Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Monday, 21 September 2020

Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

One thing I'd say about winter here in D.C. is that for me there is basically just a month when it's not worth it to go out (Jan/Feb). And even then if you really were desperate you could go to Four Mile Run. And I'm sure there are people who would say every month is worth going out!

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 12:34:10 PM UTC-4 James M. wrote:

Hi Jimmy,

Welcome to the area! You picked a good place to fish. In my admittedly biased opinion, the DC area is the best kept secret in the country for fly fishing (or at least diversity of types of fly fishing) – we're in easy driving distance of saltwater, mountain streams, chalk streams, warm stillwater, and a big tidal river system here, which I'm not sure you can replicate anywhere else in America. As Kevin mentioned, there is a ton more fly fishing here than just trout. I'll go kind of season by season with a quick and dirty list of things to try and water to explore. If you just google the water listed below, there should be more than enough items that come up for access points and directions. Just be mindful that some might require access permits or separate license stamps.

Fall
Largemouth might be heating up again in neighborhood ponds
Stocked rainbows in VA/MD stocker streams (check the VDGIF/MD DNR sites for stocking schedules with COVID)
Brown trout in Mossy Creek, yellow breeches PA, or other spring creeks depending on rain
Catfish/Snakehead might still be good, but I'll admit I'm no expert on these guys

Winter
Not much – good tying weather though. Spring creeks might still be OK

Spring
Potomac/Rappahannock shad run ~April (this is huge here) – try on the bank around Chain Bridge or rent a boat from Fletcher's
Native trout season, ~March/April-early June – Shenandoah National Park and other mountain streams. Get a map of SNP and pick a blue line – usually there are trails that run alongside them. The Rapidan is a good one to start with, but you might find it crowded
Trout stocking starts in designated VA/MD waters (again, check the VA/MD websites for schedules)
Brown Trout in VA/MD/WV/PA spring creeks (try some google or search the board here for specifics)
Largemouth spawn in neighborhood ponds and Potomac/tidal basin
Smallmouth spawn in Shenandoah River/other warmwater tribs
Stripers start downriver/bay in April; might find some schoolies during the shad run as well
Snakehead/catfish in Potomac and tidal areas
Maybe some carp in the canal or neighborhood ponds

Summer
It's usually too hot for native trout, but you can try the stocker streams or maybe spring creeks
Bluegill spawn in neighborhood ponds (not kidding, especially on the fly)
LMB
SMB
CARP. I've found they're more active in the summer depending on the heat and water level, especially in neighborhood ponds – there are some monsters around here
Snakehead/catfish in the tidal basin
Striper closer to the bay, if you've got access to a boat

Lastly, you might want to think about hitting up Rob Snowhite for a local guide session to get familiar with the area. He'll be able to give you a much more in-depth list of places to go and patterns to try for different local species.

I think that's it. It's a really cool mix of warmwater and coldwater here with our proximity to the bay and the mountains, so it's easy to stay busy. It's a great place to be if you like to fish.

Have a blast

J

From: James Loomis
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2020 10:16 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

Hi everyone-

I've just moved to Washington from St. Louis, MO. I consider myself a novice fly fisherman and my experience has been limited to fly fishing for trout in the Missouri Ozarks. I want to develop my skills and further pursue fly fishing as a hobby, and think fly fishing around my new city would also be a great way to meet new people. I popped in the Orvis Arlington store today, and they suggested I post on here to introduce myself and to solicit advice for navigating the DMV fly fishing scene.

So, here I am! I'm eager to get out there start learning/meeting/exploring. Any advice on nearby trout fishing spots or meetups (I was told there is a monthly practice session in Georgetown; convenient for me as I live near) would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a vague post-- it is hard to know where to start!

Best,

Jimmy Loomis
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Patterns to tie for the DMV

My tying skills are pretty rough (I'm not doing gamechangers), but my go-to trout streamer switched from a wooly bugger to a slumpbuster this year. I still like buggers and regularly tie them but I think the squirrel strips look more realistic in the water and I've had more luck with them.

When going after bass I still stick with buggers or clousers with some element that is eye catching to hopefully get attention. I know it's sacriledge but I've also been thinking about flies that may compare to effective lures. I'm curious about experimenting with flies that translate what works with conventional gear on a fly rod. Kind of a fun challenge.

I haven't done much top water fishing this year, but I really like gurgler patterns for larger game and foam ants for brookies.

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 12:54:05 PM UTC-4 James M. wrote:

Hi Josh,

I've really never tied (although the last 6 months have definitely gotten my interest up), so I really have no idea if these are easy to tie or not. I think you might be on to something with terrestrials, though - a foam beetle might be super effective and seems like it might be pretty easy to tie (but this is just me speculating).

Trout:
Elk Hair Caddis
Stimulator
Hare's ear

Warmwater:
Green Damsel Nymph (I love this fly for bass)
Wooly bugger (might be cool to experiment with kreelex, as well as tail length for leech/lizard/minnow emulation)
Clouser minnow

The other thing that was all the rage about 5 years ago that might be really effective around here was the mop fly - they're just a nugget taken off one of those dust mops and lacquered to a hook, but the internet said they were really great. I would think they'd be ok for both trout and warmwater and instructions should be readily available online.

Have fun

- J

On Mon, Sep 21, 2020 at 7:54 AM Josh <joshua.fr...@gmail.com> wrote:
While stuck at home these past couple of months I decided to try to teach myself how to tie flies. All of the resources I have been using have emphasized that beginning tiers should focus on the 4-6 patterns that are likely to be the most productive in your local area. I definitely have not done that so far, but after having varying success with a number of flies (great deer hair beetle that caught fish vs a terrible griffiths gnat that fell apart when I took it off the vice) I started to wonder what would be the best flies for me to practice tying for fishing in the DMV.

Setting aside shad flies, which of course I will be tying in January and February, I'm wondering what the TPFR hive brain thinks are the best 3-4 trout flies and best 3-4 warm water flies that a beginning fly tier should focus on for fishing success in the DMV.

Thanks in advance!

Josh

--
http://www.tpfr.org
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Patterns to tie for the DMV

Oh yea, tie game changers and deer hair bass bugs if you want to occupy your time. I love gamechangers and enjoy tying them even though they are time consuming. I get frustrated when tying deer hair bugs though.

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 2:14:46 PM UTC-4 caca...@gmail.com wrote:

I am not an avid trout fisherman. But I do like to fish for bookies in the park several times a year. For that I started tying stimulators. I found that once I got good at those most other small dries seemed easier, or at least not as hard as they were before. I would also suggest foam ants. The cost savings of tying your own flys is a myth unless your tying foam ants.

Warm Water- I tie what I like to tie, not always what fish want to eat....sometimes it comes together and I catch fish

game changers-- I catch more bass and bigger fish on this fly than any other.

I tie a lot of dear hair bugs too, but don't catch nearly as much on them.

Again Easy cheap and will catch anything. Wooly buggers.

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 12:54:05 PM UTC-4 James M. wrote:
Hi Josh,

I've really never tied (although the last 6 months have definitely gotten my interest up), so I really have no idea if these are easy to tie or not. I think you might be on to something with terrestrials, though - a foam beetle might be super effective and seems like it might be pretty easy to tie (but this is just me speculating).

Trout:
Elk Hair Caddis
Stimulator
Hare's ear

Warmwater:
Green Damsel Nymph (I love this fly for bass)
Wooly bugger (might be cool to experiment with kreelex, as well as tail length for leech/lizard/minnow emulation)
Clouser minnow

The other thing that was all the rage about 5 years ago that might be really effective around here was the mop fly - they're just a nugget taken off one of those dust mops and lacquered to a hook, but the internet said they were really great. I would think they'd be ok for both trout and warmwater and instructions should be readily available online.

Have fun

- J

On Mon, Sep 21, 2020 at 7:54 AM Josh <joshua.fr...@gmail.com> wrote:
While stuck at home these past couple of months I decided to try to teach myself how to tie flies. All of the resources I have been using have emphasized that beginning tiers should focus on the 4-6 patterns that are likely to be the most productive in your local area. I definitely have not done that so far, but after having varying success with a number of flies (great deer hair beetle that caught fish vs a terrible griffiths gnat that fell apart when I took it off the vice) I started to wonder what would be the best flies for me to practice tying for fishing in the DMV.

Setting aside shad flies, which of course I will be tying in January and February, I'm wondering what the TPFR hive brain thinks are the best 3-4 trout flies and best 3-4 warm water flies that a beginning fly tier should focus on for fishing success in the DMV.

Thanks in advance!

Josh

--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
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--
http://www.tpfr.org
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Patterns to tie for the DMV

I am not an avid trout fisherman. But I do like to fish for bookies in the park several times a year. For that I started tying stimulators. I found that once I got good at those most other small dries seemed easier, or at least not as hard as they were before. I would also suggest foam ants. The cost savings of tying your own flys is a myth unless your tying foam ants.

Warm Water- I tie what I like to tie, not always what fish want to eat....sometimes it comes together and I catch fish

game changers-- I catch more bass and bigger fish on this fly than any other.

I tie a lot of dear hair bugs too, but don't catch nearly as much on them.

Again Easy cheap and will catch anything. Wooly buggers.

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 12:54:05 PM UTC-4 James M. wrote:

Hi Josh,

I've really never tied (although the last 6 months have definitely gotten my interest up), so I really have no idea if these are easy to tie or not. I think you might be on to something with terrestrials, though - a foam beetle might be super effective and seems like it might be pretty easy to tie (but this is just me speculating).

Trout:
Elk Hair Caddis
Stimulator
Hare's ear

Warmwater:
Green Damsel Nymph (I love this fly for bass)
Wooly bugger (might be cool to experiment with kreelex, as well as tail length for leech/lizard/minnow emulation)
Clouser minnow

The other thing that was all the rage about 5 years ago that might be really effective around here was the mop fly - they're just a nugget taken off one of those dust mops and lacquered to a hook, but the internet said they were really great. I would think they'd be ok for both trout and warmwater and instructions should be readily available online.

Have fun

- J

On Mon, Sep 21, 2020 at 7:54 AM Josh <joshua.fr...@gmail.com> wrote:
While stuck at home these past couple of months I decided to try to teach myself how to tie flies. All of the resources I have been using have emphasized that beginning tiers should focus on the 4-6 patterns that are likely to be the most productive in your local area. I definitely have not done that so far, but after having varying success with a number of flies (great deer hair beetle that caught fish vs a terrible griffiths gnat that fell apart when I took it off the vice) I started to wonder what would be the best flies for me to practice tying for fishing in the DMV.

Setting aside shad flies, which of course I will be tying in January and February, I'm wondering what the TPFR hive brain thinks are the best 3-4 trout flies and best 3-4 warm water flies that a beginning fly tier should focus on for fishing success in the DMV.

Thanks in advance!

Josh

--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
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--
http://www.tpfr.org
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

Welcome Jimmy,

Everything James said above is correct, Although I find that even with all this right here, there can be a steep learning curve to know where to fish and not waste your time in the city. Access can be tough and some areas can be very influenced by tide and flow making for a lot of wasted time when shore fishing. I started fishing down here about 5 years ago when I started working down here (also right near G-Town). I am also not an expert at fly fishing and while I do it quite a bit in the city, I also find myself using spin and baitcasting gear just as often.

If you want a place to start with out much needed help, i suggest the tidal basin by the Ohio Dr bridge. And, Yes you can fish on the steps of the Jefferson momument....and as a new Washingtonian I highly suggest you do. Thats not something you can say you did anywhere else. You can fish the entire basin and catch every species in the river just by walking the wall and tossing a streamer. Now is a great time to luck in to a monster smallmouth or blue cat. A falling or rising tide, closer to high tide is my preferred time to fish it just cause the water is higher up the wall and the fish seem to move in closer to eat baitfish off the wall. I try to hit the basin every few weeks and would be happy to meet up some morning before work to fish and show you the area.

In addition to Rob, and Orvis, I would also suggest you stop in and see the Guys at District Angler just up spout run, those guys would also be happy to point you in the right direction.

The DMV is a monster of a fishery and while the potomac is in your front yard in DC, it barley scratches the surface on what's available in this place.

Nick

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 12:34:10 PM UTC-4 James M. wrote:

Hi Jimmy,

Welcome to the area! You picked a good place to fish. In my admittedly biased opinion, the DC area is the best kept secret in the country for fly fishing (or at least diversity of types of fly fishing) – we're in easy driving distance of saltwater, mountain streams, chalk streams, warm stillwater, and a big tidal river system here, which I'm not sure you can replicate anywhere else in America. As Kevin mentioned, there is a ton more fly fishing here than just trout. I'll go kind of season by season with a quick and dirty list of things to try and water to explore. If you just google the water listed below, there should be more than enough items that come up for access points and directions. Just be mindful that some might require access permits or separate license stamps.

Fall
Largemouth might be heating up again in neighborhood ponds
Stocked rainbows in VA/MD stocker streams (check the VDGIF/MD DNR sites for stocking schedules with COVID)
Brown trout in Mossy Creek, yellow breeches PA, or other spring creeks depending on rain
Catfish/Snakehead might still be good, but I'll admit I'm no expert on these guys

Winter
Not much – good tying weather though. Spring creeks might still be OK

Spring
Potomac/Rappahannock shad run ~April (this is huge here) – try on the bank around Chain Bridge or rent a boat from Fletcher's
Native trout season, ~March/April-early June – Shenandoah National Park and other mountain streams. Get a map of SNP and pick a blue line – usually there are trails that run alongside them. The Rapidan is a good one to start with, but you might find it crowded
Trout stocking starts in designated VA/MD waters (again, check the VA/MD websites for schedules)
Brown Trout in VA/MD/WV/PA spring creeks (try some google or search the board here for specifics)
Largemouth spawn in neighborhood ponds and Potomac/tidal basin
Smallmouth spawn in Shenandoah River/other warmwater tribs
Stripers start downriver/bay in April; might find some schoolies during the shad run as well
Snakehead/catfish in Potomac and tidal areas
Maybe some carp in the canal or neighborhood ponds

Summer
It's usually too hot for native trout, but you can try the stocker streams or maybe spring creeks
Bluegill spawn in neighborhood ponds (not kidding, especially on the fly)
LMB
SMB
CARP. I've found they're more active in the summer depending on the heat and water level, especially in neighborhood ponds – there are some monsters around here
Snakehead/catfish in the tidal basin
Striper closer to the bay, if you've got access to a boat

Lastly, you might want to think about hitting up Rob Snowhite for a local guide session to get familiar with the area. He'll be able to give you a much more in-depth list of places to go and patterns to try for different local species.

I think that's it. It's a really cool mix of warmwater and coldwater here with our proximity to the bay and the mountains, so it's easy to stay busy. It's a great place to be if you like to fish.

Have a blast

J

From: James Loomis
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2020 10:16 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

Hi everyone-

I've just moved to Washington from St. Louis, MO. I consider myself a novice fly fisherman and my experience has been limited to fly fishing for trout in the Missouri Ozarks. I want to develop my skills and further pursue fly fishing as a hobby, and think fly fishing around my new city would also be a great way to meet new people. I popped in the Orvis Arlington store today, and they suggested I post on here to introduce myself and to solicit advice for navigating the DMV fly fishing scene.

So, here I am! I'm eager to get out there start learning/meeting/exploring. Any advice on nearby trout fishing spots or meetups (I was told there is a monthly practice session in Georgetown; convenient for me as I live near) would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a vague post-- it is hard to know where to start!

Best,

Jimmy Loomis
--
http://www.tpfr.org
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Patterns to tie for the DMV

Hi Josh,

I've really never tied (although the last 6 months have definitely gotten my interest up), so I really have no idea if these are easy to tie or not. I think you might be on to something with terrestrials, though - a foam beetle might be super effective and seems like it might be pretty easy to tie (but this is just me speculating).

Trout:

Elk Hair Caddis

Stimulator

Hare's ear

Warmwater:

Green Damsel Nymph (I love this fly for bass)

Wooly bugger (might be cool to experiment with kreelex, as well as tail length for leech/lizard/minnow emulation)

Clouser minnow

The other thing that was all the rage about 5 years ago that might be really effective around here was the mop fly - they're just a nugget taken off one of those dust mops and lacquered to a hook, but the internet said they were really great. I would think they'd be ok for both trout and warmwater and instructions should be readily available online.

Have fun

- J

On Mon, Sep 21, 2020 at 7:54 AM Josh <joshua.frank.hanson@gmail.com> wrote:

While stuck at home these past couple of months I decided to try to teach myself how to tie flies. All of the resources I have been using have emphasized that beginning tiers should focus on the 4-6 patterns that are likely to be the most productive in your local area. I definitely have not done that so far, but after having varying success with a number of flies (great deer hair beetle that caught fish vs a terrible griffiths gnat that fell apart when I took it off the vice) I started to wonder what would be the best flies for me to practice tying for fishing in the DMV.

Setting aside shad flies, which of course I will be tying in January and February, I'm wondering what the TPFR hive brain thinks are the best 3-4 trout flies and best 3-4 warm water flies that a beginning fly tier should focus on for fishing success in the DMV.

Thanks in advance!

Josh

--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
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--
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RE: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

Hi Jimmy,

Welcome to the area! You picked a good place to fish. In my admittedly biased opinion, the DC area is the best kept secret in the country for fly fishing (or at least diversity of types of fly fishing) – we're in easy driving distance of saltwater, mountain streams, chalk streams, warm stillwater, and a big tidal river system here, which I'm not sure you can replicate anywhere else in America. As Kevin mentioned, there is a ton more fly fishing here than just trout. I'll go kind of season by season with a quick and dirty list of things to try and water to explore. If you just google the water listed below, there should be more than enough items that come up for access points and directions. Just be mindful that some might require access permits or separate license stamps.

Fall

Largemouth might be heating up again in neighborhood ponds

Stocked rainbows in VA/MD stocker streams (check the VDGIF/MD DNR sites for stocking schedules with COVID)

Brown trout in Mossy Creek, yellow breeches PA, or other spring creeks depending on rain

Catfish/Snakehead might still be good, but I'll admit I'm no expert on these guys

Winter

Not much – good tying weather though. Spring creeks might still be OK

Spring

Potomac/Rappahannock shad run ~April (this is huge here) – try on the bank around Chain Bridge or rent a boat from Fletcher's

Native trout season, ~March/April-early June – Shenandoah National Park and other mountain streams. Get a map of SNP and pick a blue line – usually there are trails that run alongside them. The Rapidan is a good one to start with, but you might find it crowded

Trout stocking starts in designated VA/MD waters (again, check the VA/MD websites for schedules)

Brown Trout in VA/MD/WV/PA spring creeks (try some google or search the board here for specifics)

Largemouth spawn in neighborhood ponds and Potomac/tidal basin

Smallmouth spawn in Shenandoah River/other warmwater tribs

Stripers start downriver/bay in April; might find some schoolies during the shad run as well

Snakehead/catfish in Potomac and tidal areas

Maybe some carp in the canal or neighborhood ponds

Summer

It's usually too hot for native trout, but you can try the stocker streams or maybe spring creeks

Bluegill spawn in neighborhood ponds (not kidding, especially on the fly)

LMB

SMB

CARP. I've found they're more active in the summer depending on the heat and water level, especially in neighborhood ponds – there are some monsters around here

Snakehead/catfish in the tidal basin

Striper closer to the bay, if you've got access to a boat

Lastly, you might want to think about hitting up Rob Snowhite for a local guide session to get familiar with the area. He'll be able to give you a much more in-depth list of places to go and patterns to try for different local species.

I think that's it. It's a really cool mix of warmwater and coldwater here with our proximity to the bay and the mountains, so it's easy to stay busy. It's a great place to be if you like to fish.

Have a blast

From: James Loomis
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2020 10:16 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} New to DC and looking to explore the fly fishing scene

Hi everyone-

I've just moved to Washington from St. Louis, MO. I consider myself a novice fly fisherman and my experience has been limited to fly fishing for trout in the Missouri Ozarks. I want to develop my skills and further pursue fly fishing as a hobby, and think fly fishing around my new city would also be a great way to meet new people. I popped in the Orvis Arlington store today, and they suggested I post on here to introduce myself and to solicit advice for navigating the DMV fly fishing scene.

So, here I am! I'm eager to get out there start learning/meeting/exploring. Any advice on nearby trout fishing spots or meetups (I was told there is a monthly practice session in Georgetown; convenient for me as I live near) would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a vague post-- it is hard to know where to start!

Best,

Jimmy Loomis

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http://www.tpfr.org
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