Big Wilson/Whitetop Laurel camping and fishing ?

[grover123]

Some Friends and I are heading down to SW Va. to fly fish and camp in a couple weeks and we have no experience in the area. Any recommendations on camping(we don't mind backcountry camping in fact prefer it) in the area? Any help on what parts to fish or any other streams near by that we shouldn't miss would much appreciated. Thanks.

[newriver53]

Let me know where in SW VA you are headed and I can be of some help. I live in Blacksburg and there is little in the way of back country camping that is also close to fishing. There are a number of campgrounds on the New River that are pretty rustic if you are after some great smallmouth flyfishing. Unfortunately, this time of year the river is pretty unpredictable in terms of flows with the rains. The same can be said for many of the trout streams here. Drop me a bmail and I will try to provide more assistance.

[TroutThink]

Camp sites available all over the Whitetop, and that creek goes off this time of year, great hatches. The old rail bed has been converted to a trail so mountain bikes are a definate option. Whitetop is amazing.

Call the Virginia Creeper Fly shop in Abington, a guy named Bruce Weckel owns it and is the authority on the area.

Have fun!

[Cuda]

My dad grew up in the town of Rugby, just o'r the holler from Whitetop. It is a beautiful area and still somewhat uncrowded. The fishing for native brookies (speckled trout is how they are referred to down there) and both wild and stocked rainbows is spectacular. I went on summer vacation there for almost my entire childhood and caught many fish using anything that looked like a grasshopper, fished both on top and weighted. The brookies were hungry and aggressive, but also spooky. If you could get a cast (or drop your fly) into a hole w/o them seeing you first, you were pretty much guaranteed a hit. If they saw you first, FUGGETABOUTIT! It was a blast to watch a bunch of brookies bustin' off the bottom after my fly! They're not big, but alot of fun on lt. tackle.

Anyway, there is camping in Grayson Highlands State park, which is only about 10 miles from Whitetop. It is a nice park and located near many small trout streams. Not sure what their season is, but I'm sure you can find them on the web. The Big Wilson is a good creek, but gets stocked heavily and is fished more than any of the others in the area (except the New River). There are numerous creeks that are easy to find (look for them to pass under the road) which hold fish tons of fish. My suggestion would be to do some exploring....it will pay off!

Good luck!

[grover123]

Now I'm really looking forward to this trip. Thanks for all the info. Less time running around, more time on the water. I'll call the creeper fly shop and get more info and post a report when we get back. Just need mother nature to smile on us a little that weekend. Thanks again.