Round 2: The Patuxent River

Surprising seventy-degree weather coaxed me back to the Patuxent yesterday. Instead of parking next to the dam, I drove down Haviland Mill Road, which intersects Brighton Dam Road, and dropped in next to the bridge crossing over the river. I remembered in my conversation with Nick last week that the major stocking occurred in the section between the dam and this bridge.

So, I practically jumped into my waders and headed down to the river for a little weekend afternoon fishing. There were a few flies in the area, randomly making their way to the tops of the trees. During the few hours, I spotted a black stonefly, a small pale sulfur, and a caddis-like fly on the river.

The great weather seduced me into beginning with a Royal Wolff and then a large Adams. I knew the fish were still fresh to the water, which implies an unselective appetite, but after a few holes up from the bridge, I switched to a black beadhead wooly bugger. There was no surface activity, and I knew the fish were there.

Almost instantaneously, I had a strike on the bugger. The trout were still wary, and seemed to be bumping the fly. Nevertheless, within a few casts I finally hooked a trout, who freed himself with a few headshakes before I could net him.

That’s when I lost my last bugger to a tree stump. Uhhg! My streamer selection was pretty slim, but I did have a size 6 beadhead clouser. It made no difference to the fish. Before the sun went down, I had netted 4 fish, including two nice fourteen-inch brownies.

A wet net and a read through Romans 5 made Saturday a great day of fishing.

The one disappointment of the day was passing some kids bait fishing near a pretty hole. Hopefully, the DNR will spend some time on the river’s banks this spring.