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Patuxent River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Patuxent River: a Maryland river that turns tidal below the Route 214 bridge, with Prince George's County launches at Jug Bay.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
134 cfs
Air / High
62 / 62 F
Wind
NE 9 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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 the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Patuxent River lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 134 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 62. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:41 AM-11:41 AM and 10:09 PM-12:09 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Tomorrow: Similar at 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Maryland requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $32.00 for residents. What a Maryland licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing catfish (blue, channel) here? Check the size and bag limits with MD DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Maryland, read off the agency, are on the Maryland seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Patuxent near Bowie.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01594440.

290625960134 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 49 years of October 23

At 134 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01594440 (Patuxent near Bowie) is at the 41st percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 49 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 145 cfs; the highest was 980 cfs and the lowest 71 cfs.

p10 101median 145p90 455

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01594440; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp62 F
High / Low62 / 47 F
WindNE 9-12 mph
Pressure1026.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:24 / 18:16
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Patuxent River this week

The best day on Patuxent River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:41 AM-11:41 AM and 10:09 PM-12:09 AM
Minor period
4:02 AM-5:02 AM
Sun
07:24 to 18:16
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

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
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 68 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 10 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: a nontidal license above the MD Route 214 bridge and a Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing license below it. Catfish in tidal waters: no minimum size, no closed season, no creel limit (eRegulations, updated Sept. 16, 2026). Check DNR's current Chesapeake tables for other species before keeping fish.

Access

Patuxent River Park (Prince George's County): Jackson's Landing and Selby's Landing at Jug Bay Natural Area, Clyde Watson Boating Area, and canoe/kayak launches; trailer permit required.

About this water

Patuxent River, Maryland. The point and USGS gauge 01594440 sit near Bowie on the nontidal river; Patuxent River Park covers the tidal reach downstream.

Fishing Patuxent River: the full guide

Where the tide starts

Maryland sets the Patuxent's tidal line at the bridge on MD Route 214. Upstream, nontidal licenses and rules apply; downstream, the river falls under the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing license and tidal rules. This page's point and its USGS gauge, 01594440 near Bowie, are on the nontidal river above that line.

Patuxent River Park

Prince George's County's Patuxent River Park, established in 1962, covers more than 7,800 acres along the river. It manages three boat ramps and seven canoe and kayak launches: Jackson's Landing and Selby's Landing at Jug Bay Natural Area, the Clyde Watson Boating Area off Magruder's Ferry Road, and paddle launches including Queen Anne, Governor Bridge near Bowie and the Cedar Haven Fishing Area. Boat trailer permits are sold online or at the visitor center, and personal watercraft may launch only at Clyde Watson.

Blue catfish in the tidal river

Maryland DNR's July 16, 2025 fishing report said the tidal Potomac, Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers were loaded with blue catfish and encouraged anglers to fish for them, noting that in summer they move to the lower tidal rivers along channel edges. Maryland has no size, season or creel limit on catfish in its Chesapeake tidal waters.

Common questions

Where does the Patuxent River become tidal?

At the bridge on MD Route 214. Fish downstream of it under tidal rules and the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing license.

Where can I launch a boat on the tidal Patuxent?

Patuxent River Park lists boat ramps at Jackson's Landing and Selby's Landing (Jug Bay Natural Area) and at the Clyde Watson Boating Area; a park trailer permit is required.

Are there blue catfish in the Patuxent?

Yes. Maryland DNR has reported the tidal Patuxent loaded with blue catfish and encourages anglers to harvest them; there is no creel limit on catfish in tidal waters.

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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

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

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01594440 β€” Patuxent near Bowie
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.9600, -76.6900 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.