2008 Smallmouth Bass River Forecast

2008 Smallmouth Bass River Forecast:

"Rappahannock River:

Recent studies conducted by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries suggest a bright future for smallmouth bass angling on the Rappahannock River. The population continues to grow and experience improved size structure due to two excellent year classes (2004 and 2005) followed by an average spawn in 2006 and an apparently average spawn in 2007. Fisheries Biologist John Odenkirk stated that this four-year string links together the strongest consecutive year class grouping documented to-date in this river system. Fish should be getting more abundant and larger. Near perfect environmental conditions (primarily rainfall during the month of June) occurred in 2004 which resulted in record production (numbers of juvenile bass) providing sample young-of-year electrofishing catch rates of 43 per hour (the previous record was in 1997 when 28 per hour were sampled, and that year class persisted for years providing excellent angling)."