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 | 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. |
Gauge: USGS 01668000 — RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER NEAR FREDERICKSBURG, VA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: American Shad, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass
Regulations: dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
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 I
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