May 24,
2012 Patuxent
Trout
fishing is pretty good right now on the Patuxent. Particularly below Brighton Dam in the Fly
Fishing only, catch and release section that extends a few miles below Brighton Dam
on the main Branch of the Patuxent below Tridephia Reservoir.
So on
Tuesday I was rigged with my 7’ 3wt with plenty of gear and gave it a go for
the surpluss of trout that have been stocked in that section this spring. Most
of the stocking takes place in early March but I’m usually busy fishing
elsewhere come mid March through April.
It usually isn’t until now do I take notice in trout again and what
better place to do it than in a tailwater stream close to home. The water temperature was still rather cool,
much cooler than the Little Patuxent was at Savage mill last week. All I caught
there was a good buzz at the Savage Mill Inn. Very warm water when I was wet
wading.
Anyway, I
fished a copper John nymph probably size #12 below a large stimulator and
managed to catch two good size rainbows in the riffles. There’s only about two good riffles in that
entire stream and they just so happen to be right next to the parking
spot. But I also managed a ten inch
yellow perch on a bugger, numerous fall fish, creek chub, stone rollers and
creek chub suckers, along with a couple sunfish. So it wasn’t a bad two hours
fishing. I did realize that many of the
trout that I saw, but did not catch, were very inquisitive to anything that fell
into the water. So… next time I was going “dry or die” so to speak.
Went back to the Patuxent today (May 24, 2012) below Brighton Dam a good ways and fished a long slow stretch that had a few rising fish. Sure enough they were trout, and more than a few fallfish. The lie was very difficult to get a fly into with a overhanging branch. I had to do a sideways rollcast that hooked the tree 3 out of 5 times but when I got it in there I'd always get an inspection. Pretty cool to fish over well educated, long since stocked trout. These fish were all browns that I helped stock back in early March, or was it February this year. Nothing huge but they sure were coming up quite often. There was a good breeze and seed pods from dandy lions and who knows what else was in the water and the trout were hitting them pretty regularly. But they were also showing a liking to my #16 Japanese beetle pattern. Caught two in a couple hours and missed quite a few more. Lost two spools of tippet somehow too out of my waste pack so in the end I was throwing 4x, 6.4 pound tippet. That probably didn't help.
Then I worked upstream to a popular spot that I know was stocked with over 100 fish. Probably 300. When I first stepped off the bank in ankle deep water (sneakers and shorts) I saw a brown rooting around on the bottom like as if he had a bad case of whirling disease. But he was chasing something and ate it right in front of me, less than a rods length. I was rigged with a beetle pattern and a #22 midge with a glass bead and flicked it out right on top of him. Some tiny little fall fish quickly grabbed it. That continued until I snagged a branch. Broke off and went to a bugger. a few misses and it was time to go home.
On the way there I spotted a huge school of good size 20+" suckers spawning below a blow down in the gravel. They had nests just like a steelhead would. I passed them on the walk up thinking I'd try to find some more rising trout but on the walk down I really wanted to hook one of these suckers. Put on a large "thinga ma bobber" and a san juan worm with some shot and dredged the fast run. I ended up spooking all 100 suckers somehow, even crouching behind the giant multiflora bush. But there were quite a few fall fish and trout in and amongst the suckers. I had a few takes. Got the text that the wife wanted to go out for happy hour. Had to rush home. But got in two good hours of fishing close to home and the job site. Gotta love it. Oh.. just finished happy hour too.
Went back to the Patuxent today (May 24, 2012) below Brighton Dam a good ways and fished a long slow stretch that had a few rising fish. Sure enough they were trout, and more than a few fallfish. The lie was very difficult to get a fly into with a overhanging branch. I had to do a sideways rollcast that hooked the tree 3 out of 5 times but when I got it in there I'd always get an inspection. Pretty cool to fish over well educated, long since stocked trout. These fish were all browns that I helped stock back in early March, or was it February this year. Nothing huge but they sure were coming up quite often. There was a good breeze and seed pods from dandy lions and who knows what else was in the water and the trout were hitting them pretty regularly. But they were also showing a liking to my #16 Japanese beetle pattern. Caught two in a couple hours and missed quite a few more. Lost two spools of tippet somehow too out of my waste pack so in the end I was throwing 4x, 6.4 pound tippet. That probably didn't help.
Then I worked upstream to a popular spot that I know was stocked with over 100 fish. Probably 300. When I first stepped off the bank in ankle deep water (sneakers and shorts) I saw a brown rooting around on the bottom like as if he had a bad case of whirling disease. But he was chasing something and ate it right in front of me, less than a rods length. I was rigged with a beetle pattern and a #22 midge with a glass bead and flicked it out right on top of him. Some tiny little fall fish quickly grabbed it. That continued until I snagged a branch. Broke off and went to a bugger. a few misses and it was time to go home.
On the way there I spotted a huge school of good size 20+" suckers spawning below a blow down in the gravel. They had nests just like a steelhead would. I passed them on the walk up thinking I'd try to find some more rising trout but on the walk down I really wanted to hook one of these suckers. Put on a large "thinga ma bobber" and a san juan worm with some shot and dredged the fast run. I ended up spooking all 100 suckers somehow, even crouching behind the giant multiflora bush. But there were quite a few fall fish and trout in and amongst the suckers. I had a few takes. Got the text that the wife wanted to go out for happy hour. Had to rush home. But got in two good hours of fishing close to home and the job site. Gotta love it. Oh.. just finished happy hour too.
Here's a shot of a good run/maybe a riffle that often holds a few fish. Sure doesn't look too shabby for being between the two beltways. The fishing there should stay good for about another month.
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