LAUREL BED LAKE
Laurel Bed Lake, which lies within the Clinch Mountain WMA, has an interesting history and an intriguing future. Until 1999, the 330-acre impoundment was part of the Big Tumbling Creek fee-fishing area and is still used to augment the flow of that mountain rill. But even though Laurel Bed still receives stocked trout (sub-catchable brook trout in the fall), anglers no longer need a trout license or a daily fee-fishing permit to go after the fish.

Now fishermen can have the unique experience of fishing for brook trout -- and, as a bonus, smallmouth bass -- in a gorgeous highland setting. The smallmouth bass fishing remains good throughout the summer and fall, but the brookie action slows noticeably in July, specifically as water temperatures rise.

BIG TUMBLING CREEK
While you are visiting Laurel Bed Lake, you might want to extend your stay in the Saltville area and ply the waters of Big Tumbling Creek. This is simply one of the most gorgeous streams that I have ever had the pleasure to fish. Plunge pools, rhododendron shaded pools, boulder rimmed pockets and misty morning vistas all characterize this cascading stream.

Overall, between Big Tumbling and its two major tributaries, Briar Cove and Laurel Bed creeks, anglers will have seven miles of highland streams to explore. Among all this beauty, sportsmen will find major concentrations of trout as this fee-fishing area is stocked daily except Sunday.

The fee-fishing period begins the first Saturday in April and continues through September. During the fee-fishing period, anglers will need a regular fishing license and a daily permit. The creel limit is six trout per day. As a bonus, camping is available in the area. For more information, check the VDGIF Web site.

ROANOKE RIVER
Number 10 on our list is the Roanoke River. As a boy growing up in Salem, I eagerly anticipated going to the Roanoke River for opening day of trout season; and it was there that I caught my first salmonid. I well remember standing in a circle of goodness knows how many scores of other anglers as we flung salmon eggs, corn and night crawlers into a pod of trout.

Waiting until the official opening of the trout stream (some years it was noon, I believe, and some it was 9 a.m.) and listening to the men argue about whether cheese-flavored salmon eggs were better trout catchers than the “regular” ones was a delightful experience. For the record, regular eggs, of course, outperform any jazzed-up version of salmon eggs -- at least that was my opinion at age 12.

Today, trout enthusiasts can experience the Roanoke in a number of ways. Much of the river as it flows through Salem and Roanoke is a Category A stream. This means it is stocked once in October, once in November or December and January or February, and three times from March through May 15.

A second way to enjoy the river is through its two delayed harvest areas. In these two sections, catchable-sized trout are released in the fall, winter, and spring. From Oct. 1 through May 31, only artificial lures are permitted and all fish must be released. From June 1 through Sept. 30, general trout regulations are in effect, which means fish may be creeled.