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Dan and Patty Betz and Jeb and I spent the last
two hours of daylight
fishing a stretch of the Patuxent River between the two reservoirs that separate
Howard and Montgomery counties. |
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This reach of stream has several beautiful rock
outcrops, falls and
palisade walls, lined in hemlock. It was cloudy and about 65-degrees,
but we could occasionally feel cold inversions as we walked along
the stream valley. |
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Beaver were also working this section of river
hard, and we saw
numerous beaver slides, where they would climb back and forth
from the water. |
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We would let our lures drift along the deep
pools and thalweg
(the deepest, faster portions of flow typically along the outside
meander bends). Our intention was to get the lures along overhanging
rock structure, behind boulders and up under exposed/undercut tree
trunks and large woody debris, which was the only habitat structure
along this portion of stream. |
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To get to a few good holes we crossed a wire
bridge a couple of times.
I had a tendency to walk hand over hand . . .
|
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whereas Jeb would shimmy. Either way it was
awkward, but fun. |
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We caught several fall fish, all rather large,
in the 12-inch range.
This photo shows Dan just getting a hit, and his first of many fish
for 2009. No trout. To effectively fish this reach, you need waiters
to get on the best structure that holds fish. We could not effectively
cast from the banks, way too much overhanging vegetation. |
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Fall Fish, Semotilus corporalis |
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Getting near sundown we could hear pickerel
frog and spring peeper
in the wet meadows. Our families convened to Maple Lawn for
margaritas and cerveza. |
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