Summer Update, October 29, 2007

If you would like to visit Fletcher’s for a bit of fall fishing or a rental along the Potomac Gorge, come soon! We are winding down business operations in the next week (or so), soon to close the door on another wonderful season of faces. The precious C & O National Historic Park in which we exist remains open for visitation all year. A winter drop-in to the site at Fletcher’s can be most rewarding, with crisp, woodsy air, open vistas and the chance to anticipate and acclimate yourself to future possibilities.

As you can see from the opening page of this site, Michael Caldwell, who is a regular at Fletcher’s, was rewarded with some very large fish on an October fishing visit. The area’s dry spell was putting a crimp on fishing during August and September, but the watershed has soaked up some welcome rain over the last week and river flows are back to more reasonable levels. This should help any late season fishing you might have planned.

Although winter’s slumber is yet to come, we at the Boathouse are already actively preparing for the hectic spring fishing season ahead. One third of our wooden skiffs are repaired and painted the classic shiny terra-cotta so familiar to this bend on the river. Another third are in the prep stage prior to painting, and the remaining third still bob in the water awaiting happy-hands to pull on a set of oars.

Along the river bottom, the tides and seasons set the pulse for our very existence. As it has always been, nature is our dictator… benevolent for the most part, ruthless at times. We have been through a decade-long period with no major floods and generally mild winters. But, as a Scout would tell us, “be prepared.” Old Man Winter’s icy daggers can put a stop to our preparations for weeks on end. Now, our flood ropes are always ready and we get an early start on boat maintenance in anticipation of another glorious spring.

Visit our “archived fishing reports” to get a grasp of a typical season. It’s been an active year, brimming with boaters, bikers, kayakers, canoeists, runners, walkers, birdwatchers and visitors “too outside the box” to classify! We may even see a few ghouls and goblins this week…? As old man Julius Fletcher used to say, “sooner or later, they ALL come to the river.” We certainly hope to see you -- sooner rather than later.

Dan