The river valley is clogged with fog in the dawn and early-morning hours, casting a gray light over warm, clear water that carries foamy bubbles and the occasional rings of a rise downriver. It’s remarkably quiet, save for the quiet rush of water as it tumbles over ledges and falls. The sky is hidden—the weather it brings, anybody’s guess. It’s summertime on a Virginia smallmouth river. When the fog burns off and the lights come on, the water lights up. The aquatic life—chann

We're officially in the Dog Days in southwest Virginia--the peak of summer--and good days on the river have been rolling steady. Heavy rains that were forecasted as a result of Hurricane Isaias missed our region, largely, but regular, isolated rainfall has kept our streamflow healthy. After a particularly hot week in late-July, it seems as if we've seen our peak temperatures for the summer, and we're starting to march into the golden hour of the summer season. Topwater smallm