Two rivers at one time

A 13-inch Little Patuxent smallmouth!

Two rivers in one trip -- the Little and Middle Patuxent Rivers -- and caught five fish including my first smallmouth from the Middle Patuxent.

I started off in the Savage Mill area and caught three dink smallmouth after the first 90 minutes or so.

First fish of the day -- a cookie-cutter smallmouth
on a swimbait.

The third one was pretty funny -- I was using a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm and had a follow from a little smallmouth.  He didn't take it and turned back toward the middle of the river.  The water was crystal clear, and I tossed the worm a few feet beyond where the fish was and began working the lure back.  The fish approached the worm, and then I couldn't see the worm anymore ... because it was in the fish's mouth -- fish on!!  He was angry because he had been tricked!

After letting that fish go, I moved upriver below a section where catching a fish earlier in the day and near where landing a 12-inch smallmouth in the first week of August.  Same Z-Man worm, first cast down river and had a hit -- definitely wasn't a cookie-cutter fish.  Reeling the fish in closer, and it was easily a 12-inch smallmouth.

Just beyond those two rocks protruding from the middle of the
river is where the 13-inch smallmouth was lurking.

I landed the fish and scrambled back up the bank to break out the ruler.  As I was getting the ruler out of my fishing bag, the line snapped.  Fortunately, the fish just flopped down in the sand and didn't try to get away.  The smallmouth measured right at 13 inches!  The fish got a little bath in the water to clean off the sand, and I took the picture that's at the beginning of the post.

After no more luck in this area, I decided since being so close to the confluence of the Little Patuxent and Middle Patuxent, catching a smallmouth from the Middle Patuxent was an acceptable challenge.

I walked upriver and waded across the Little Patuxent (actually not really "wading" -- more like trying to not bust my ass walking across the river bottom that was strewn with slippery rocks).  On the other side, I walked a short ways then not-busted-my-ass crossing the Middle Patuxent.

My first MIDDLE Patuxent smallmouth.

Last time on the Middle Patuxent was probably seven or eight years ago when trying to fly-fish for trout.  I caught a couple fish -- I think a rainbow trout and a sunfish -- but no smallmouth.  At the time, I didn't think there was the possibility to catch a smallmouth bass in this river.

So today back on the Middle Patuxent, first cast upriver, and it felt like a snag as soon as I started working the Z-Man worm back.  Usually the first instinct when feeling tension on the line is to set the hook.  I did that, but it wasn't a snag -- something was pulling back!  It was a feisty cookie-cutter smallmouth and great to catch one on my first cast.

That makes smallmouth for me now on the Potomac River, Little and Middle Patuxents, and Antietam Creek in Maryland.

After fishing this area without any more action, I called it quits. Or maybe not???

Heading back and walking along the trail next to the Little Patuxent, I saw smallmouth bass in a pool near where I started fishing today.  Maybe five or six fish and at least two looked decent.

It was a pretty steep bank, so I climbed down halfway trying not to spook the fish.  They didn't seem to notice me, and I tossed out a swimbait.  As soon as the lure hit the water, the fish took off -- away from the lure.  A few more casts and nothing.  Then some smaller smallmouth made their way back.  Switching back to the Z-Man worm, one little smallmouth emerged from under a rock and tried to take the lure back to his hiding spot, but I couldn't hook him.  But no more interest in a swimbait or worm after that, so I really called it quits for the day.

Let's see, last week, Karen and I drove an hour-plus to fish the Upper Potomac, and I caught six dink smallmouth.  Today I drove 20 minutes and caught four dinks but also a 13-incher.  I'm sure it's more likely to catch a trophy sized smallmouth on the Potomac (nothing over 16 inches for me, yet), but it is getting harder to make that longer drive for a half-day trips when I catch pretty much the same fish on the Little/Middle Patuxents (three total measuring 15 inches).