Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times

Tom Sadler casts for brook trout in Rapidan River as Mark Taylor watches near the camp President Hoover established years ago.

Tuesday, August 07, 2001
Cabin on Rapidan River served as a retreat for President Hoover
National treasure

The Park Service plans to restore the Hoover Cabin as it appeared in 1931.

By MARK TAYLOR
OUTDOORS EDITOR

   CRIGLERSVILLE, Va. - Tom Sadler never has had major political aspirations, but Monday morning he took a moment to reconsider.

    "I could be President for this," Sadler said, standing on the deck of an old wooden cabin and looking in wonder at the gurgling headwaters of the Rapidan River. "It would be worth all of the aggravation."

Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times

A small brook trout is lifted to surface to remove the hook and release the fish.

    The cabin behind him once served as the getaway for President Herbert Hoover, but Sadler doesn't need to be the leader of the free world to enjoy the things that drew Hoover to this beautiful chunk of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Part of the Shenandoah National Park, the area is open to anyone who wishes to visit.

    Hoping to get a taste of Hoover's paradise, photographer Sam Dean and I made the area the fifth stop on our 10-day outdoor adventure through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

    Pulling into the nearby Rapidan Wildlife Management Area just before dusk Sunday, we got only a brief glimpse at the area before darkness engulfed the steamy valley.

    When Sadler pulled into our camp early the next morning, we were waiting, eager to have him show us around.

    The first goal was to chase some of the native brook trout that not only drew Hoover to the area, but have helped make the Rapidan one of Virginia's best known trout streams.

    "People might argue with me, but I think the Rapidan is the best brook trout stream in the country," said Sadler, a 47-year-old part-time fishing guide from The Plains who works full-time as the Outdoor America Campaign Director for the Izaak Walton League of America.

    Others appreciate the river. For example, the Rapidan made Trout Unlimited's recent list of the nation's 100 best trout streams.

    The high numbers of trout, the consistently good fishing action, and the area's beauty all appeal to Sadler. Protected by single-hook artificial lures only and catch-and-release regulations, the river's trout also are nice-sized. They average 8 inches, and Sadler has caught them to 14 inches, an astounding size for native brookies.

    There also is a lot of fishable water. The stream runs for miles through the park and the wildlife management area.

    During our first hour of casting ant flies into good-sized pools in a section known as the Gorge, we didn't fool any trophies. My only trout barely topped 4 inches. Sadler had a couple, including a 6-incher.

    During the weekend, anglers and swimmers apparently had spooked the fish in the heavily used area. Sadler suggested we head toward the president's camp. The water there can be reached only by those willing to hike, so it receives far less pressure than the stream's lower stretches, Sadler said.

    Parking at a locked gate, we took off on foot and quickly made the 1 1/2 -mile hike to the camp.

 

Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times

Outdoor editor Mark Taylor casts his hook into a small pool while fishing for brook trout in the Rapidan River, a catch-and-release only river. Anglers must use single barbless hooks.

   In 1928, Hoover dispatched an aid to find a getaway that met three criteria. It had to be within 100 miles of Washington D.C.; it had to be above 2,500 feet so mosquitos wouldn't be a major annoyance; and it had to be on a trout stream.

    The site on the Rapidan was selected a year later.

    Known as Camp Hoover by many, the area was actually called Rapidan Camp by the Hoovers. By any name the camp is barely a shell of the mountain getaway it once was.

    In years past the camp was used by Boy Scouts. For a time it was a sanctuary for political VIPs, but that ended in 1992. Just a few buildings remain, and they are locked and empty. The area's gardens are overgrown and weedy. Many large trees lay across the ground, victims of a terrible ice storm a few winters ago.

 

Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times

Tom Sadler selects a fly from his fly box while fishing from the river. The fly he chose is called an ant but said the trick was to find a fly that the fish found unique.

   Historical markers are everywhere. They describe everything from the location of long-gone cabins, flower gardens, a trout pond and even the interior design choices of the First Lady.

    Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1988, the camp finally is getting a face-lift. As part of a restoration project park officials hope will be completed in 2002, the Park Service plans to restore the camp to the way it appeared in 1931. After the project the area will be used as a historical area.

    Our quick tour of the landmark complete, we headed downstream.

    Sadler's prediction of better fishing was right. In nearly every pool we found brookies willing to slash at our flies. Those that didn't jump free of our barbless hooks were quickly released into the cold, clear water.

   Our planned time to leave came and went and still we fished. Finally, after releasing another trout, we realized we had no choice. Sam and I packed our gear, thanked Sadler and headed out.

    At least we weren't headed back to a high-pressure job at the White House.

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