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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2166 · bee8965a

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United States / Virginia / Rappahannock River

Bite forecast: Rappahannock River

  • length 159 mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
    56/100medium activity

    Clear: 57–90 °F

Nearby rivers

  • Mountain Run8 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • ReservoirBrandy Rock Farm Lake3 mi
  • ReservoirSwan Dam6 mi
  • ReservoirSouth Wales Country Club Lake6 mi
  • LakeBenzinger Pond7 mi
  • ReservoirGermantown Lake8 mi

Rappahannock River (Virginia) — a spot well known among anglers. About 256 km long. Close by — Fredericksburg and Culpeper. Here you'll find a bite prediction — when fish are active and which hours give the best chances, adjusted for weather and pressure.

Loading map…

Catches

Recorded 11 catches here. Most commonly caught: Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Blue catfish. Peak season: year-round.

  • Blue catfish — Rappahannock River, Feb 17, 2018
    4
    Blue catfish
    Rappahannock River
    45 °F7 mph
    Feb 17, 2018
  • Blue catfish — Rappahannock River, Nov 25, 2017
    4
    Blue catfish
    Rappahannock River
    55 °F7 mph
    Nov 25, 2017
  • Largemouth bass
    Rappahannock River
    81 °F2 mph
    Aug 13, 2018
  • Largemouth bass
    Rappahannock River
    75 °F4 mph
    Jul 22, 2018
  • Smallmouth bass
    Rappahannock River
    86 °F2 mph
    Jun 20, 2018, 1:42 PM
  • Largemouth bass
    Rappahannock River
    41 °F2 mph
    Mar 27, 2018
  • Smallmouth bass
    Rappahannock River
    43 °F9 mph
    Mar 08, 2018
  • Striped bass
    Rappahannock River
    45 °F16 mph
    Mar 03, 2018
ThursdaySeptember 10weather-based forecast
56/100medium activity

Partly cloudy: 63–93 °F

  • TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    53/100medium activity

    Cloudy: 52–81 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Fredericksburg0.1 mi
    • Culpeper10 mi

    Bite calendar

    Friday, September 4

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Striped bassSmallmouth bassWalleyeWhite bassBlack crappieBrook troutWhite crappieFlathead catfishLargemouth bassBlue catfishBluegillCarpChannel catfishRainbow troutSpotted bass

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Pressure is dropping — this usually boosts the bite.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 74 °F — inside the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F74 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.06 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.06 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.9823:00 · 29.92 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    4 SepFriday, September 4
    +87°

    Clear · feels like +89°

    Low / high
    +74°…+90°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    10 mph WNW
    Cloud cover
    0%
    Humidity
    45%
    Pressure
    29.97 inHg
    00:00+80°—2 mphsouthwest wind, 2 mph47%27%
    01:00+78°—2 mphnortheast wind, 2 mph51%63%
    02:00+76°—2 mphsouth wind, 2 mph57%0%
    03:00+76°—2 mphnorthwest wind, 2 mph54%0%
    04:00+76°—5 mphnorthwest wind, 5 mph57%0%
    05:00+75°—5 mphnorthwest wind, 5 mph58%0%
    06:00+74°—1 mphsouthwest wind, 1 mph59%0%
    07:00+74°—3 mphsouthwest wind, 3 mph58%0%
    08:00+77°—2 mphsouthwest wind, 2 mph57%0%
    09:00+82°—2 mphnorthwest wind, 2 mph56%0%
    10:00+84°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph55%0%
    11:00+86°—9 mphwest wind, 9 mph53%4%
    12:00+87°—10 mphwest wind, 10 mph45%0%
    13:00+89°—10 mphnorthwest wind, 10 mph43%0%
    14:00+90°—12 mphnorthwest wind, 12 mph41%3%
    15:00+90°—13 mphnorthwest wind, 13 mph40%1%
    16:00+90°—11 mphnorthwest wind, 11 mph40%1%
    17:00+90°—12 mphnorthwest wind, 12 mph39%96%
    18:00+89°—9 mphnorthwest wind, 9 mph42%100%
    19:00+85°—8 mphnorthwest wind, 8 mph49%100%
    20:00+82°—7 mphnorthwest wind, 7 mph57%91%
    21:00+80°—6 mphnorthwest wind, 6 mph56%0%
    22:00+79°—4 mphnorth wind, 4 mph57%0%
    23:00+78°—3 mphnorthwest wind, 3 mph54%0%
    +90°+82°+74°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Friday, September 4
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:50
    Sunset
    19:42
    Day length
    12 h 52 min
    Sunshine hours
    11 h
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Last quarter
    Moonrise
    —
    Moonset
    15:04

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +14% in the windowFriday, September 4
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major06:04–08:04Moon overhead
    • Minor14:34–15:34Moonset
    • Major18:35–20:35Moon underfoot

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 11 verified catchesPeriod: 2017–2018

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    024
    4421
    Largemouth bassSmallmouth bassBlue catfishStriped bass
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Largemouth bass436%
    Smallmouth bass436%
    Blue catfish218%
    Striped bass19%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    2311121
    FebMarJunJulAugNovDec
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    Feb218%
    Mar327%
    Jun19%
    Jul19%
    Aug19%
    Nov218%
    Dec19%

    Air temperature, °F

    vertical axis — number of catches

    035
    53111
    4150687786
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    41–48 °F545%
    50–57 °F327%
    68–75 °F19%
    77–84 °F19%
    86–93 °F19%

    Pressure, inHg

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    131231
    29.5329.7229.9230.1230.3130.51
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    29.53–29.69 inHg19%
    29.72–29.88 inHg327%
    29.92–30.08 inHg19%
    30.12–30.28 inHg218%
    30.31–30.47 inHg327%
    30.51–30.67 inHg19%

    Wind direction

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    1121312
    NESESSWWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    N19%
    E19%
    SE218%
    S19%
    SW327%
    W19%
    NW218%

    Wind speed, mph

    vertical axis — number of catches

    024
    4421
    04913
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    0–2 mph436%
    4–7 mph436%
    9–11 mph218%
    13–16 mph19%

    Measured river conditions are available for Rappahannock River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    3.03 ft
    Streamflow
    174 ft³/s

    USGS gauge RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER AT REMINGTON, VA, 5 mi away · measured 2026-09-04 10:15 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision