Sunday, April 26, 2015, it was unseasonably cold and overcast–it almost felt like a fall day. We had bad thunderstorms to the north, but the rainfall was scattered across Southwest Virginia. So late that afternoon my son and I decided to go head up to Damascus and see how the creeks were running. We fly fished Whitetop Laurel Creek, and while the water was on the higher end of optimal conditions, the fish were hungry. We caught a number of brown trout in the special regulation section of the creek using large Parachute Madam X flies. We figured because the water wasn’t crystal clear, we’d give the trout something that would catch their attention with the heavier than normal flows.
Wild Brown Trout – Check out those perfect fins, buttery yellow belly and the brilliant spots. Photo by K.J.T.Dark Bronze Beauty. “Selfie” by E.R.T.
On April 20, 2015, I traveled from Southwest Virginia to Richmond for business. The prior evening there were terrible thunderstorms all across Virginia, but the remnant moisture and fog in the valleys made for some beautiful scenery on the Blue Ridge. The following photos are from Interstate 64, coming off of Afton Mountain looking south.
Misty Mountains
This panorama shows the extent to which the clouds and fog enveloped the lower ramparts of the mountains:
Abingdon Outdoors 