2008 SPRING STOCKINGS

On February 19, some 30 volunteers float stocked ~3000 brown (mostly) and rainbows. Only browns were stocked on the upper Patuxent Special Area (above rt. 97) and below Brighton Dam on the Flies-Only stretch. Some of these browns were up to ~3 lbs and 18" long...beautiful fish! We float stocked 500 browns and 500 rainbows into the Delayed Harvest section of the Middle Patuxent River in south Columbia. These float stockings were away from all roads on those sections--for the most part.

Helping on the upper Patuxent: Kathy Harding, Norma Kawecki, Ken Bowyer, Ray Cline, Val Walters, Jim Arnold, Jeff Rasband, Bill May, Phil Gay, Russ Shaw, Tom Hare, Rob Lang, Cathy Nutter, Cathy Lee, Dennis Covert, John Bradbury, John Cabala, Jim Robinson, Tim Bowers, and myself.

Helping below Brighton Dam: Carl Smolka, Fred Przyborowski, Nick Weber, Joe Kunsman, & Mark Burton.

Helping on the Middle Patuxent: Doug Sandler, Gus Bernard, Larry Choate, Michael Golob, Alan Pflugad, Rich Mance, Danny Schaub, & Frank Bowne.

For those who want to go chasing them, you will get your best success in the next 24 hours or so...after that they become more and more wary of anything drifting in the currents.....they have been eating ANYTHING that floated past them since they went into the streams. It then takes them about 2-3 weeks to finally figure out what is edible and what is not.... Also, they have never had to chase MOVING food before in the hatchery! So do not move woolly buggers or any other fly or lure very far or very fast in coming weeks until they learn how to catch such stuff. Sorry, but these guys (& Gals) have a lot of learning to acquire about the wilds of a real stream...something that little wild trout pick up in their first few months of life.

At the end of this month another 1000 rainbows will be stocked on the upper Patuxent Special Area (mostly near the bridges) and also below Brighton Dam. There will also be a final stocking of rainbows in all three river sections the last day of March.

Thanks to all those that have helped with this activity. Some photos are posted below.

Jay Sheppard