Dreary. Cool. Foggy. Gray. All describe what the weather was like yesterday and, up here in the southern mountains of Virginia, the first part of today. The sun exploded late this morning, flooding the valley with much anticipated warmth and light. Okay, enough of the ooey gooey writing.

At an elevation of nearly 3,000 ft, you would be more likely to find this addicted wild trout bum stalking brookies. Not this time! The warmwater (in this case coolwater) fishing was calling me. I had some unfinished business with a few fish from last summer.

The fog was thick on the Parkway, so I was preparing to fish in it. Fog isn't necessarily an enemy to the angler. The thicker the fog, the harder it is for the fish to detect you. I noticed this today. At times the fog would clear considerably, but most of the time it was relentless. Because of the fog, and the fact that the water was still pretty chilly, the fish were relaxed. Once I threw a #14 foam beetle their way, they immediately transitioned from lethargic to "I haven't eaten in 5 months." You'd mistaken them for piranhas if you didn't know that they were sunfish.

As I continued to drain the pond of it's booty, catch a few fish, the fog continued to roll in, swirled by the wind as it floated by.

I finished the day with 20 or so fish. Many more LDR's (Long Distance Release) and plenty of misses. One of the most exhilarating moments of today was a close shave with a huge blue catfish while fishing a 6wt equipped with 2x tippet. As I was standing on the bank, waiting for a fish to cruise by, I got more than I bargained for. Out of the depths I saw a dark shadow slowly making its way towards me. My Clouser's Foxee Red Minnow was on the bottom. As I slowly picked it up, the big cat spotted it and approached it, obviously amused. My fly disappeared, and in a split second, reappeared. He ate it before spitting it out instantly. I guess it smelled to fresh for his liking. Maybe I need to roll the fly in roadkill before offering it to him again. He's tried to tango with me several times in the past, but Mr. Whiskers has won so far.