By the time June rolls around, a lot of us Southern spring trout anglers put away the light tackle and get ready for bass, the warm weather kings of rivers and ponds.

I live just a few miles from the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers that produce mighty catches of smallmouth and largemouth bass. So when the humidity settles into Washington, I hang up the waders and tie a colorful popper to my 7-weight fly rod and head to the nearest canoe rental.