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Guidebook: Wade Fishing the Rapidan River

Articles on this site are out of date since some go back to 2006. Regulations and property ownership may have changed since publication. It is your responsibility to know and obey all regulations and not trespass on private property.

Sadly, I had to take this book off the market. Private property owners shut down access to the Rapidan at the end of Richards Ferry Road.

Tragic! It only required allowing folks to cross around 30 yards in a remote corner they owned to get to the public property. Since fishing the Confluence was the key feature of the book, I removed it from sales.

But! If you are interested in Trout Fishing on the Rapidan, I have a book covering that. See the sidebar!

The most detailed guide on Wade Fishing ever published for the Rapidan River

To catch fish, you need to know where to fish

The Rapidan River is an angler’s dream that can be fished year round since the watershed includes both tough, cranky smallmouth bass as well as aggressive mountain brook trout. Following the precedent set in his other CatchGuide books, Steve starts the story at the mouth of the Rapidan where it slams into the Rappahannock at the smallmouth bass fishing heaven known simply as “the Confluence” and ends above the old presidential retreat at Camp Hoover high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Plenty of pictures, coupled with maps, tell the story. Using them, put your experienced angler’s  eye on the water and make your own judgment before you drive to any particular location. In the Internet age, pictures and words are not enough. The book includes GPS coordinates you can use to obtain customized directions via the Internet or put the coordinates into a GPS receiver to guide your day on the water. 

Beyond wade fishing, Steve also discusses each access point in terms of its compatibility to launch a canoe or a kayak. Once in the water, floating anglers will be well served to use this guide to quickly move to the good spots and not waste time floating over unproductive water. In particular, they will find the detailed coverage that covers every foot of the river from Elys Ford all the way to the Confluence exceptionally focused and useful.

The coverage of the smallmouth section of the Rapidan is detailed, thorough and comprehensive …. and will probably take you to places you did not know you could fish!  There is much, much more to the river than just the section at Elys Ford!

The trout section starts at the Graves Mill entrance to the Shenandoah National Park and extends all the way up to and beyond Camp Hoover.  Let the pictures tell the story.  The book includes detailed coverage of the Staunton River!

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

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