Little Patuxent

Type: Nontidal
Region: Southern
Location: Little Patuxent

I had a free hour to go fishing, and since the Middle and Little Patuxent were stocked today (closest rivers to me) it seemed like the perfect use of time. I also was in charge of the 4 month old, so I strapped him to me and off we went. We parked at the Patuxent Branch Trail lot off of Guilford and hiked a half mile downstream. This is a little above where the fish were stocked, but we managed to catch a trout on an elk hair caddis with an orange body (#16). It was sitting at the end of a riffle.

The trees are low along this section of river, so the caddis was lost to a rogue branch. I switched to a #12 pink squirmy wormy and pulled in two small panfish before it got dark.

The water is low, around 1-2' mostly, with some sections that are 3'+. There are lots of rocks in the water that give the stream some good character. Long pools which looked like good spots for an abundance of fish but didn't seem to hold many, at least tonight. There are stretches without low hanging branches, but my 8' rod managed to find the branches that still were there. Based on the size of the fish and the trees, you should really use a 2 or 3 weight rod that's around 6' at most. Alternatively, you can practice your roll cast, which is what I did after losing the caddis. The banks are steep and muddy, so there are only a limited number of entry points. The edges of the water are muddy and you'll sink in a couple inches every step you take. The shoreline on both sides is also lined with prickly bushes, so wear long sleeves lest you get cut. Deer frequent the area and we saw a blue heron, so the wildlife is pleasant as well.