26.May: The Wall. I felt well enough today to try to get back into the game. I arrived at the Wall at 1:pm. I found not one Shadaholic to be seen on such a fine day. There were, however, about a half dozen meat-stick pitchers soaking their chunk baits and worms from mid-wall down to the right terminus. The river was up to one course below the lowest capstones at the left side of the Wall. Turbid, with some flotsam, and a concerning amount of "cotton" in the current (which was not unexpected for Memorial Day). The current was stiff enough for a 2 oz. drail.

I had light bumps on my first few casts, and had a gentle hit and hook up by 1:15. After a short, but spirited fight, I netted one of the smallest buck shad I've caught this year. After a Kodak™ moment he was repatriated with the river. One of the meat-stick guys looked at me like I was crazy for tossing it back in the drink. LOL. By 1:30 I had another light hit, but it had more back in it, and fought a bit harder. It was net-shy, and made me work to net it solo. It turned out to be a small roe, maybe 2#. After her Kodak™ moment, she went back in the drink. Meat-stick guy just had to ask, "why'd you throw it back?" Because I want it to go make more shad, so I can come back and catch more in the future. He was crestfallen. :shrug: I told him, if I got a bleeder I'd give it to him.

After those two shad, I didn't get so much as another bump-bump, the current slowed down some, and the cotton got thicker on the water. By 3:pm, I was done picking cotton off the line, and out of the guides. Dunkin called to me for an iced coffee, and I headed home. It was a very good day to take casting practice.

Terminal tackle: 2 oz drail over a 4' flouro 10# leader, and a hammered silver leaf in Bill C's Spotty pattern (white w/4 red dots).

Tight lines!