 oz drail over a 3', 8# flouro leader, and willow leaves. I threw leaves in hammered brass in yellow w/red dot (until I lost it), a hammered copper unpainted, and a hammered silver in green and white w/black dot.

While the season got off to a very slow start this year, it is picking up. Most reports I'm getting of shad caught, come from earlier in the day. Morning, and early to mid-afternoon, with any bite (if it can be called that) shutting down after ~4:pm most days. Hopefully we get some real rain to raise the water level and temp, and the current.

Tight lines!


Edited by No Fish Today (04/14/21 09:22 PM)

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"