PATUXENT RIVER SAMPLING SEASON

Type: Nontidal
Region: Central
Location: Upper Patuxent

The Anadromous Restoration project started our adult electrofishing survey for American and hickory shad on the Patuxent River last week. We are seeing large numbers of white perch and even a few hickory shad. Water temperatures are starting to climb (52F), so the American shad will not be far behind. We sample the Patuxent about 2.5 miles above the Route 4 Bridge. If you are traveling upstream by boat, be cautious of the tide. It gets VERY shallow in several spots above the bridge, but a good planned trip at high tide should produce some angling opportunities for white perch and hickory shad. Remember, hickory shad are catch and release only.