NORTH CREEK IN BOTETOURT COUNTY
This past spring, friend Alan Weeks of Troutville and I drove from our Botetourt County homes to nearby North Creek outside of Arcadia. We found the stream as it typically is, that is, replete with pools shaded by hemlocks and speckled alders, runs filled with boulders and chunk rock, and lies populated by rainbows and the odd brook trout.

Our visit was in May, and we saw only two other anglers working the stream. To be honest, those anglers were a teenage boy and his girlfriend and they seemed much more interested in each other than fishing -- that and throwing sticks into the water for their dog to chase.

The point is that North Creek typically does not receive a lot of fishing pressure after April and is a delightful stream to fish anytime. A major reason that North Creek receives even a little pressure is that the stream is a tributary of Jennings Creek, one of Western Virginia's most popular stocked trout waters.

The special regulations section is that portion of the stream upstream from the North Creek Campground. That campground makes for a convenient base for those sportsmen who want to spend several days in the vicinity, either fishing North and Jennings creeks or the native trout streams in this mountainous area.

North Creek is catch-and-release only, and only single-hook artificial lures may be used. The rainbows typically run between 7 and 12 inches.

ST. MARY'S RIVER IN AUGUSTA COUNTY
Back in the mid-1980s, I traveled to the St. Mary's River in Augusta County and immediately became a fan of the stream. A friend and I backpacked into the hinterlands, walking along a winding foot trail that parallels much of the stream. The stream's rhododendron shrouded banks, isolated setting and plunge pools bedazzled the both of us. Once while hiking along a trail, I remember spotting a huge rainbow and trying for some 30 minutes to convince the trout to take a crayfish pattern. And I recall very fondly spending the night along the stream and listening to the cascading sounds of its waterfalls as I drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately, over the next 10 years or so, stream acidification steadily worsened, destroying the wild rainbow fishery and negatively impacting native brook trout reproduction and, of course, the population itself. Aquatic tragedies such as the one that befell St. Mary's is yet another reason why sportsmen should be aware of clean air and water issues and how those issues impact our outdoor pastimes.

Fortunately, in the spring of 1999, positive measures were taken. The U.S. Forest Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and other organizations arranged to lime the stream in order to improve water quality. The river has now rebounded, and the brook trout population is higher than it was during the 1970s, according to the VDGIF.

The special regulations section is that portion of the St. Mary's and its tributaries upstream from the gate near the George Washington National Forest property line. The regulations are the same as those on Little Stony Creek.

STEWART'S CREEK IN CARROLL COUNTY
Situated near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Carroll County, Stewart's Creek may just be one of the most beautiful highland rills in the Commonwealth. The stream cascades through its namesake Stewarts Creek WMA (1,087 acres), which ranges in elevation from 1,580 feet to 2,955 feet.

Major reasons why anglers consider the creek such a jewel are its plunge pools, deeply shaded lies, and a canopy characterized by rhododendron, mountain laurel, alders and striped maples. Another reason, of course, is the fact that Stewart's can harbor native brookies in the 9-inch range -- huge by Southern standards.

Some 4.5 miles of Stewart's Creek, and its two major tributaries (North Fork and South Fork Stewart's Creek), are under special regulations. The regs are the same as North Creek. If sportsmen want to experience the stream at its most beautiful, consider coming in early to mid June when the great rhododendron may be blooming.