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I hope those of you who read The Roanoke Times have seen the series I'm working on this summer.

Since June, photographer Sam Dean and I have been traveling to some of Virginia's smaller public lakes, talking to the anglers we meet along the way, and sampling the fishing at places that typically don't get a lot of attention.

Being something of a fly fishing snob, Sam has pretty much stuck with that type of tackle, while I've been fishing with conventional gear. My approach has usually been more productive, but fly gear has been better on waters that are more heavily pressured.

We struggled to figure out a name for the series, and eventually settled on "Tucked Away Treasures," which was a line in the story about the first destination, Lexington Reservoir.

Because Sam was going to be on vacation this week, we pulled a double last week, hitting Lake Witten near Tazewell one afternoon, camping, then going to another lake not too far away. (The identity of the second lake will be revealed when the story runs on Sunday.)

We had high hopes for Witten. It's got some monster bass, a few of which can be seen in this gallery on the DGIF's Web site. But it's clear and gets a ton of pressure, so I figured our best hope was to catch something after dark. Unfortunately, just as it was getting dark a nasty thunderstorm rolled in and we had to get off the water.

Not only was the fishing trip disappointing, but we were really sweating dinner. Sam had picked up a couple steaks that we planned to grill over the campfire. But first we needed a fire. Fortunately, Sam is probably the best fire starter I've ever seen. Seriously. Even in the pouring rain he got one going. He did knock one steak into the fire but I was able to retrieve it with my Leatherman's pliers. Sam ate it.

If you've missed any or all of the stories, Chris Zaluski in our online department has put together a cool interactive map with links to the stories, photos and the great videos Sam has done at most of the lakes.

We've got two more trips to do. One is set and we're pretty sure about the final installment. But I'd be happy to entertain suggestions.