# Fishing Patuxent River



## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

Tried all the patuxent river spots today since DNR released them yesterday.....

From Long Corner Road to 97.... and I got few creek chubs...

where the heck is 1500 trouts that DNR released?

any trout fishermen here?


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## JollyJimbo (May 20, 2013)

Well MD DNR fluffs alot of those trout stocking numbers they release. They call them paper fish because they are only on paper printed to the public.


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## joece93 (Mar 7, 2019)

They're in there. I can confirm that number of brown trout were stocked on Tuesday, as well as some more rainbows that were dumped off the bridges a week before.The brown trout stocked the other day will be harder to find, as they release the fish far from the roads into deep holes with undercut banks and root systems to cut back on predation by birds and the ever present poachers. Please follow the catch & release regulations if you go, more fish than you would think survive year round in there.


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

I guess I'll give it a try tomorrow. where is the parking lot at route 94? there's supposedly a public parking lot there but i couldn't find it


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## joece93 (Mar 7, 2019)

39°16'31.9"n 77°08'10.0"w


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

thanks for the info. went up stream and caught about a dozen of browns in a small pool. Water was really nice and clear. I could see the bottom without my polarized glasses.


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2019)

What do you use to catch them?


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

i've used small pink tail grubs


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## thaweatherman (Mar 9, 2018)

I stocked those browns and the rainbows are all in there as well. Go out looking for browns way down from bridge access points as we float stock them deep in the woods. Lots of people complain thinking that DNR fudges numbers, but they don't. Sure it's a rough estimate give or take 50-100, but they're all in there. I always laugh when I run into anglers stream-side who think it's a conspiracy and no trout were actually released. 

Sounds like you found the elbow pool, dominopizza. That is the top end of where we stocked. No stocking takes place much further above 94. All other stocked fish are downstream from there to Howard Chapel.

As a bonus, here are some of the fish getting dumped in a pool somewhere below Hipsley Mill Rd: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UnSTvUydEJS6ZkwB9


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

got it thanks thaweatherman. time to fish since we get 1 more hour of sunlight!!


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## thaweatherman (Mar 9, 2018)

If you're new to the Patuxent just remember that the fish are very spooky! The further downstream from the bridges you go the thicker the thorn bushes and higher the banks. Keeping a low profile is key. The fish like crayfish or sculpin patterns. Those were some really nice stocker browns that we put in as you can see in the video. I looked through a lot of fish and couldn't find any external abnormalities that are normally present such as deformed mouths or fins. There also were a few that looked to be tiger trout, so be on the lookout for those.


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## mathman (Aug 8, 2017)

I had a very nice Saturday morning, got about 15 browns and rainbows to 13" in about 90 minutes of fishing. Even made a little viddy. Sure beats the skunks I've been getting in the Howard County lakes! Some of the browns had far more spots than others, with some red spots mixed it as well. I wondered if they were wild, but maybe they were tigers? How can you tell them apart?


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

ncie video mathman. I was there the same day and caught bunch of em in a small pool. I went there today after work with my old man and we caught about 20 total in 2 hours of fishing. Now I start to see some locations where trouts are stocked. Awesome!!!

I can't wait for warm weather to fish saltwater this year. it's gonna be good


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## thaweatherman (Mar 9, 2018)

Watched your video. Thanks for smashing your barbs! I hate treble hooks but smashed barbs makes me hate them less. I saw 9 fish in the video and they were all stockers, though 7 and 8 I couldn't see clear enough to say for certain. The browns actually got float stocked but the rainbows just got dumped in at the top end as the water was way too high to wade safely on stocking day for them (same as the Middle Patuxent). I'm glad NRP is out there because poachers love to slam the Patuxent after stocking. Part of me wishes they didn't send out stocking announcements for C&R waters. It's why we take the browns further downstream. I don't think we started putting them in below Hipsley Mill until we were a mile downstream of the bridge. Rainbows are always within a quarter mile or so each way of the main access points, unless of course they decide to move downstream. If you want to be guaranteed that you're catching a wild fish then anywhere from 94 upstream after maybe a mile or so will be wild waters.


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

Great thread. Good job MD DNR!
I gave up trout fishing since moving to "the other side". No more trout stamps for me. Great thread tho.

Weatherman: Any native Brookies above 94?


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## dominopizza (Sep 29, 2017)

how can you distinguish between wild and stock trout? i thought it was the same


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## mathman (Aug 8, 2017)

My bite/landing ratio was almost 90%, so I see no penalty in crushing barbs. Next time I'll cut the trebles down to single hooks too. 
The briars are intense up there, they'll shred your waders pretty quick if you're not very careful.


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## Gorge (Jun 13, 2017)

Wild fish usually have more intense coloration. They also have bigger eyes and the ratio of head size to body size is greater.


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## thaweatherman (Mar 9, 2018)

I distinguished them as stockers in the video because of the wear on their fins, but a lack of bright coloration also helps. 

CYT: There are no brookies in the Patuxent. You have to go to the Gunpowder watershed or Western MD to find those, save a tiny stream here or there. 

If you keep tension on the fish during the fight then fishing barbless won't cost you any fish and you won't have to rip hooks out of their mouths!


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