[3] The nearby Abner Cloud House is the oldest building on the canal, dating back to 1802.

Fishing starts in mid- to late-March, when hordes of white perch move upriver from deep holes downstream where they wintered.

The perch, loaded with roe, seek fast, fresh water at the top of the tidal reach where their eggs hatch best.

Generations of Marylanders and Virginians have converged on the Potomac around Fletcher's each spring to dip-net herring and shad, extract the roe and salt-cure the flesh, though the practice has declined in the last 25 years.

Finally, the river in late April and into May teems with spawning striped bass, locally known as rockfish, which attract another wave of anglers keen to catch a trophy up to 50 pounds", said Joe Fletcher in 20044.