My friends and I set off for a hike to forage for wild mushrooms and catch some native brook trout. Both tasks were a complete success. Wild Morels and some huge Pheasant of the Woods mushrooms made a good day even better and the trout didn’t disappoint either.
Cheers.
Wasp Nest – Digital Photograph 2010
“Ant Hill” ceramic sculpture & earth, 15″ x 35″ 2010
This image was created by Brian O’Keefe, a wonderful photographer taking fly fishing culture to another level. Check out more of his work at this is fly magazine.
I found it, the place every fly fisherman wants to find.
Any Tolkien nerds out there will understand what I mean when I say “I found Lothlórien”, its a real place. In the beautiful state of Virginia it can be difficult to find “your” stretch of river- a place where no one is around for miles and wilderness swallows you. Unfortunately where I am, most of the rivers are known by everyone and picked clean by locals. There are few places where wild trout are unscathed by others. But last week I was fortunate enough to discover a river deep within a canyon just off of the blue ridge parkway.
My adventure began with a hike into the gorge. As I moved forward into the mountains a door closed behind me and I found myself in the true Virginia wilderness. Car echoes were soon replaced with birds and a large mayfly hatch was underway. The river widened the farther I hiked and the fishing got better and better. I started catching brown trout, lots of brown trout, some reaching 16 inches. This place had a holiness to it and demanded respect. I dream of finding places like this and when I do they remain a secret and shared only with the closest of friends.
Enjoy the images from my adventure and find your own Lothlórien.
Cheers
Long Live Catch & Release
