Middle Patuxent Trout Fishing (MD – Old Columbia Road Downstream)

After fishing the Paint Branch for wild browns, I sought something bigger and more stupid. On my way back to my wife’s sister’s house, I detoured off route 29 to hit the upper end of the Middle Patuxent.

There is a three- or four-car parking lot where Old Columbia Road crosses the Middle Patuxent. Just downstream from the lot, on the southern bank, is a high cliff with a deep channel at its base. That was my target for the late afternoon.

The best way to walk directly to this spot is to walk at the edge of the field on the north side of the stream. Otherwise, you can follow the path leading directly from the lot and cross the river when the path takes a sharp pitch upward to run along the high ridgeline that marks the southern perimeter of the river. From that point downstream approximately 30 yards, deep water provides good holding positions for the stocked trout dumped in at the road crossing. Many times, the Potomac Patuxent Trout Unlimited Chapter float stocks the river to ensure equitable distribution of the fish between Old Columbia Road and Murray Hill Road far downstream. I don’t know if they did that this fall. Regardless, the deep water beneath the cliffs has to be a good spot.

Since it is so close to the parking lot, it is heavily pressured, but I gave it a shot anyway. Since I only had my Tenkara rod due to my visit to the Paint Branch, I was ill-prepared to fish it properly. My 11 foot Tenkara does not have the reach to fish deep water effectively. Heck, it was a nice day, the sun was out, and I had another hour to kill before I had to return to the house.

I initially started with dries since that would be most effective given the short reach of the Tenkara against the river’s width. No joy there. I added an additional tippet and switched to nymphs. I didn’t pick up anything at the base of the cliff and decided to wade back across the river where the cliff ended. I added even more tippet and worked the riffle where a series of rocks provide a break with deep water on the downstream side. I used a purple nymph pattern called White Lightning and struck gold.

 

No pictures, but there were a number of nice 12″ fish holding downstream of the riffle that provided the perfect end to a great day of winter fishing. They were even more fun to catch since the extra tippet I added to the Tenkara made the landing problematic.

Getting There: From US 29, take exit 15 onto Johns Hopkins Road heading east. Make an immediate turn north on Old Columbia Road and follow it to the river.

Google Local Coordinates: 39.050302,-76.978437

Secrets Revealed? No. This is a very public location that is documented in the following places:

Maryland DNR
Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing

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Date Fished: 12/3/2011

Downstream to the cliffs from the south bank

Upstream towards Old Columbia

The end of the cliff section with the rock boundary in the distance

Upstream into the cliff section

Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore

Articles on this site are out of date since some go back to 2006. Regulations and property ownership may have changed since publication. It is your responsibility to know and obey all regulations and not trespass on private property.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

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