nicklenuts
New member
I know this is the NE Fly Fishing Forum, but I just got from a little fourth of July vacation to south west Virginia and got into a couple wild trout on the Whitetop Laurel. Let me just say, pleasantly surprised. I was fishing right behind where I was staying, got a bunch of action on an orange parachute Adams. Brought 2 feisty rainbows to hand and released them. The stream itself was teaming with activity though, lots of baitfish, mayflies coming off, crayfish, and lots of small wild trout rising to the occasion.
But beyond my own little taste of it at the bottom of the hill, I went for a bike ride with a bunch of other people on the VA Creeper Trail starting at Whitetop, one I have hiked a bit before. The bike is the way to go, of course. But my point is this and the reason I'm posting about it here -- the trail follows the Whitetop Laurel the ENTIRE way down the mountain. Like 25 miles of pristine yet accessible and barely touched trout water. I was blown away at the opportunities such a small stream provided -- deep run after deep run, huge cuts in the mountain forming unbelievably swift deep sections, tons of pocket water, bridges, and some more placid sections for sweet water fishermen as Fran Betters used to say. And to top it all off, there is an artificial only / catch and release section next to the biggest parking lot and bathroom where all the saps go -- NO ONE was fishing the rest of the river that I could see from the mountain bike. I was kicking myself I didn't bring along the 7' 4wt Fenwick with me.
Based on what I saw, I'm AMAZED it wasn't crawling with fly fishermen the whole way down. Has anyone else here fished it?
But beyond my own little taste of it at the bottom of the hill, I went for a bike ride with a bunch of other people on the VA Creeper Trail starting at Whitetop, one I have hiked a bit before. The bike is the way to go, of course. But my point is this and the reason I'm posting about it here -- the trail follows the Whitetop Laurel the ENTIRE way down the mountain. Like 25 miles of pristine yet accessible and barely touched trout water. I was blown away at the opportunities such a small stream provided -- deep run after deep run, huge cuts in the mountain forming unbelievably swift deep sections, tons of pocket water, bridges, and some more placid sections for sweet water fishermen as Fran Betters used to say. And to top it all off, there is an artificial only / catch and release section next to the biggest parking lot and bathroom where all the saps go -- NO ONE was fishing the rest of the river that I could see from the mountain bike. I was kicking myself I didn't bring along the 7' 4wt Fenwick with me.
Based on what I saw, I'm AMAZED it wasn't crawling with fly fishermen the whole way down. Has anyone else here fished it?
