I returned here for the second time last weekend (June 08 - see second half of the post) but my first visit was right before Thanksgiving, I dropped the Basswife off at the shopping in Fredericksburg and I lit out like a scalded dog to Ely's Ford for a few hours on the water.  In September, I had worked my way upstream with great luck.  In fact, that was about as perfect a day of river fishing as you could hope for.  I knew the winter season was not with me, but I just had to see what was downstream to catalog it for a more active assault in the summer.  As I parked the truck, I had a fleeting thought.  I was about to walk through the woods in hunting season without orange.  Hopeful that my bright blue jacket would serve to protect me, I began to move cautiously downstream.  After wading in the river for a bit, I realized that there was a rough trail on the southern bank and hopped onto it.  No shots fired, so I felt I was reasonably safe.  I continued to move quickly downstream to gain some distance while attempting to not look like a deer. A few hundred yards downstream, the river looked good.  There was a bend to the left with a gentle line of small rapids, ripples, with some scattered rocks poking up on the northern shore.  This was as good a place as any and I loaded a wooly bugger on the 6wt and began firing off quick casts.  I allowed the bugger to drift with the current and twitched.  On the fourth cast, the line jerked down, my blood pressure and adrenaline shot through the roof.  False alarm  Ack!  It was a chub.  But is was a massive chub and he felt pretty good so I plopped him back in the water to fight another day.  This was all right.  I do lousy in the winter and never catch anything.  Maybe this day would be different.  Since I was closer to the northern shore, I waded over and walked around the point.  The river did not change character much as I gazed down the breadth of it.  It remained wide, calm and was clearly pretty deep over on the southern side where the water slammed against the high, steep ridge.  I continued to work streamers and a few poppers just in case there was a fish that did not get the memo that summer was long gone and waded down the river.  Here and there, you could see rocks, some long and flat, sticking up.  Each of these holds a cut to the right or left.  I even switched over to some nymphs and floated them down the cut.  I do not think I got deep enough; no strikes, no action. Sadly, I looked at my watch and realized that I needed to blaze on back to get the Basswife.  I took one more look down the river and resolved to come back when trout season is over.  No need to hit this early in the year when there are still trout around; the smallies will still be here. As a general statement, the river immediately downstream of Ely's is wide and shallow.  Just from observing it from the bank, I think I made the right call in skipping down to the corner before starting some serious fishing.  After the corner, it gets good and probably stays that way all the way down to the Rappahannock. While I did not see anyone else on the cold Saturday I was here, since this is near Ely's ford, there has to be pressure.  That pressure can come from either the canoes, kayaks or guys like me who just wade downstream.  Since the trail I followed was not beaten down like the trails you encounter at the Gunpowder, for example, I don't think this place is hammered. The river bottom is smooth, just like the upstream portion.  I did not need the wading staff at all and tucked it into my wading belt.  It was handy to beat against the bushes on the trail to stir any snakes out of the way and push the thorns aside.  Easy walking.  This will be a great place to wet wade in the summer. The first half mile of the river, from the bridge to the bend, is pretty much a waste of time.  As I walked on the trail on the southern bank I could look down into the shallow water and confirm it was only a sandy bottom -- no structure.  I worked the band again, without luck this time, and continued downstream.  Unlike in the winter, I did pick up a few small bass but nothing big; also some bluegills.  I write this off to the fact that I only had an hour and had to move fast.  Rather than working from one side or the other to work the deeper parts of the middle, I moved down the small hump in the middle and peppered the shore with casts using a sinking pattern.  Not surprising that I only caught a few small guys. The water does get deep the farther downstream you go.  I confirmed this as I wet waded my way into some deep holes that came up to my chest.  There was an exceptionally nice deep spot next to the western bank where I turned around.  There have to be big fish here someplace.  However, the evidence against that is the general lack of structure scattered along the sandy bottom. This is basically a barren stretch.  My limited experience is that you find these fish where there are numerous rocks, outcrops or grassy sections of the river that provide cover for both them and what they eat.  I imagine that predators would have an easy time picking off the unsuspecting fish profiled against the smooth sandy bottom. Bottom Line: I'll probably come back here, but not until I get some better advice on where to go.  My bet is that, if you go downstream, you need to walk quite a ways to find the better part of this river.	Pressure Trout Size N/A Physical Fitness Bass Size Access Regulations Hard to Find Stocking Scenery Overall Remember to refer to my rating explanations - these are based on what I look for - so RED for Physical Fitness translates to easy physically - you do not need to be in shape to fish this section.  I prefer terrain that is tough to get into and out of. Purchase Switchfisher's books using the links to Amazon below for: Wade Fishing the Rappahannock River of Virginia (more info) Wade Fishing the Rapidan River of Virginia (more info) Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass (more info) Trout and Smallmouth Fishing on the North Branch of the Potomac (more info) Art did run into two other guys fishing upstream of the bridge.  They were picking up decent sized smallies using spin gear and light green spinners.  If fish are north of the bridge, they must be south as well.  Our June trip was probably just not the right day or time for fly gear. June 2008 update. After working the disabled hunter access portion of the Rappahannock last week, Art and I decided to stop at Ely's Ford on our way home.  I sent Art upstream based on the great time I had had on that section of the river last year, while I made another foray downstream.  My observations from last year held true. Getting There: Head west on Route 3 from I95 and turn right at the corner of the Chancellorsville battlefield on Ely's Ford Road (State Rt 610).  Follow it for several miles.  You will go past the new Hunting Run reservoir.  Keep going.  You will see a sign for public boat landing.  Turn immediately to the right before you get to the bridge.  Secrets Revealed?  No.  Ely's Ford is explicitly mentioned in the printed version of the VA fishing regulations as an access point.
Looking back up the river to Ely's Ford	Downstream to the first curve
Gets deep and wide after the curve with a few rocks to break things up.	Pretty county, no doubt about it; looking back toward the curve from downstream