Chainbridge,DC

Took the ultralight to fish for perch with small jigsw/flickers and tubeworms.Caught about a dozen, but to small to take.Hooked a nice smallmouth but it managed to tangle my line around some rocks easy to do with 6lb line.One person caught about an 8lb snakehead(he took it home).I saw alot of people catching catfish from 1lb to 8lb.It seems like there is a good brood of baby rockfish,I caught about a dozen in the 6" range.I did see a 12" snakefish surface, I don't know if he is at the top of the food chain in DC with the all the blue harrons,poachers,nets and big trebble hooks people fish with.LOL

[jffoley]

I had a nice morning at Chain Bridge on Saturday. A first for me: 4 species. I'm a novice fly guy and also carry a spinning rod. I caught a hickory (yep, some still around, a female with roe) and a small striper on the spinning rod. Then, I resolved to work my 5/6 wt fly rod exclusively to see if I could do anything.

Well, within a dozen casts a striper about 16". Very nice. Also got several of those small stripers. Then, a fat, 15" smallmouth. First smallmouth I ever got on the fly. Wow! Several jumps, dives, upstream, downstream. And then, the pièce de résistance... a 20" American shad. Also a first for me on the fly! Man, that is a hard fighting fish.

Went out again yesterday morning and left the spinning rod in the truck. The tide was way, way low but I did manage a white perch and another 16" striped bass in an hour before the sun got really bright.

Them schoolie stripers on a fly rod will keep me interested. Now I'll need a Scotty fly rod holder for my kayak!

[Redfish12]

John,

Good to hear about your success! Those schoolie stripers will really pull you in on the fly! Now that you're getting into the TPFR you'll find yourself picking that rod up a lot more I'd say. In the fall we catch 14"-25" all night under lights on the fly. For some reason the favorite fly at that time is a little pro-lite crappie jig. Makes things pretty interesting on such a light wire hook! After awhile they bend it straight and strip all the material off. It's a lot of fun on the fly.

[mmanolis2001]

John,

Good to hear about your success! Those schoolie stripers will really pull you in on the fly! Now that you're getting into the TPFR you'll find yourself picking that rod up a lot more I'd say. In the fall we catch 14"-25" all night under lights on the fly. For some reason the favorite fly at that time is a little pro-lite crappie jig. Makes things pretty interesting on such a light wire hook! After awhile they bend it straight and strip all the material off. It's a lot of fun on the fly.

Are you referring to the lights on Chain Bridge? I never thought of hitting there in the fall with the fly rod. Do you hit them from the MD side? That is a fun walk at night

Do you use a sinking tip or floating line with that little jig?

[Redfish12]

I haven't tried chain bridge in the fall, but I would expect it would work. Pretty much any place with lights will attract baitfish at night, so just look for a place with a tide rip and lights and you'd probably have the same success.

I haven't fished the pro-lite with a sinking grain, but I imagine that would work better. I have an intermediate line and usually just cast up current, mend, and then swing the fly. If I don't get crushed on the swing I'll give it a few short two inch strips at the end of the drift and wait, then start stripping back in. Almost all strikes come on the swing or taps at the end. The rock usually inhale this fly that time of year.

I have used a larger weighted clouser to help get the other fly down deeper before. I think I am going to reverse the order though, I had the heavier fly in front and the small pro-lite behind and it worked great, but I think this year I might try it with the clouser behind like a teaser rig John showed me... see how that works.

[Redfish12]

Crawdad,

I was there last week and the game warden showed up... you should have seen those net guys run. He didn't catch any of them but they took off up into the woods and stayed there for over an hour. Soon as the guy left, they were back at it... net after net of small perch and shad. I wish they'd at least throw the perch back that they don't want, or pick up any of their trash, or not throw the net right next to where I'm fishing... or not come at all... but that's not going to happen.

I also saw a guy spear a monster snakehead right next to where I like to fish, pretty incredible.

[mmanolis2001]

I was down there several years ago during the summer. I saw a guy with a baseball bat with big nails driven through the end of it. Looked like a battle club. He and his buddy walked into the swampy area above the bridge and disappeared for an hour or so.

Then i see them walking out with two 20lb carp they bludgeoned to death with the bat. It looked like a scene from clan of the cave bear.

Another time there was a family of 30 down on the rocks with a giant bonfire going in the middle of the day. They were netting shad and cooking the fish right there. After they were done they left the fire burning away and at least two trash bags full of trash.

Crazy stuff down there

[Grilled]

I was down there several years ago during the summer. I saw a guy with a baseball bat with big nails driven through the end of it. Looked like a battle club. He and his buddy walked into the swampy area above the bridge and disappeared for an hour or so.

Then i see them walking out with two 20lb carp they bludgeoned to death with the bat. It looked like a scene from clan of the cave bear.

Another time there was a family of 30 down on the rocks with a giant bonfire going in the middle of the day. They were netting shad and cooking the fish right there. After they were done they left the fire burning away and at least two trash bags full of trash.

Crazy stuff down there

lol..nice!