See every public fishing venue in Virginia on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
South Branch Potomac River is a public river in Highland County, Virginia, managed by Commonwealth of Virginia (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Virginia freshwater licence above the fall line (a saltwater licence applies on tidal water below it); bank access is at road crossings, parks, VDWR ramps and other public land, and riparian owners control the bank elsewhere. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
The tidal Potomac along Virginia's northern edge — a legendary largemouth-bass fishery in the grass beds from Washington to the 301 bridge, plus smallmouth in the non-tidal river above, trophy blue catfish, northern snakehead ('frankenfish'), white and yellow perch, crappie, and spring striped-bass and shad runs.
It runs roughly 114 miles through the Mountains & Valley region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, blue catfish, channel catfish; northern snakehead, white perch, yellow perch, black crappie are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the South Branch Potomac River At Franklin, Wv USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Bennett Run and Capon Run.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, VDWR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Virginia. Some VDWR lakes and city reservoirs have posted hours or gate at dark, and a few stocked-trout waters and special-regulation sections have daylight-only rules — check the water-specific regulations. Trotlines and set poles are legal on most non-trout waters with the lines tagged.
Boats: Most Virginia rivers are waded or floated by canoe, kayak and jon boat; the tidal James, Chickahominy, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Rappahannock and the New below Claytor take bigger craft.
Bank & bivvy camping: You may fish and float any navigable Virginia river on a freshwater fishing licence above the fall line (a saltwater licence applies on tidal water below it). Bank access is at VDWR boat ramps and fishing piers, state parks, Wildlife Management Areas, national-forest land and bridge crossings; riparian owners control the bank elsewhere. A trout licence is required on designated stocked trout sections from 1 October to 15 June.
Boat ramps: 12 mapped — River Access, Boat ramp, River Access, Public River Access, Boat ramp, Public River Access and others nearby.
Camping: 10 sites mapped nearby — Campsite, Eagle Rocks Campground, Jess Judy Campsite A, Big Anchor Campground, Jess Judy Campsite B, Campsite and others.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 01605500 — South Branch Potomac River At Franklin, Wv. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16+ needs a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources freshwater fishing licence — resident annual is about $24, non-resident annual about $47, and short-term (1-day / 5-day) licences are sold. A separate trout licence (~$24 resident) is required from 1 October to 15 June to fish designated stocked trout waters, and many of those in national forest also need a National Forest permit (~$5). Residents 65+ can buy discounted or free licences; a saltwater fishing licence (VMRC) covers tidal waters below the fall line. Buy from VDWR. A Virginia freshwater fishing licence covers navigable rivers above the fall line. Below the fall line (tidal water) a saltwater fishing licence applies instead. A trout licence is required on designated stocked trout sections from 1 October to 15 June.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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