Rich in angling lore, the secluded lakes and rivers of Virginia's Highlands offer some of the best trout and smallmouth bass fishing found anywhere in the state. From the Alleghany Highlands in the north (which encompass Alleghany, Bath, and Rockbridge counties) to the Blue Ridge/Grayson Highlands in the southwest (which include Grayson, Smythe, and Washington counties), these portions of the commonwealth offer many high-yield rivers, lakes, and streams including Lake Moomaw, the Maury River, South Holston Lake, and the North Fork of the Holston River. In his new guide, Fishing Virginia's Highlands, M. W. Smith extends his ongoing tour of the state's greatest fishing spots to these two remote regions, offering readers excellent advice on where, when, and how to catch more fish in Virginia's Highlands. Renowned for its mineral springs, the Alleghany Highlands is home to world-famous spas, including the Homestead in Bath County, making it a popular destination for many outdoor enthusiasts. The Blue Ridge/Grayson Highlands, which is surrounded by such cities as Abingdon, Bristol, Winston-Salem/Greensboro, and Charlotte, is also a common weekend getaway spot. By considering these two areas in one volume, Smith provides valuable information for anglers and other visitors, giving readers the information they need to enjoy the natural beauty of the waters and to catch more fish from them. Complete with a comprehensive map of the regions' streams, notes on specific fishing locations keyed to maps in DeLorme's Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer, and an appendix that lists local guide services, tackle shops, camping sites, and parks, Smith's guidebook is a compact and informative resource. Whether you are a visitor or a longtime resident, novice angler or pro, Fishing Virginia's Highlands will prove an indispensable guide to every fishing adventure you undertake in highland waters.

The technology boom of recent years has given kids numerous reasons to stay inside and play, while parents' increasing safety concerns make it tempting to keep children close to home. But what is being lost as fewer kids spend their free time outdoors? Deprived of meaningful contact with nature, children often fail to develop a significant relationship with the natural world, much less a sense of reverence and respect for the world outside their doors. A Natural Sense of Wonder is one father's attempt to seek alternatives to the "flickering waves of TV and the electrifying boing of video games" and get kids outside and into nature. In the spirit of Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy journeys out of his suburban home with his children and describes the pleasures of walking in a creek, digging for salamanders, and learning to appreciate vultures. Through these and other "walks to school," the Van Noys discover what lives nearby, what nature has to teach, and why this matters. From the backyard to the hiking trail, in a tide pool and a tree house, in the wild and in town, these narrative essays explore the terrain of childhood threatened by the lure of computers and television, by fear and the loss of play habitat, showing how kids thrive in their special places. In chronicling one parent's determination (and at times frustration) to get his kids outside, A Natural Sense of Wonder suggests ways kids both young and old can experience the wonder found only in the natural world.

Fully revised and updated, this guide to more than 100 public campgrounds in Virginia and West Virginia is perfect for tent and RV campers alike. Within each campground listing is vital information on location, road conditions, fees, reservations, available facilities, and recreational activities. The listings are organized by geographic area, and thorough site maps will simplify the search for the perfect campground. Virginia and West Virginia offer a surprising array of quiet, out-of-the-way parks replete with lakes, rivers, rugged hills, and even rocky cliffs. Camping Virginia and West Virginia provides useful tips on camping etiquette and enjoying—or avoiding—the state’s diverse and abundant wildlife. Look inside for: * Campground locations * Facilities and hookups * Fees and reservations * GPS coordinates for each campground * Recreational activities * What equipment and clothing to bring

From the bestselling author of Saban, 4th and Goal, and Sowbelly comes the thrilling, untold story of the quest for the world record tarpon on a fly rod—a tale that reveals as much about Man as it does about the fish. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, something unique happened in the quiet little town on the west coast of Florida known as Homosassa. The best fly anglers in the world—Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Ted Williams, Tom Evans, Billy Pate and others—all gathered together to chase the same Holy Grail: The world record for the world’s most glamorous and sought-after fly rod species, the tarpon. The anglers would meet each morning for breakfast. They would compete out on the water during the day, eat dinner together at night, socialize and party. Some harder than others. The world record fell nearly every year. But records weren’t the only things that were broken. Hooks, lines, rods, reels, hearts and marriages didn’t survive, either. The egos involved made the atmosphere electric. The difficulty of the quest made it legitimate. The drugs and romantic entaglements that were swept in with the tide would finally make it all veer out of control. It was a confluence of people and place that had never happened before in the world of fishing and will never happen again. It was a collision of the top anglers and the top species of fish which would lead to smashed lives for nearly all involved, man and fish alike. In Lords of the Fly, Burke, an obsessed tarpon fly angler himself, delves into this incredible moment. He examines the growing popularity of the tarpon, an amazing fish has been around for 50 million years, can live to 80 years old and can grow to 300 pounds in weight. It is a massive, leaping, bullet train of a fish. When hooked in shallow water, it produces “immediate unreality,” as the late poet and tarpon obsessive, Richard Brautigan, once described it. Burke also chronicles the heartbreaking destruction that exists as a result—brought on by greed, environmental degradation and the shenanigans of a notorious Miami gangster—and how all of it has shaped our contemporary fishery. Filled with larger-than-life characters and vivid prose, Lords of the Fly is not only a must read for anglers of all stripes, but also for those interested in the desperate yearning of the human condition.