Life Outside Summer 2018 - 20

¾ The Details:
Top Three Flies: For
smallmouth bass, Williams
suggests Size 4 or 8 Sneaky
Pete Poppers, Size 8 Josh's
Wiggle Hellgrammite, and Size
4 to 8 crayfish patterns.
Interesting Birds: Hark to
the flute-like sounds of wood
thrushes. Wood ducks and
Louisiana waterthrushes also
make appearances.
Access Points: River right
takeout at Wasena Park
off Route 11 in downtown
Roanoke.

WHERE'S THE CITY?
The Salem Rotary Park junket
gives the impression of paddlers being in a rural setting.

SALEM ROTARY PARK TO WASENA PARK
(5.3 miles)

Williams relates that this is one of the few Virginia
float trips that offer both trout and smallmouth bass
action, the only other he knows of is the Jackson
River in Covington. Holladay informs that the
brown trout present are likely holdovers from the
last stocking some five years ago, and a few of
these fish are quite large. Roanoke's Bill Tanger, a
member of the Float Fishermen of Virginia, rates
this junket highly.
"Once leaves are on the trees, you'll feel that
you're well out in the country," he says. "Yet you're
floating through Salem and Roanoke."
Tanger adds that one of the most interesting
aspects of this junket is a mysterious rock wall on
river right not far below the put-in. The wall rests
on a 45-degree slope and consists of stone slabs.
Bill Trout and his wife Nancy wrote "The Roanoke/Staunton River Atlas" for the Virginia Canal
& Navigation Society (VCNS). The atlas and the VC
& NS as a whole seek to enhance and preserve the

Summer 2018 \\ LifeOutside Magazine

history and archaeology of the Old Dominion's rivers. Trout requests that anyone who has knowledge
of old structures, like the aforementioned stone
wall, contact him.
"Put the Roanoke atlas to good use by using the
history and historic sites to promote river research,
planning, recreation, conservation, parks, and
trails," he says. "The atlas even has a river mileage
system so that users can think as the river flows
and can let us know of new discoveries. We'd like to
cooperate with river groups, museums, historical
societies, agencies, and all those interested in the
future of the river."
James Revercomb, who operates Roanoke Mountain Adventures, agrees with Williams and Tanger
about the special nature of this float.
"Paddlers will see very little development along
this section," he says. "Except for the noise from
vehicles, people will have little idea that they're
floating through Salem and Roanoke."

Life Outside Summer 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Life Outside Summer 2018