 |
We launched at low tide
from Selby's Landing at
Jug Bay, which located
in Croom, Maryland. Jug
Bay is know for it's
expansive fresh tidal
marshes. loaded with
native wild rice. |
 |
We left Jug Bay and
followed Western
Branch as far as we
could take it, and
were ultimately
stopped by fallen
timber. |
 |
This beaver
curiously watched as
we frequently got
our lures hung up on
overhanging bank
vegetation and
sunken tree debris. |
 |
We got lots of
strikes, but only
took four fish in
the day. |
 |
Of all the baits we
tried, the Blakemore
Roadrunner with a
chartreuse skirt
worked the best. |
 |
I think if we had
dropped our hook
size, we would have
taken numerous
bluegill. |
 |
A couple of times we
had to lift our
engine, move weight
toward the front of
the boat and use the
electric motor, to
get thru a few
shallow areas and
sunken log debris.
The afternoon trip
back down river was
on the high tide and
we had no problems
what so ever. |
 |
We only saw one
other boater all
day, and the air
temperature was
about 48 to
50-degrees on the
day. We pulled into
the landing for
Mount Calvert, a
county-owned
historical and
archeological park,
located in Upper
Marlboro, Maryland,
at the confluence of
the Patuxent River
and Western Branch. |
 |
This federal period
plantation house was
built in 1789, and
was part of a large
tobacco farm. During
the 1850's the farm
had 51 black slaves
working the
farmstead. |
 |
Because the house
site is located on a
high terraced point
on the river, it has
nearly 8000-years of
human activity. Two
archeologists were
working in an active
pit, and they
enjoyed our surprise
visit from the
water. The pit is a
cellar of a small
brick home that
pre-dated Mount
Calvert, and shows
evidence of several
vertical posts that
were wall corners. |
 |
In the active
'slice' of ground
that they were
working, they found
a piece of a clay
pipe stem from the
mid 1700's, but more
importantly a broken
section of arrowhead
and clay chard,
estimated at 4000
years old (archaic
period 7500 to 1000
BC, and pre-woodland
era, 1000 BC to 1600
AD). They said that
this home site and
grounds immediately
surrounding it has
yielded a treasure
trove of cultural
antiquities, all
coming from within a
foot down in the
soil. The site was
historically the
location of a small
community/town,
known as Charles
Town, established in
1684, and was the
County seat for
Prince George's
County from 1710
until 1721. |
 |
Fishing was weak,
but cultural and
natural sight-seeing
was great. |
