After fishing upstream from the 634 bridge, Ireturned to the truck where I gulped down some water and then hopped back into the river to see what the downstream direction had to offer. Immediately downstream of the bridge is good rocky structure and a high bank with a rock on the right that produced a number of sunfish but no smallmouth bass. I need to caveat this comment by saying that it was early in the season with water temperatures barely pushing 50° so the smallies may not have been active at this point in the year. I fished my way downstream paying careful attention to the ample structure I could see at river left. I continued downstream until it closed out with deep, unwadeable water and clawed my way up the bank to walk near the river in search of the next access point. 100 yards down from where I parked the truck, I ran into a family who was of actually swimming in the early season, frigid cold water. I chatted with them and asked if they fished. They indicated that they did and that they had not encountered any smallmouth bass in this section of the river. Disappointed to hear that, I continued down the bank and was eventually forced back to the road by the high brush. I walked to the bend in the road where it veered sharply away from the river and looked down stream. Frankly, it did not look encouraging. The river appeared to have a flat sandy bottom just like Lilliards Ford. Given that, I wasn't going to waste any time moving farther downstream. It's a shame that the river is not productive beyond the section immediately downstream of the bridge but the character of a river can change quickly from good to bad and, in Virginia, is as immediate as the transition of the river bottom from rocks to sand. I returned to the truck and headed home. Bottom Line: While the upstream section bears a return visit, I'm not so sure about the downstream stretch. Perhaps when the water is clearer and warmer it would be more productive. With the focused intelligence gained from the "swimming family" that there are no smallies in this section, I hesitate to take the long drive back only to experience a day of catching sunfish.

Pressure Trout Size N/A Physical Fitness Bass Size Unk 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. Getting There: Take Rt 29 south from Culpeper and turn north on VA 634 at Locust Dale.  Follow it to VA 632 and turn north (right).  Go across the bridge and park in the large turnoff. Google Local Coordinates: 38.381206,-78.148992 Secrets Revealed?  No.  The Robinson is well known and documented on the VDGIF site. Date Fished: 05/16/2009 Tell a friend about this article by clicking on this link