Trout fishing, DC Metro style

by YankeeJim | March 20, 2010 at 01:20 pm

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Yesterday was the opening of trout fishing season in Arlington Virginia. The Four Mile Run is a tributary of the Potomac River and the Potomac, which runs alongside Washington DC, empties into the Chesapeake Bay which eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

When George Washington first surveyed the Four Mile Run, he is said to have liked the area so much that he wanted to build a house and settle here. Up the street from where I live is the Glebe House that was once a hunting lodge where Washington and George Mason may have visited.

At that time, the area was teaming with wild game, bears, wolves, turkeys, beavers, elk, and deer. There remains a fair amount of wildlife along the Potomac River and even along the Four Mile Run.

The trouble is that the stream temperature has risen to such a level and the oxygen is so depleted that it will not sustain a natural run of trout. So, the Fish and Game department stock the stream in hope that one day the fish might return here.

For now, however, fishermen are permitted to catch the trout that Fish and Game released a few weeks ago. So, today, the banks are filled with guys and gals with poles, hoping to catch one or snag one, or to even pick one up with bare hands if they are approaching death from pollution.

One has wonder about these fishermen.

Arlington’s Trout Season Opens Saturday, March 17

Four Mile Run Stream will be stocked with Brook trout for fishing season

ARLINGTON, Va. —Anglers, grab your poles! Arlington County’s Trout Season kicks off at Bon Air Park on March 17 at 9 a.m. From Barcroft Park to Bon Air Park south, Four Mile Run will be stocked with Brook trout for those fishing aficionados.

On opening day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., kids only are welcome to fish along the stocked section of stream in Bon Air Park. After 1 p.m. all anglers may fish anywhere along the stream. Fishing is allowed daily from sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Arlington’s trout season lasts until all the fish are gone (approximately six weeks). Creel limit is six trout. Fish should be thoroughly cleaned and cooked before eating. The event is free and open to the public.

Participants should bring their own bait, pole, and a cooler with ice to store their catch. Anglers over the age of fifteen must have a Virginia State Fishing License. A Trout Stamp is not required for this event; however, all other State fishing regulations apply. “