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Rappahannock River Fishing Report

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

The Rappahannock: smallmouth and redbreast above Fredericksburg, tidal bass and catfish below, and spring runs past the old Embrey Dam site.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
397 cfs
Air / High
64 / 65 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01668000, 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.

Rappahannock River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 397 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

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 →

Before you go

Virginia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $23.00 for residents. What a Virginia licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Virginia, read off the agency, are on the Virginia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Rappahannock near Fredericksburg.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01668000.

9972,2353,473397 cfs09/2310/0110/1610/23

Today’s flow against 119 years of October 23

At 397 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01668000 (Rappahannock near Fredericksburg) is at the 41st percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 119 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 478 cfs; the highest was 37,100 cfs and the lowest 15 cfs.

p10 135median 478p90 2,500

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01668000; 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 temp64 F
High / Low65 / 45 F
WindNE 8-11 mph
Pressure1026.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain23% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:27 / 18:21
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)57 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~62 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 Rappahannock River this week

The best day on Rappahannock River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM
Minor period
4:06 AM-5:06 AM
Sun
07:27 to 18:21
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Rappahannock River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

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. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

When to come: the Rappahannock 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
Smallmouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Crappie
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Rappahannock 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. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Virginia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Virginia freshwater license above tidal influence; on the tidal river, check with VDWR where a saltwater license applies instead. River herring (blueback and alewife) may not be possessed: VMRC moratorium.

Access

Kelly's Ford (Route 672 off Route 651, Culpeper County) and Motts Landing (Route 618, Spotsylvania County) above the fall line; Ely's Ford on the Rapidan. Tidal launches listed by VDWR: Fredericksburg City Docks (Sophia Street), Little Falls, Hopyard Landing, Wilmont Landing, Carter's Wharf and Hoskins Creek.

About this water

About 184 miles from Chester Gap to the Chesapeake Bay; State Scenic River for its first 62 miles; fall line at Fredericksburg, Virginia (VDWR).

Fishing Rappahannock River: the full guide

A river with the dam gone

VDWR describes the Rappahannock as running about 184 miles from Chester Gap in Rappahannock County to the Chesapeake Bay, with the first 62 miles, to Mayfield Bridge in Fredericksburg, designated a State Scenic River. Herring, shad and striped bass now run past Fredericksburg each spring because Embrey Dam has been completely removed, and boaters can travel from Motts Landing across the old dam site into tidal water.

Above the fall line

Above Fredericksburg the river is usually clear and swift over bedrock, boulder and cobble, and VDWR rates the Rappahannock and Rapidan excellent for smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish. Established access points are Kelly's Ford in Culpeper County and Motts Landing in Spotsylvania County, about 25 miles apart, a float that usually needs an overnight stop. The Rapidan adds Ely's Ford, about 14 miles above Motts. VDWR notes that runoff from the Rapidan and Hazel leaves the river muddy after even minor storms.

Below the fall line

Below Route 1 the river is tidal, sandy and often murky. VDWR lists white perch, largemouth bass, striped bass, black crappie, yellow perch, and channel and blue catfish there. Blue catfish were stocked below Fredericksburg in the 1970s and became abundant; VDWR says citations have dropped since the 1990s as growth slowed, though 40-pound-plus fish still turn up. Freshwater fishing in tidal water is best from Fredericksburg down to Leedstown.

Common questions

What changed when Embrey Dam was removed?

VDWR says herring, shad and striped bass now ascend past Fredericksburg each spring, and species such as yellow perch and channel catfish are turning up above the old dam site.

Is the Rappahannock good for smallmouth?

VDWR describes the Rappahannock and Rapidan above Fredericksburg as excellent for smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish; Kelly's Ford to Motts Landing is the main float.

Can I keep herring?

No. Possession of river herring is prohibited under a Virginia Marine Resources Commission moratorium; any caught must be released at once.

Is fishing good at Rappahannock 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

Lake Anna25 miOccoquan Reservoir29 miJames River52 miShenandoah River55 miPatuxent River63 miPotomac River66 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01668000 — Rappahannock near Fredericksburg
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.3200, -77.5200 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 7, 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 7, 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.