Fishes Rapidan River, Rappahannock River
River · Piedmont and Fall Line · Virginia
Rappahannock River Fishing Guides
A free-flowing Piedmont river running to the fall line at Fredericksburg, with a long float-fishing reach for smallmouth above town and anadromous striper and shad runs pushing up from tidewater below it.
Map of the Rappahannock River
10 numbered points: 9 access points, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 25, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (9)
- USGS gauge (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.
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.
Open the printable mapAll 10 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly's Ford Access VA DWR - Culpeper Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.47704, -77.78069 | Uppermost access, Culpeper County - the top of the popular float to Motts Run. Hand launch. |
| 2 | Motts Run Access VA DWR - Spotsylvania Co. - hand launch | Access / boat ramp | 38.31361, -77.54063 | Hand launch above Fredericksburg, at the fall line. |
| 3 | Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg USGS 01668000 - real-time stage and flow | USGS gauge | 38.30850, -77.52920 | Roster gauge for this water, at the fall line. It is the reference for the upper float. |
| 4 | City Docks Access VA DWR - Fredericksburg - 2 ramps | Access / boat ramp | 38.29652, -77.45313 | Fredericksburg city ramps, at the head of tidewater. |
| 5 | Hopyard Landing Access VA DWR - King George Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.24426, -77.22582 | Ramp in King George County, on the tidal river. |
| 6 | Port Royal Landing Access VA DWR - Caroline Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.17265, -77.18866 | Ramp at Port Royal, Caroline County. |
| 7 | Carter's Wharf Access VA DWR - Richmond Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 38.07133, -76.92387 | Ramp in Richmond County, on the wide tidal river. |
| 8 | Simonson Landing Access VA DWR - Richmond Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.80711, -76.63365 | Ramp in Richmond County, lower tidal river. |
| 9 | Saluda Access VA DWR - Middlesex Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.62263, -76.58173 | Ramp at Saluda, Middlesex County, near the mouth. |
| 10 | Mill Creek Access VA DWR - Middlesex Co. - 1 ramp | Access / boat ramp | 37.58425, -76.42446 | Lowest access, Middlesex County, close to the Chesapeake. |
Guides on the Rappahannock River
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works
About the Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock runs from the Blue Ridge across the Virginia Piedmont to the fall line at Fredericksburg, where it drops through a short set of rapids and becomes tidal. The removal of Embrey Dam in 2004 restored the river’s continuity and returned anadromous fish to the reaches above town, and the result is a river with two distinct personalities in a very short distance. Above the fall line it is a classic Piedmont smallmouth float: ledges, gravel bars, long pools and a steady procession of Class I and II rapids. Below it, the river widens into a broad tidal estuary running down to the Chesapeake.
Smallmouth bass are the reason guides run drift boats and rafts here, and the float from the Kelly’s Ford area down toward Fredericksburg is the best-known run in the region. The fish are numerous and the river’s ledge structure gives them holding water at almost any flow. In spring, striped bass and American shad push up out of tidewater to the rapids at Fredericksburg and stack below them, which draws a completely different crowd for six or eight weeks. Channel catfish are everywhere, and the tidal reach below town holds blue catfish that reach genuinely large sizes.
Access is good and largely public. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources maintains landings along the Piedmont reach, and the Fredericksburg riverfront and the Rappahannock River Heritage Trail give extensive bank access at the fall line. Private land dominates between landings, so float trips are planned landing to landing rather than by walking in. The Fredericksburg gauge reads discharge, stage and water temperature, and is the number both float guides and spring striper anglers watch, since the runs key on rising temperature as much as on flow.
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Access
Kelly's Ford - the standard upstream put-in for the long smallmouth float, with a state landing and parking.
Motts Run and the landings above Fredericksburg break the float into single-day segments.
City Dock and the Fredericksburg riverfront - bank access at the fall line and the focus of the spring striped bass and shad fishing.
Old Mill Park, Fredericksburg - walk-in access to the rapids reach where the anadromous fish stack up.
The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail parallels the river through town and opens up several miles of bank.
Between landings the banks are almost entirely private; plan floats point to point rather than expecting to walk out.
The rapids at the fall line are Class II and become genuinely pushy above roughly moderate flow - scout before running them in a loaded boat.
Seasons
Spring: high water through March, then the striped bass and American shad runs below the fall line from April into May, which is the busiest fishing of the year.
Summer: the core smallmouth float season. Low, clear, warm water and reliable topwater fishing through the ledges above town.
Fall: cooling water concentrates smallmouth in the deeper pools and the floats stay good into November with much less traffic on the river.
Winter: cold and high after rain. Catfishing in the tidal reach continues, but the float fishery effectively stops until March.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Rappahannock River?
As of Nov 2, 6:00 am, the USGS gauge RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER NEAR FREDERICKSBURG, VA reads 258 cfs, with water temperature 55.6 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Rappahannock River?
Anglers target American Shad, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.
Are there fishing guides on the Rappahannock River?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Rappahannock River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Rappahannock River?
Kelly's Ford - the standard upstream put-in for the long smallmouth float, with a state landing and parking. Motts Run and the landings above Fredericksburg break the float into single-day segments. City Dock and the Fredericksburg riverfront - bank access at the fall line and the focus of the spring striped bass and shad fishing. Old Mill Park, Fredericksburg - walk-in access to the rapids reach where the anadromous fish stack up. The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail parallels the river through town and opens up several miles of bank. Between landings the banks are almost entirely private; p...
When is the best time to fish the Rappahannock River?
Spring: high water through March, then the striped bass and American shad runs below the fall line from April into May, which is the busiest fishing of the year. Summer: the core smallmouth float season. Low, clear, warm water and reliable topwater fishing through the ledges above town. Fall: cooling water concentrates smallmouth in the deeper pools and the floats stay good into November with much less traffic on the river. Winter: cold and high after rain. Catfishing in the tidal reach continues, but the float fishery effectively stops until March.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Rappahannock River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Virginia agency site: https://dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/