Lake Country Visitor & Newcomer Guide 2009 - (Page 66) boating 66 Pick your craft, pick your lake, and pick your watercraft pleasure on 75,000 acres of blue waters. ou name it and you’ll probably see it floating across the surface of Lake Gaston or Buggs Island Lake/John H. Kerr Reservoir. Pontoons. Bass boats. Fishing boats. Houseboats. Sailboats. Rowboats. Canoes. You’ll also find hydroplanes racing across the lake surface at fantastic speeds. And why not? With 75,000 acres of water, you can figure that any kind of boat will eventually make its way to the lakes. You can also count on having plenty of room to roam. Nature lovers, of course, might simply want to explore the shore in a jonboat or canoe. For such an experience, simply look for a quiet cove near Clarksville such as Grassy Creek or Buffalo Creek. Along Lake Gaston, you might want to try paddling up Pea Hill Creek, near Gasburg. Several marinas dot the shoreline of Lake Gaston, located largely where creeks empty into the reservoir. Buggs Island Lake, meanwhile, boasts such facilities as the Clarksville Marina. You can also find many boat ramps and lake access points at such sites as Eagle Point Landing, Buffalo Park, Island Creek Park, Hyco Landing and the sprawling Rudds Creek Recreation Area near Finchley. Occoneechee State Park also boasts boating access. Knowing where to find access is important on Buggs Island Lake since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls the reservoir, and most of the shoreline is restricted from development. Lake Gaston, meanwhile, has much commercial development along its shore. Other differences contrast Buggs and Gaston. Buggs Island Lake/John H. Kerr Reservoir is a flood-control reservoir, and its lake level is subject to seasonal fluctuation. Lake Gaston, meanwhile, has a lake level that “stays pretty constant,” says Becky Ross, the co-owner of two locations of Lake Gaston Water Sports. Ross’s business sells all kinds of tubes – including ones that fit up to four people. The Virginia branch of Lake Gaston Water Sports sits near the Brunswick-Mecklenburg county line, overlooking the Poplar Creek bridge. The North Carolina outlet, at Henrico, stands alongside the Pea Hill Creek bridge. “The runabout boats are the most popular for skiing and tubing,” Ross says. “The pontoon is more of a leisure boat.” Pontoons and runabouts can conveniently park at marinas. “But people usually bring bass boats,” Ross adds. “They buy bass boats from big city dealers and they bring them in on trailers.” < Y The combined 75,000 acres of Buggs Island Lake/John H. Kerr Reservoir, Lake Gaston and Roanoke Rapids Lake give you plenty of room to roam. Southern Virginia ⁄ Northern North Carolina’s Lake Country
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