Playbill, May 13th, Fletcher's Cove

The curtain rises on act II of Fletcher's Spring Fishing, 2007...

Act I, scene one, was the torturous wait for nature's elements to come together and set the stage for our finned friends. As recently as April 7th, if you will recall, it was snowing and the river was cold. When the fisherman's patience was nearly exhausted, came high water on the Potomac. As the water receded, cleared and warmed, a palpable sense of expectation for scene II was felt by experienced theatergoers. Rushing onto the scene, stage right, April 23rd, were huge schools of both hickory and American shad, so numerous that everyone who paid their dues in effort caught fish. From Monday, the 23rd, until Friday, May 4th, the thespians, both anglers and fish, engaged in a Tony-award winning performance the likes of which had not been seen in recent memory.

Now the curtain has fallen on act I and in act II, patience and an intellectual appreciation of the drama will be helpful. Shad, while still appearing, are now understudies to the striped bass. Rockfish are legal in D.C. (through the summer) if they are between 18 and 36 inches in length. Two fish per angler are allowed. Many keeper rockfish were caught this past week. Those wishing to see a shad perform for them must isolate their attention to specific late season spots. Deeper riffles and eddies may hold the anticipated character, to be enticed front-stage by slow or still-fished darts. Act II, scene I, will last as long as the water stays reasonably cool. Act II, scene II, will feature a relaxed summer theatre performance of small mouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, sunfish and the schoolie stripers who chose to stay in Washington.

At the Fletcher's Cove box office, you will find D.C. fishing permits, bait and tackle needed for the show. Refreshments are also offered at intermission. Tickets for bike, canoe and kayak rides are available most days, conditions permitting. Call 202-244-0461 for further info.

Dan