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Patuxent River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Maryland's middle river: tidal bass water, snakehead frontiers and blue cat bends between the capital beltways.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Flow
152 cfs
Air / High
90 / 90 F
Wind
NW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01594440, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Patuxent River locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 152 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 90. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Patuxent near Bowie.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01594440.

154243331152 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp90 F
High / Low90 / 71 F
WindNW 9-16 mph
Pressure1012.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain87% cloud, 72%
Sunrise / Sunset06:38 / 19:32
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 90/71 F, wind 9 mph, rain 72%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Patuxent River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Patuxent River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Patuxent River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Maryland requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Maryland tidal license. Snakehead/blue cat: harvest encouraged: bass standard: check MD DNR.

Access

Selby's Landing, Jackson's Landing (Jug Bay), Queen Anne launches.

About this water

The tidal middle river, Prince George's/Anne Arundel counties, MD. The capital's overlooked water.

Fishing Patuxent River: the full guide

The in-between river

The Patuxent threads Maryland between Potomac and Chesapeake fame: its tidal middle (Bowie down through Jug Bay's marshes) runs a complete fishery the beltways ignore: largemouth on the spatterdock edges, blue catfish colonizing the bends, snakeheads in the creeks, and spring runs (perch, herring) that pulse the fall line.

Tidal bass program

The spatterdock and wild rice edges fish Potomac-style at half the traffic: chatterbaits and frogs on the falling tide, senkos in the marinas' shade. Jug Bay's sanctuary marshes (paddle water) hold the quality: kayak launches open what ramps can't.

The invaders' bend

Blue cats boomed here as everywhere Chesapeake: cut bait in the outside bends grows 30-plus-pound surprises: and snakeheads rule the shallow creeks (frogs and buzzbaits: the bowfishing fleet works nights). Both carry kill-encouraged status: the river feeds accordingly.

Beltway practicalities

Accesses ladder the tidal reach (Selby's, Jackson's, Queen Anne's canoe launch): tides run modest but real (fish the falls): and the river's sanctuary zones (Jug Bay's rules) protect the marsh core: check maps. Twenty minutes from two beltways: the Patuxent is the capital's quiet water.

Common questions

Are there snakeheads in the Patuxent?

Established in the creeks and marsh edges: frogs and buzzbaits convert: harvest is encouraged. They joined the fishery: anglers adapted happily.

Where should I start on the Patuxent?

Jug Bay's launches: paddle the spatterdock for bass, soak cut bait in the bends for blues. One tide teaches the river's rhythm.

Is fishing good at Patuxent River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis)11 miLiberty Reservoir32 miLoch Raven Reservoir35 miOccoquan Reservoir38 miChoptank River39 miGunpowder River43 mi
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