Maryland Trout Stocking
Each year in the spring and the fall, the Maryland DNR stocks rainbows and brown trout in many streams and ponds through out the state. Our chapter assists with the stocking of the Upper Patuxent, the fly fishing only section below Brighton Dam, and the delay harvest section of the Middle Patuxent. If you are interested in assisting with these activities, please contact Jay Sheppard at
2024 Spring Stocking
March 26, 2024
According to the Maryland DNR, 600 Browns and Rainbows were stocked in the C&R Flies Only section below Brighton Dam. Another 600 Browns and Rainbows were also stocked in the C&R Artificial Lures Only section of the Upper Patuxent. Below is a report from one of the stocking teams.
Anglers,
I had the privilege yesterday of being on the team to stock the Pax from Hipsley Mill all the way down to the trail which leads up to Jennings Chapel Way. The team including Carson Wargo (high school senior many of you have met who loves fishing, ties flies and was the key to our success yesterday), Jeff Martell (even older than me -haha - and likes to fish and has participated in other stockings previously) and Sharif Soliman (30 years old ish, loves to fish and always wanted to help stock. Sharif is a big outdoors guy!)
We had approximately 300 Browns and 100 Bows.
During our day we came upon old car tires in the river, hub caps, discarded 5 gallon buckets, empty beer bottles, etc. Every time we encountered such debris both Carson and Sharif removed it from the river. The video link shows them removing the largest of the tires we encountered. Carson and Sharif removed several other tires, rims, hubcaps, beer bottles etc.
On the walk back to the car Sharif carried 2 boxes (one filled with discarded beer bottles, soda cans, etc. and Carson carried the discarded buckets!
From Hipsley Mill in the water and then up the path to Jennings Chapel Way, Peter Schuler tells me we covered 4 1/2 miles! No one told Carson or Sharif to clean up the river! They both initiated this and stocking the fish was the easy part!
To that end, we had instructions to stock in certain areas I was previously familiar with as well as the area where Peter Schuler took me Sunday. There was then about 3/4 mile of river I had never seen as we approached the last section. We had to make decisions on where to stock in that area. There were lots of opportunities! We collectively decided that there needed to be good water flow going into an area such as a good strong riffle going over rocks where we could actually see the drop in elevation (creates oxygen). Once we met our first criterion, both Carson and Sharif walked through the prospective stocking area which could have been a tree or an undercut bank or a bend in the river to measure the depth, the water flow again and the structure. They looked for big rocks and/or undercut banks or a tree laydown, a tree root system, etc.
We wanted to give these Browns every opportunity to survive a hot summer and ultimately create more trout! Our team passed up stocking trout in quite a few areas which even though they were 3 -4' deep there was no structure nor significant water flow. The areas we chose met every criteria and the water depth was certainly at least 4' deep. We could have easily stocked another 200 fish had we had them!
Kudos to the conservation effort!! Stocking the fish was the icing on the cake.
As always and certainly most importantly, thank you Jay Shephard for the decades of work to make the Pax such a great trout stream! Peter Schuler, who has been working with Jay the past 7 years I believe, has been doing a fabulous job organizing these stockings which is quite an undertaking!!!
Tight Lines!
Jim Senker
2023 Fall Stockings
December 15, 2023
The Catch and Release Flies Only section of the Patuxent below Brighton Dam was stocked with 350 Rainbows and Brown Trout.
The Middle Patuxent Delayed Harvest section was stocked with 350 Rainbows and Brown Trout.
October 18, 2023
The Middle Patuxent Delayed Harvest section was stocked with 400 Brown Trout.
2023 Spring Stockings
April 3, 2023
Another 700 rainbows were float stocked in the Patuxent River tailwater below Brighton Dam (flies only).
March 8, 2023
PPTU volunteers helped stock some of our local streams today with rainbows. Here are the waters and some details.
Upper Patuxent River special mgt area: 200 at each of three bridges: rt 94, Hipsley Mill, & Howard Chapel. All stocked at the bridges or just downstream.
Patuxent R. tailwater below Brighton Dam (flies only): ~800 float stocked from head of the FFO water down to mouth of Hawlings on Montgomery County side.
Middle Patuxent delayed harvest section: ~225 float stocked from Eden Brook downstream about a mile, maybe 1.5 miles. This will almost certainly be the last stocking of this stream, Please post here any and all trout caught AND seen on this river after today. I will be truly surprised if any can be found a week from today.
Members helping me stock today: Bob Bokulic, Ron Briggs, Jim Flynn, Ernie Branson, Ron Kerrick, Mike Frey, Jim Senker. THANX guys!!! Good job by all.
Jay
March 1, 2023
On Wednesday, March 1st, our stalwart volunteers float stocked about 1500 large brown trout into the upper Pax special area and into the flies only section below Brighton Dam. All reports were of very nice trout, some over 16"! The taikwater flows were briefly raised the next morning but are now back to a quite fishable level. Excellent flow is happening in the upper Pax.
The trout in the upper mainstem were stocked between rt 94 and Howard Chapel. None were intentionally dropped at the bridges, A short hike should get you to these initial stocking points.
There is a great cleared trail going upstream on the Howard County side from Haviland Mill. Just park in the county parking lot just north of the bridge. There is a zig-zag trail along the Montgomery County side going downstream from the bridge. Fishermen are allowed to cross the big meadow downstream of the bridge, courtesy of the owner, Sam Haviland. At the downstream end of the meadow he has a ramp going down to a ford--easy access for fishers.
Thank to all who helped stock yesterday:
Dave Astin, Mike Bovitch, Ernie Branson, Ron Briggs, Ian Gifford, Brian Hepler, Bob Kaiser, Ron Kerrick, Ray Miller, Richard Moore, Steve Naugle, Peter Schuler, Steve Shaw, Don Vance, Edwin Waleryszak, and Bob Zukowski.
THANX, guys! Job well deone!!
Next Wednesday we will stock the same river sections with rainbows. We will stock some into the Middle Patuxent, too, that day.
Spring has sprung, Go fish!!
Jay<
For up-to-date stocking information throughout the state, go to the Maryland DNR website.
Photos from 2021 Stockings (courtesy of Adam Rice)
Photos from 2019 Stockings
Photos from 2018 Spring Stockings
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A Video and Photos from Previous Years
In the spring of 2015, Ron Brooks made this excellent video of PPCTU Stocking Below Brighton Dam.
Thanks Ron for your efforts!
Joe Kunsman provided the following photos and footnotes of their crew stocking below Brighton Dam. Thanks Joe.
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