Chain Bridge & Fletchers, 5-12-14

[HJS]

I fished above Chain Bridge and also at Fletchers today from shore, 5-12-14, mid-day. I started above Chain Bridge very near the concrete platform targeting stripers. There was a mega run of blueback herring going on, heaviest run I’ve seen in many years. There had to be millions of them in the immediate area. Every cast my 1/2oz jig bumped into so many herring that it felt like the jig was being retrieved over a cobblestone road. Nearly every cast I’d either snag a herring or end up with a hook full of scales. That got old fast. Basically, the herring ran me out of there. I packed up and went to Fletchers. Herring were thick there too but not to the degree as at Chain Bridge. The only fish I caught at Fletchers was one 13” striper. Except for a few stragglers I’m thinking the hickory run is about over at Fletchers. I might wait a week or so for this last major pulse of herring to thin-out before trying for stripers again.

[buzz]

Thanks for the report Howard.

Is it against DC regs to use one of those snagged herring as bait for striper?

[HJS]

Thanks for the report Howard.

Is it against DC regs to use one of those snagged herring as bait for striper?

As far as I know it is against the law to use fresh caught herring for bait both in DC and MD. The herring were swirling so heavily right at shoreline at Chain Bridge that I could have dipped up dozens with a small trout-sized landing net with no problem.

[buzz]

Oh OK... just wondering. Back in the 80's, it was legal to snag the herring when they were running. Not really my kind of fishing, but I did it one year in an attempt to make my own pickled herring.

[HJS]

Oh OK... just wondering. Back in the 80's, it was legal to snag the herring when they were running. Not really my kind of fishing, but I did it one year in an attempt to make my own pickled herring.

Buzz - The ban on using fresh herring for bait in MD and surrounding states is a relatively new regulation, only a year or two old, I think. Maybe a decade ago I saved a bunch of herring and jarred them with tomato sauce and cooked them in a pressure cooker. Sorta like canned sardines. They were very tasty but a little too soft for my palate. All but the backbone dissolved.