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Rappahannock River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Virginia's fall-line freedom river: dam-free since 2004, running smallmouth riffles past Fredericksburg into striper tidewater.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
640 cfs
Air / High
96 / 96 F
Wind
WNW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01668000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Rappahannock River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 640 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 96. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 84 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Rappahannock near Fredericksburg.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01668000.

6641,2971,929640 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp96 F
High / Low96 / 72 F
WindWNW 6-15 mph
Pressure1011.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain19% cloud, 30%
Sunrise / Sunset06:42 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 96/72 F, wind 10 mph, rain 30%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

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
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 95 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license (freshwater above the tidal line; saltwater license needs below): check VDWR boundaries.

Access

Kelly's Ford, Motts Run, Old Mill Park (fall line), City Dock (tidal); canoe liveries in season.

About this water

184 free miles from the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake, VA. The fall-line river Fredericksburg got back.

Fishing Rappahannock River: the full guide

The undammed piedmont

Embrey Dam's 2004 demolition freed the Rappahannock: it now runs unbroken from the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake: Virginia's longest free-flowing river. The fall line at Fredericksburg splits its life: smallmouth riffles above, tidal bass-and-catfish water below, and migratory runs (shad, herring, stripers) restored to their historic gravel.

Smallmouth floats

The upper river (Remington to Fredericksburg) is canoe-country bronze: grass islands, ledges and riffle pockets where 12-16-inch smallmouth eat topwater all summer and citations surprise the persistent. Kelly's Ford and Motts Run anchor the classic floats: summer wet-wading at the fall line's rock gardens is Fredericksburg's home fishery.

The spring runs

April lights the fall line: hickory shad stack below the rapids (darts and spoons, catch-and-release), stripers push up from tidewater, and blue cats prowl the mixing water. The city's River Heritage trail puts it all on foot: urban run-fishing minutes from the interstate.

Tidewater and beyond

Below town, the tidal Rappahannock widens toward oyster country: largemouth in the creeks' pads, blue catfish (heavyweights) in the channel bends, and speckled trout showing near the bay reaches in fall. One river, three fisheries: the restoration's dividend keeps compounding.

Common questions

What did removing Embrey Dam change?

Everything migratory: shad, herring and stripers reclaimed miles of spawning water, and the river now runs free end-to-end. The April runs at the fall line are the visible dividend.

Is the Rappahannock good for smallmouth?

The piedmont floats hold a classic Virginia bronze fishery: summer topwater, ledge pockets, citation potential. Kelly's Ford to Fredericksburg is the storied water.

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: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

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