Project Fly on the Cheap: DC Tidal Basin for Under $250

[alansb1982]

I write a small blog on fly fishing called The Fighting Butt. One of the projects I'm working on is putting together a series of articles detailing DIY weekend trips to fishing destinations for less than $250. I just got back from my first one, where I went to Washington, DC to fish the Tidal Basin (BLOG LINK).

All in all, it was a great trip and I learned a lot about how to make future ones more successful. Plus, I got to fish in the shadow of our national monuments (and celebrate a friend's wedding) for just under $200. For the next one, I'm definitely going to need a lighter pack and a travel rod. I'm in the process of planning now, but given that it'll probably be winter, it'll likely be somewhere either in the Caribbean or southern United States.

 

[snookandtrout]

I love the idea of writing blogs about cheap trips. Your piece on the Fenwick Aetos was one of the reasons I just ordered one yesterday. I plan on keeping up to date with your blogs in the future as a friend and I are planning a trip up the east coast after our college semester ends next April. We are obviously trying to do it as cheap as possible and want to hit some good smallmouth and trout areas. Keep up the good work.

 

[ramjet]

Read the blog. Interesting. I see you're thinking of one of the Cabela's stowaway rods. I have several and they work well for me. The newest models (6 piece) are def the best ones. A good choice and when they go on sale, they are an incredible deal IMO.

 

[moucheur2003]

Huh. I grew up in Washington and it never occurred to us to try fishing the Tidal Basin. We would typically rent a boat at Fletcher's Boat House and fish the Potomac for bass and shad between there and Chain Bridge.

 

[alansb1982]

snookntrout: Thanks for the kind words, bro; means a lot. Best of luck with your trip planning; I wish I'd done something like that after college!

ramjet: It turns out they're back in stock, and on sale for about $90. Of course, I snapped one up right away.

moucheur: I went to school there and worked for a bit (6 years or so), and yeah, it never occurred to me, either. But for guides in the area, it's a favorite because it's so easy to get to. I've no doubt that, on better days, it's a riot to fish.

 

[ddb]

You are doing a real service that many will no doubt use with satisfaction.

Let me suggest, however, that most locales -- including big urban areas -- do have guides specializing in fly fishing trips in their backyards, sometimes literally so. By doubling your investment you step up very readily into knowlegability about current fishing conditions, licensing needs -- they can be complex, flies and techniques that are working, and mobility on the water that gives you a shot at sampling several spots in a day trip.

An annex/supplement to the blog listing guides who can and do provide such advantages in each spot would also be a service to those wanting and able to afford those advantages.

P.,S. I am not a guide, do not shill for any, and in fact have not used a guide. I have spent a lot of fruitless time learning new waters.

ddb

 

[alansb1982]

Let me suggest, however, that most locales -- including big urban areas -- do have guides specializing in fly fishing trips in their backyards, sometimes literally so. By doubling your investment you step up very readily into knowlegability about current fishing conditions, licensing needs -- they can be complex, flies and techniques that are working, and mobility on the water that gives you a shot at sampling several spots in a day trip.

An annex/supplement to the blog listing guides who can and do provide such advantages in each spot would also be a service to those wanting and able to afford those advantages.

You make a really good point. In my DC trip, I give a lot of lip service to Rob Snowhite, who makes publicly available a lot of information. He'd also answered a couple of my questions on a local message board. In fact, if I had more flexibility with my airfare, I actually could/would have budgeted for two hours of fishing with him. In instances like this, I'm happy to plug guides.

But where I don't really have any interaction with them, I'm hesitant to do it (much for the same reason why I don't do gear reviews in the same week I get the thing in the mail). While there are great guides out there, there are also not so great ones. Down here in Miami, there was front-page article on captains giving discounts to women in order to use their images surreptitiously to bring in male clients (fishing with the hotties, and such).

I think I'm going to revise my article to make my plug a bit more prominent, because I do think it's important to give back to guides who contribute to the community.

 

[ddb]

Damn! Rob Snowhite was the inspiration for my comments! I did not mention him for fear of appearing somehow having a hidden agenda. He's good people and very well versed in our local fly fishing scene .

ddb

 

[alansb1982]

Yeah, he and his writings/podcasts were a big help for the trip. I didn't have it in the budget this time, but when I go back in spring, I'll probably see if I can book him for a couple hours. I'm 100% self-taught, so god only knows how many weird gaps there are in what I know and how I cast.