Last Shad of the Year

Looking Upstream at the island pool, note fisherman in the pool

With a doctors appointment at 1300 I grabbed opportunity and a 6wt, one more chance to play with hickory shad before the run eases.   The weather was beautiful, sometimes it can be too sunny for good fishing and true to form the shad were deeper and less aggressive as the water was clear and bathed in sun as it dropped over the fall line in Fredericksburg.  Last outing, fishing from the bottom of the island, I noticed that with the lowish water another pool and run was accessible downstream toward the bridge.   I waded easily across a secondary run and found a great casting position.  With a cast cross-stream toward Falmouth I was able to swing streamers across the main channel and then settle them on the deep shoulder of the main flow on the Fredericksburg side. I used 5wt switch line and was well into the red running line when the shad hit at the end of the swing.   As Fritz said the other day, "This doesn't stink".

Looking downstream from my perch, my line traces the deep shoulder of the main run (fish deep here)

Fly Fishing is to fishing as ballet is to walking