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Beach is no place to flounder around
The other day I had a minor bout of envy when I spotted a loaded-down Suburban, its roof racks topped with duffel bags and a covered deep v-hull boat hooked to the trailer hitch. It was my friend and neighbor, Keith McCurty, parked outside a neighborhood convenience store while someone in the gang was apparently getting some last-minute road trip supplies. “Where are you going?” I asked. “Ocracoke,” he said,
Carp, cicadas an explosive mix at Smith Mountain Lake
HUDDLESTON — Like a flexible torpedo, the fish appeared from the shadows and made its way toward the fly. Slurp. Doug Jessie reared back on his nine-weight fly rod, which bowed in a deep arc and bounced wildly. “Yes!” shouted Jessie, as he dug in for the battle against one of the largest fish he’d ever hooked on a fly. So what if it was a carp? Actually, the fact
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries tightens whitetail limits
Like a driver finally satisfied with his speeding ticket count, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is easing off the throttle. In the case of game management, days during which hunters can take either a buck or a doe are the regulatory throttle that helps increase or decrease deer populations. At its meeting in Richmond on Thursday, the agency’s board of directors voted, among other things, to approve the
Fishing report for June 13, 2013
Unstable weather continues to shape fishing action across the region. Heavy rain early this week once again blew out many of the region's rivers. After dropping to a great fishing level of 1,200 cfs before the rain, the James River at Buchanan boomed up to 20,000 cfs by Tuesday afternoon. The New River in Radford was up to 15,600 cfs Tuesday afternoon. Dry conditions for a couple days helped the
FIELD REPORTS: Fish officials hope for bountiful harvest at troubled Vic Thomas hatchery
This week, officials of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries are harvesting rearing ponds at the Vic Thomas Hatchery in Brookneal, hoping to find an abundance of striped bass fingerlings for stocking Smith Mountain, Leesville, Claytor and Kerr lakes. Times have been tough at the modern hatchery, which has suffered design flaws and other problems during recent years. "We are working on corrections to some of the problems we
MAILBAG: More timber cutting needed on national forests
READER RESPONSE: Reader John Wright of Amherst informed me that he contacted Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, requesting more timber management to provide wildlife habitat on the George Washington National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service in the process of revising its management plan for the GW, which will guide forest practices for the next 15 years. Wright told me: "In my opinion, not only do we need drilling in our
BILL COCHRAN: Is it just me, or is the flounder fishing awful this spring?
The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament enjoyed its best results of the year this past week, as spring fishing shifted into summer fishing patterns. There were new leading entries in six categories, black drum, cobia, gray triggerfish, sea bass, tautog and yellowfin tuna. Even so, the current citation count is about 700 fewer than for the same time period last year. That's a whopping 40-percent decline, and I don't see much
Fawns found alone usually not orphaned
On a Sunday afternoon in May, Rebecca Batton found herself in a position many Virginians face this time of year. A resident of a semi-rural section of Albemarle County, she looked into her yard and spotted a tiny whitetail fawn. The baby deer was all alone, hunkered in the grass. There is not much cuter than a tiny fawn, but Batton resisted any urge to investigate and left the critter
Well-built gear often can be repaired even for a mechanical dolt
Had anyone been watching the boat from shore, heads would have been shaking. The operator couldn’t drive in a straight line. Instead, the boat zigged and zagged across the water, like a guy who’d been over-served at his neighborhood bar walking home. I was that guy. My two passengers, neighbor boys Davin and Beck Hansen, found it quite amusing. We were in my 20-year-old Bass Tracker bass boat, on the
Basic fees waived at U.S. forests Saturday in Virginia
Saturday’s a good day for budget-minded families to head to a national forest in Virginia. The U.S. Forest Service is waiving fees to the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests that day in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day. The waiver applies to daylong use of sites, but not overnight campgrounds, cabins or group picnic shelters. The Forest Service offers fee-free days four times a year. The next freebie is
Trailbuilder Gordge already a Roanoke Valley hero, needs your votes
Bill Gordge made his first impression on me in the fall of 2000. A public meeting to discuss a proposed rail-to-trail project along Craig Creek was being held in New Castle. Gordge, then in his early 70s, stood up to speak in favor of the project. Many in the crowd were opposed, but rather than politely letting Gordge have his say they hissed and shouted at him. I felt sick,
Fishing report for June 6, 2013
The official first day of summer is still a couple weeks distant, but it sure feels like summer out there. Fishing patterns, like the weather, seem to be transitioning into summer mode. When reporting results of the Tuesday night tournament out of his Captain's Quarters Marina business at Smith Mountain Lake, Dewayne Lamb mentioned tactics that worked well for his tournament. They included using shaky head worms around docks and
BILL COCHRAN: Think of all those noisy cicadas as an invitation to go fishing
On a weekend visit to Central Virginia, with stops at the homes of President James Monroe and President Thomas Jefferson, two distinct sounds caught my attention, one subtle the other raucous. While walking a portion of Monroe's 535-acre Ash Lawn estate, I heard the call of a quail. It was beautiful and distinctly rural, and it made my heart leap. We simply no longer hear quail where we live in
FIELD REPORTS: Learn from the experts how to rig your boat for stripers
Looking for ideas on how to rig your boat for striped bass fishing at Smith Mountain Lake and beyond? Members of the Smith Mountain Striper Club plan to have a variety of boats of different styles and sizes on display for the public at the Second annual In-Water Boat Show, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bridgewater Marina. In addition to boats and engines, there will be displays
Endurance athletes conquer tough courses, weather Sunday in Salem, Carvins Cove
Two Sunday morning events exemplified the diversity of the region's offerings for endurance athletes. In Salem, roughly 200 athletes hurried their way through the YMCA's Salem Sprint Triathlon, while about 5 miles away 249 runners competed in the lung- and leg-busting Conquer the Cove trail marathon and 25K. Conditions were pretty tough for both races, especially for the distance runners. Not only did they have to tackle difficult courses with
Angling for anglers: DGIF offers Free Fishing Days
Some less-than-scrupulous businesses employ a sales technique known as the bait-and-switch. They get you in the door to check out an incredible deal. Unfortunately that product is no longer available, but conveniently, there's an even better one still in stock. It just costs more. This coming weekend the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will employ an annual offering that dangles bait, but doesn't switch. The agency's Free Fishing Days,
Notes: Officials release 18 more Elk in Buchanan County
VANSANT - A second group of elk has been released in southwest Virginia under a pilot program aimed at returning the animals to the state. The elk are the Rocky Mountain version of a native species that was last seen in Virginia around the time of the Civil War. Ten pregnant cows and eight yearlings were brought to Buchanan County last week from Kentucky. A year ago, 16 elk were
Outdoors Go
Saturday, June 8 Hiking: The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club will host an outing to North Carolina's Hanging Rock State Park, with a planned hike on a 12-mile loop trail. The hike will be strenuous. Guests are welcome to join the trip, which begins at 6 a.m. Participants are asked to RSVP at least 24 hours prior to the hike with trip leaders Chris and Edward Wilson, who can be reached
Fishing report for May 30, 2013
A week ago in this spot, I wrote that recently rain-swollen rivers were falling in to nice shape just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. A day after the report ran, I happened to be riding my bike along the upper New River near Allisonia. The watershed had gotten more rain, and the river was so high and muddy that it might as well have been the Amazon. Oops.
FIELD REPORTS: Virginia gets more elk
Ten elk have been transported to Buchanan County from nearby Kentucky, where they have been placed in acclimation corrals to help them become familiar with their new setting. They are scheduled for release in several weeks on reclaimed mine land in the War Fork area. The two pregnant cows and eight yearling bulls are scheduled to join 24 other elk in the county from stockings and reproduction last year, according
1. COMMENTARY: A letter to the ones left behind
2. Billionaire Jim Justice's Roanoke-based mining company owes money, suits allege
3. WOYM: Who pays for coaches’ personal police protection?
4. Driver charged after Sunday wreck on I-81 in Montgomery County
5. Understanding 'Obamacare': Virginia still undecided on Medicaid expansion
6. 2 suspects arrested, 2 at large after Sunday burglary in Salem
7. I-81 north reopens near Salem following morning tractor-trailer wreck
8. Pastor at Roanoke's Greene Memorial moving on to Northern Virginia church
9. 3 people taken to hospital after Saturday wreck on I-81 in Montgomery County
10. QB Ford commits to Virginia Tech football
THE ROANOKE TIMES
