Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meems Bottom Access VA DWR - Shenandoah Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.70669, -78.65096 | Uppermost access mapped here - hand launch off Rt 730 east, four and a half miles north of New Market. |
| 2 | North Fork Shenandoah River at Mount Jackson USGS 01633000 - real-time stage and flow | USGS gauge | 38.74567, -78.63890 | Roster gauge for this water. The North Fork is a low, warm smallmouth river - read this gauge before committing to a float. |
| 3 | Chapman's Access VA DWR - Shenandoah Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.84542, -78.52968 | Ramp reached from Edinburg by Rt 11 north then Rt 672. |
| 4 | Deer Rapids Access VA DWR - Shenandoah Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.95456, -78.37517 | Hand-carry launch off Rt 744, on the Seven Bends reach. |
| 5 | Strasburg Landing VA DWR - Shenandoah Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.97317, -78.35130 | Ramp reached from Strasburg by Rt 55 west and Industrial Road. |
| 6 | Catletts Ford Landing VA DWR - Warren Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.97847, -78.25871 | Hand launch reached from Front Royal by Rt 522, Guard Hill Road and Rt 626. |
| 7 | Riverton Access VA DWR - Warren Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.94962, -78.19808 | Lowest North Fork ramp, at Riverton just above the Front Royal confluence with the South Fork. |
Gauge: USGS 01633000 — N F SHENANDOAH RIVER AT MOUNT JACKSON, VA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Fallfish, Largemouth Bass, Musky, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch
Regulations: dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Meems Bottom covered bridge, Mount Jackson - the standard upper put-in near the gauge.
Riverfront Park, Woodstock - developed town access with parking and a launch.
Chapman Landing, Edinburg - a canoe and kayak launch on the middle river.
Seven Bends State Park - several access points through the big meander section.
Strasburg town park - bank access and a launch on the lower river.
Route 55 bridge at Waterlick - the lowest access above the Front Royal confluence.
Burnshire Dam access, Woodstock - bank fishing above and below the old milldam.
Spring: high water early, then the best float flows of the year and spawning smallmouth on the flats.
Summer: low clear water, wading the ledges for smallmouth and redbreast at dawn and dusk.
Fall: smallmouth feed heavily and the musky fishing begins as the water cools.
Winter: musky season for the specialists, with almost nobody else on the water.