Another great fall afternoon was too much to pass up, so Ben and I decided to try our luck for more small river bass, this time joined by Brandon Dickinson. We headed north from Charlottesville on Highway 29 and through Ruckersville to fish the Rappahannock River where it crosses below the highway. There is great access...just pull to the right before crossing the overpass when headed north.
We stripped Kreelex patterns for most of the afternoon, pulling in abundant bluegill but only the occasional smallmouth. I was unaware that most of the fish I caught were actually rock bass, which can be identified by their prominent red eyes, dark spots, and size that is shorter & stockier than a smallmouth. While we initially fished the banks from the middle of the stream, Brandon made the observation that most of the bass were holding in the middle where the water was deeper with abundant grassy structure. He shared this secret after catching several fish.
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| Rock bass w/ silver & gold Kreelex |
When not out-fishing Ben and myself, Brandon witnessed several explosive strikes on natural surface bugs, so there are definitely some larger fish here. I tried my luck with a yellow popper but only managed to entice some small panfish too small to take the hook. I have long assumed that these warm water fish are more opportunistic than the trout and will take most any fly, the lack of abundant strikes makes me wonder if there might be more strategy than I originally thought.
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