Patuxent River water quality?

[Slackdaddy]

I basically live within 1/2 mile of the Lower Marlboro kayak launch.
Wife and I launch from LM or Nans cove at least once a week.
I launch from Wasons (rt 4 bridge) a few times a year.

Water quality is the pits.
There is some grasses and pads north of wasons.
But down around LM,, there is NOTHING, no grasses (in the water), no pads, no nothing. At high tide the water is up in the "land vegetation"
The water is typ dark brown with 4-6" visibility.
I fish up 3-4 diff creeks of the Pax around LM.
In 15-20 outings over the last 3 years I have caught 1 Snakehead.

The water is slightly better up north of wasons,, and a lot better down at Brooms Is. But LM area looks like a dead zone.
I consistently catch SH in other waters using the same tactics,, but 3 years and 20 trips to get one to strike?
I have caught bass up by wasons,, but nothing down near LM,, only cats on stink bait.

Is the water in the LM area "That" bad ??

[Slackdaddy]

I found a little info from the DNR electro shock surveys - https://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/fishe...-1.asp?ID=5809

"Only a few fish were caught in creeks; most snakeheads were caught in the mainstem of the river on the wider mud flats."

So, I have been concentrating 100% on the feeder creeks,, they are saying they got most in 2-4' water on the mud flats of the main river.

[dsaavedra]

I've had the exact same observations and experiences as you. The water from Waysons all the way down to Benedict is pretty gross. No visibility at all and sometimes a notable wastewater smell. It always surprised me how clear the water is down near Solomons given how dirty the main stem is just a little further north.

Waysons is less than 15 minutes from me on a good day and I have completely given up fishing there, I don't even try anymore.

[pbm93]

Water can be pretty bad some days. As for the snakeheads, I just think there’s not many compared to population in Blackwater and Upper Bay tribs. I have definitely seen and heard of people catching them there and literally seen an osprey carrying one, but again it is not frequent. That area is so thick with catfish that snakeheads just can’t even remotely compete. I would also imagine bowfishermen probably hit all around Pax during the night. If I had to guess where snakeheads are in Patuxent:

Way north of waysons
Mudflats
Along timber with shade
The furthest shallow creeks from public launch areas
DEEP within shallow creeks with enough area and food, has to be healthy looking creeks with little surrounding development

When I go to Patuxent I solely go for Blue Catfish. It’s just the better fishery in that river in my opinion. Highly recommend too very fun. I always wondered if there was more/better public access on the Patuxent if this “can’t find snakeheads” narrative would change but alas. Also would help with blue catfish harvesting.

[Slackdaddy]

Water can be pretty bad some days. As for the snakeheads, I just think there’s not many compared to population in Blackwater and Upper Bay tribs. I have definitely seen and heard of people catching them there and literally seen an osprey carrying one, but again it is not frequent. That area is so thick with catfish that snakeheads just can’t even remotely compete. I would also imagine bowfishermen probably hit all around Pax during the night. If I had to guess where snakeheads are in Patuxent:

Way north of waysons
Mudflats
Along timber with shade
The furthest shallow creeks from public launch areas
DEEP within shallow creeks with enough area and food, has to be healthy looking creeks with little surrounding development

When I go to Patuxent I solely go for Blue Catfish. It’s just the better fishery in that river in my opinion. Highly recommend too very fun. I always wondered if there was more/better public access on the Patuxent if this “can’t find snakeheads” narrative would change but alas. Also would help with blue catfish harvesting.

I find the water access (kayak launches) to be outstanding on the PAX,
Gov Bridge - Bowie,
Queen Anne Bridge landmark,
Queen Anne 4-H center,
Wootens Landing,
Pax wetland (RT4 Waysons)
Mount Calvert
Jackson Landing - Jug Bay
Shelby's Landing
Lower Marlboro
Clyde Watson
Kings Landing
Hallowing Point,


To bad the river is on life support,,
The politicians only make campaign year lips service.
Could you imagine if this river was clean enough to support river bed grasses??

[paxmule]

The PBS documentary makes the claim that the chalk point plant caused the bad water quality in the area. I've only been here a year or so, I have no comparison for it. I know that typically in certain areas around LM i get a lot of grass on my lines when bottom fishing in current on outgoing tides. I call it a Pax River Salad. People are catching croaker, spot and white perch pretty frequently and i got a nice striper last weekend. Of course i am always targeting blue cats. The nastiest water i've ever seen in the river is in an eddy just downstream of the dock built right in front of the Patuxent Riverkeepers house. I'm talking more scummy, darker, and silted than any other place in that river.

[pbm93]

I find the water access (kayak launches) to be outstanding on the PAX,
Gov Bridge - Bowie,
Queen Anne Bridge landmark,
Queen Anne 4-H center,
Wootens Landing,
Pax wetland (RT4 Waysons)
Mount Calvert
Jackson Landing - Jug Bay
Shelby's Landing
Lower Marlboro
Clyde Watson
Kings Landing
Hallowing Point,


To bad the river is on life support,,
The politicians only make campaign year lips service.
Could you imagine if this river was clean enough to support river bed grasses??

There’s many launches but they only are open at certain times of day (Like Jackson’s is like 8 AM to 1 hour before sunset). Don’t you need like a code from county for Governors Bridge? That’s not easy public access. Waysons is tricky with tide. I thought you can’t launch from Mount Calvert, just stop along if you rent from Jackson’s, did that change? Shelby’s I think is sunrise to sunset but a challenge with that hill.

[pbm93]

The PBS documentary makes the claim that the chalk point plant caused the bad water quality in the area. I've only been here a year or so, I have no comparison for it. I know that typically in certain areas around LM i get a lot of grass on my lines when bottom fishing in current on outgoing tides. I call it a Pax River Salad. People are catching croaker, spot and white perch pretty frequently and i got a nice striper last weekend. Of course i am always targeting blue cats. The nastiest water i've ever seen in the river is in an eddy just downstream of the dock built right in front of the Patuxent Riverkeepers house. I'm talking more scummy, darker, and silted than any other place in that river.

That area south of the Patuxent Riverkeepers house I believe is the estuarine turbidity maximum of the river I think. I’d have to find the scientific article again to double check.

[Slackdaddy]

That area south of the Patuxent Riverkeepers house I believe is the estuarine turbidity maximum of the river I think. I’d have to find the scientific article again to double check.

OK,, I had to look that up,,,,,,,

[Slackdaddy]

There’s many launches but they only are open at certain times of day (Like Jackson’s is like 8 AM to 1 hour before sunset). Don’t you need like a code from county for Governors Bridge? That’s not easy public access. Waysons is tricky with tide. I thought you can’t launch from Mount Calvert, just stop along if you rent from Jackson’s, did that change? Shelby’s I think is sunrise to sunset but a challenge with that hill.

True,, many of them are behind locked gates with banker hours.
Waysons, LM, Hallowing point, Brooms all are 24/7

Waysons and LM I time the tide if I am in my paddle kayak,, Peddles make the tide an almost none issue.

[pbm93]

True,, many of them are behind locked gates with banker hours.
Waysons, LM, Hallowing point, Brooms all are 24/7

Waysons and LM I time the tide if I am in my paddle kayak,, Peddles make the tide an almost none issue.

I meant like at low tide the launch at Waysons is like full mud and can’t even leave the launch. At least a few of the times I went there were like that.

[paxmule]

People with a waterman ID get their own key to all the PRP boat ramps. How to get a waterman ID, i have no idea. I was trying to get a bait collector license for personal gill net use for shad and the DNR was strangely unable to tell me how to do it. Seems like there is some kind of gatekeeping going on with that in MD.

[Jigsup]

That water is a bit tainted from kings landing on up to waysons. Specially the LM area. I’ve seen what looked like boiling chocolate milk at times. But the catfishing can be very good during those times so I over look it lol. I’m with Dave on the wayson area. Been gave it up years ago. I’ve only seen decent yellow perch caught there during the spawn run and very small white perch. I myself has never caught anything.

What’s interesting about that place is during a super hard rain ie hurricane, that water will flood over route 4. I heard cargo use to come up through that area years ago. I have contemplated on trying for snakeheads up that way but just can’t seem to get the motivation to go.

I don’t think the patuxent is “that bad”. Yes it seems to get harder to catch fish once you get pass the 231 bridge. But I think you have to figure out what works. I think it’s a great river to fish out of. Very soon the rockfish and big catfish should be stacking up by the 231 bridge.

As for snakeheads they are up pass waysons and even checking out western branch wouldn’t be a bad idea. Ive seen them in the main stretch of the LM area also. Not so much in the creeks as one would think.

[Slackdaddy]

I live in LM,, I used to take my kids out from the LM pier in a Canoe, then Kayaks before there was an official kayak launch. We would target Catfish at the mouths of creeks.
My Wife and Sister in law would fish and crab with the kids from Kings Landing, and about 15 years ago we did a family outing from The Waysons launch,, the tide carried us up about a mile,, then back.
Our fishing and crabbing in this stretch over those years was dismal but kept the kids entertained. We had shifted our focus to Small Mouth Bass in VA and WV rivers or a trip down to Mattawomen, where my son caught his 1st SH about 2015.

About 2016 I started taking my son (who was now about 13) out of Waysons or Depot Pond after SH,, Depot pond was good till about 2018 then got clobbered and fished out.
Waysons was hit or miss, in a 4 hour morning I have caught 2 SH, catfish, LMB on chatters baits,, then I go 2-3 times and get nothing. last summer I went ~3 times with zero strikes.
3 years ago I turned my attention back to the LM launch and was targeting all the creeks between Kings landing and Hall Creek (The peddle drive allowed me to travel against the tide).
I have 20+ outings hitting those creeks and have 1 SH, got it this summer. Some of those creek just look like they should be crawling with SH????

I talked to Steve of the "Kambotrout Fishing" youtube channel,, we has just recently tried the PAX for SH and found it to be about like I do: Hit or miss, miss, miss, miss, miss.
His thoughts is the tidal current is to strong for the SH fryballs to survive in any numbers.
Add to that there is little to no vegetation cover in 99% of those creeks,, so at low tide they are easy pickins for the spotlighters (Bow hunters)

These days 9 outta 10 times we head down and kayak fish/crab brooms island, only recently have we been launching at LM.
If I learn to efficently clean and cook Blue Cats,, I think I will turn my attention back to LM.

[paxmule]

Slackdaddy, I'd be glad to link up sometime when im in the area and show you my method for cleaning catfish. Been doing it since I was a kid.