The Roanoker - May/June 2021 - 110

R

oanoke area outdoors enthusiasts are fortunate to live within an hour or
so of four major waterways: the James and Maury to the north, the New
to the south and the Roanoke River as it flows through Salem and the Star
City. Here are float trips for couples with kids, duos who enjoy fly and/or spin fishing
and couples who relish the thrill of white water.

Easy Float Trips for

Couples
(With or Without Children)

James Revercomb, manager of Roanoke
Mountain Adventures, notes that couples
with or without children have several
options in the Roanoke-Salem area.
" Parents with young kids can put in
at Rutrough Point at Explore Park and
paddle upstream for a mile or so to the first
rapid, then float back, " he says. " It's very
gentle water, and the scenery and wildlife
watching are both outstanding. "
Indeed they are, as both banks are
heavily wooded and Revercomb says he

has observed as many as a dozen great blue
herons in one area.
For couples who want close-to-home
quality time outdoors or for parents
with older children or teenagers, two
possibilities exist, continues Revercomb.
Salem Rotary Park to Wasena Park (5.5
miles) hosts a few Class I and II rapids.
Though this section runs through Salem
and Roanoke and paddlers can hear the
urban sounds of the two municipalities,
the tree-lined shorelines and the wildlife
(songbirds, mallards, wood ducks and the
occasional deer) may make them think
they're out in the country.
The other excursion is from Smith
Park to the 13th Street Bridge (5 miles).
Revercomb relates that paddlers should be

aware of a river left Class II. The rapid lies
next to a silver industrial building about
halfway through the trip. Avoid this rapid
by portaging it or skirting it on river right.
This getaway, which lies within the heart
of the city, offers the additional benefit
of paddlers being able to view the Mill
Mountain Star.
Revercomb also says the Salem Rotary
Park and Smith Park junkets offer quality
fishing as well. I've caught smallmouth
bass, and rainbow, brown, and brook trout
on the former and smallmouths, rock bass
and redbreast sunfish on the latter.

Float Trips for
Couples Who Enjoy

Scenic floats with quality angling are
possible on a number of local getaways.
And for Britt and Leigh Stoudenmire, who
operate the New River Outdoor Company
(NROC), one of the trips that is rich in
beauty, bass, and even history is Eggleston
to Pembroke (6 miles).
" The Palisades, Horseshoe Bend, and
Castle Rock cliffs really characterize this
float, " says Leigh. " These are dolomite cliffs
that have sheer rock faces hundreds of
feet tall. When we shuttle folks, I love to
tell the story of how Mary Draper Ingles
scaled the Palisades Cliffs as part of her
escape from the Shawnee in 1755. "
Britt notes that this trip's major
rapid, the Class II Price's Falls, is usually
only a problem when water levels are
below normal. Expect to catch plenty of
smallmouths between 12 and 16 inches with

110 May/June 2021

TheRoanoker.com

BRUCE INGRAM

Fly or Spin
Fishing
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker - May/June 2021

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