Roanoke 2007 Pre- and Post-Conference Trips
A Virginia sampler:
 Roanoke and Virginia welcome OWAA members
for the 2007 annual conference in June. A number of pre- and
post-conference trips have been planned so that members can
experience the vast and exciting outdoor adventures
available in the commonwealth.
After reviewing the offerings, simply
print and fill
out the sign-up form using the specific trip codes and
forward to the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Attn: Catherine Fox, Tourism Director, 101
Shenandoah Ave. N.E., Roanoke, VA 24016. If you have
questions about individual trips, contact Fox at
540-342-6025 or
rkecvbfox@aol.com. Forms must be received by April 16.
For each trip requested, please enclose a
good-faith deposit of $50 per trip – checks only, please.
The checks will be voided after the trip is completed. In
the event the trip isn’t completed, the money will go to the
provider of the trip.
In addition to specific trips listed,
Virginia officials can help set up tailor-made trips
immediately before or after the conference, as well as
throughout the year. More information on custom-made trips
is below.
OWAA members will be responsible for
acquiring applicable hunting and fishing licenses. For more
information, call the Virginia Department of Game & Inland
Fisheries at 866-721-6911, or visit
www.dgif.state.va.us
and click “Licenses.”
 Appalachian Trail (AT)
Hike to McAfee Knob, one of the most
photographed vistas on this 2,175-mile national trail. The
trailhead for the 6-mile round-trip hike is less than 30
minutes from conference headquarters. Your guide will be a
knowledgeable member of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club.
Up to eight people, June 15 and 20.
Smith Mountain Lake stripers (SML1)
An unusual pump-storage power operation
floods 20,000-acre Smith Mountain Lake with a deep,
oxygenated habitat that has produced some of the best
landlocked striper fishing in the nation. Fish it with Dale
Wilson, a guide for more than 30 years. This fishery is
making a comeback from a parasite problem, but that is part
of the story. Travel time from Roanoke is about 45 minutes.
Two people, June 20.
Smith River browns (SR)
Cast nymphs to reproducing brown trout in
the tailrace waters of the Smith River, less than an hour
from Roanoke. Guide Al Kittredge will put you in the right
spot and provide a hot fly pattern he created. He also can
help polish your casting form if needed. Kittredge is an
authority on the changing nature of this fishery and efforts
to return it to its good old days, when it produced browns
so big that they sparked a story in Sports Illustrated. One
person, June 14, 15 or 20.
James River catfish (JRC)
The James River in the Richmond area offers
world-class catfish action, with catches of blue cats
nearing the 100-pound mark. The blues slow down in June, but
the flatheads continue to bite. This trip will be hosted by
Mike Ostrander (www.jamesriverfishing.com),
a full-time guide who can fill you in on the details of this
fishery while guiding his raft to put you in touch with
flatheads. The fishing is about 3 hours from Roanoke. Two
people, June 15.
Jackson River trout – Lexington (JRT1)
Hike
into a mountain gorge that holds the remote upper Jackson
River, one of Virginia’s top fly-fishing trout streams. In
addition to flies, spinners can be used to entice trout in
the clear, ice-cold water. Host is John Roberts, owner of
Llewellyn Lodge B&B (www.llodge.com) in historic Lexington,
an hour’s drive from Roanoke. Overnight accommodations at
the lodge are provided. Roberts can put you onto trout and
help launch a tour of Lexington, where Robert E. Lee and
Stonewall Jackson lived. Two people, June 20-21. Mountain Lake birding (MLB)
Mountain Lake Resort (www.mountainlakehotel.com),
about 1.5 hours from Roanoke, is a popular spot along the
Virginia Birding and Wildlife Watching Trail. The resort’s
pristine 2,600 acres of Wilderness Conservancy terrain
attracts a multitude of bird species, and the resort will
provide a guide to help you locate and identify them. The
lake, cold enough for trout, is the only naturally occurring
lake in the mountains of Virginia, and the hotel offers fine
accommodations (included) and meals amid a rustic setting.
It was the site of the classic movie “Dirty Dancing.” Two
people, June 14-15 or 20-21. Smith Mountain Lake stripers (SML2)
Join Mike Snead, fishing
guide and owner of the Virginia Outdoorsman sporting-goods
store, for a trip that will focus on striped bass but could
also produce largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and big
catfish. One of Snead’s specialties is targeting schooling
stripers with lead-head jigs adorned with flukes. Snead also
can provide background on the lake’s recovery from a
parasite breakout that devastated the lake’s striper fishery
in 2003. The launch site is about 45 minutes from Roanoke.
Two to four people, June 20. Jackson River tailwater fly-fishing float (JRT2)
Disputes
over fishing regulations and access led the state to
discontinue stocking trout in the Jackson River below Gathright Dam more than a decade ago. Since, populations of
wild brown and rainbow trout have established themselves,
and the fishing on this river, about an hour from Roanoke,
is better than ever. Fishing guide and nationally known
fly-tier Blane Chocklett will lead this daylong float trip
targeting the stream’s hefty browns and prolific rainbows.
Tackle will be provided, or anglers can bring their own
gear. Two people, June 15. James River smallmouths (JRS)
As it glides from the
mountains to the sea, the James River flows with history.
It’s also filled with feisty smallmouth bass. Join guide Blane Chocklett on a daylong float trip through the
mountains of western Virginia, about 45 minutes from
Roanoke. Mid-June typically marks the beginning of the
summer top-water bite on the river, and anglers can expect
steady action on fly-rod poppers, such as Chocklett’s disc
sliders. Conventional and/or fly tackle is provided. Two
people, June 20. New River smallmouths (NRS1)
Some rivers are known for
producing trophy bass, others for giving up vast numbers of
smaller fish. The New River, about an hour from Roanoke,
manages to do both. Every year it is Virginia’s top producer
of trophy smallmouths topping 20 inches and/or 5 pounds.
Join Shawn Hash of Tangent Outfitters (www.newrivertrail.com)
on an all-day float with the potential to produce dozens of
fish. Tackle is provided. Four people, June 20. Upper New River smallmouths (NRS2)
College professor,
fishing guide and guide-book author Mike Smith of Greasy
Creek Outfitters (www.greasycreekoutfitters.com) focuses
much of his fishing attention on the upper New River, above
Claytor Lake, about an hour from Roanoke. That section
features great smallmouth action and produces some nice
walleyes, too. This all-day float is ideal for fly-fishers,
but conventional tackle fishing is possible, too. Two
people, June 20.
 “City” mountain biking (RMB)
Located 15 minutes from the
Roanoke city center, Carvins Cove Reservoir is the city’s
primary water source. The roughly 10,000 acres encompassing
the surrounding watershed are crisscrossed by some of the
region’s most beautiful and challenging multi-use trails,
which became open for public use largely thanks to efforts
of the region’s cycling community. Led by Roanoke cycling
community leaders, this trip can be tailored to match
riders’ abilities but is best suited for cyclists with
moderate fitness levels and previous mountain biking
experience. Bring your own bike, or one will be provided.
Six people, June 15. Summer squirrels (SS)
Be a part of history and take part in
the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ (www.dgif.virginia.gov)
first-ever summer squirrel season. The June season will
apply to certain state-owned wildlife management areas. This
guided morning hunt will take place on the Havens wildlife
management area about 15 minutes north of Roanoke. Two
hunters, June 20. Eastern Shore eco-tour (ES1)
Learn about the cultural
history of the Eastern Shore during this two-day trip, which
includes a boat tour with Broadwater Bay Eco Tours (www.broadwaterbayecotour.com)
through seaside marshes to Virginia’s barrier islands and a
trip to the Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve.
Overnight accommodations will be provided for this trip,
which is about 5 hours away from Roanoke. Six people, June
14-15. Chesapeake Bay monsters (CB1)
Join Ken Neill on a trip
chasing the Chesapeake Bay’s monsters, huge cobia and red
drum that lurk around the shoals in the lower bay. This trip
will start in the afternoon and last until after dark.
Lodging accommodations are pending for this trip, which is
about a 5-hour drive from Roanoke. Up to five people, June
20. Chesapeake Bay mixed bag (CB2)
Because most of the sport
fish in the lower Chesapeake Bay are migratory, their
arrival depends on weather patterns. This trip with Craig
Paige will focus on striped bass, weakfish and flounder,
three species that typically offer excellent action in
mid-June. The bay is roughly 5 hours from Roanoke. Up to
four people, June 20. Tailor-made trips
Interested in an adventure you don’t see
listed? Virginia tourism officials can help you plan a
custom trip either immediately prior to or after the
conference or during another season. Maybe you’re interested
in sampling Virginia’s excellent spring gobbler hunting?
What about trophy trout fishing in fertile, privately owned
spring creeks? Or top-notch crappie fishing in Kerr
Reservoir, or the world-class wintertime striped bass
fishing off the Virginia coast? Local co-chairs Mark Taylor
(mark.taylor@roanoke.com, 540-981-3395) and Bill Cochran
(xtrails@earthlink.net,
540-384-7188) can suggest potential trips, which then can be
arranged through tourism officials.
Print and fill
out the sign-up form using the specific trip codes and
forward to:
Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors
Bureau
Attn: Catherine Fox, Tourism Director
101
Shenandoah Ave. N.E.
Roanoke, VA 24016
If you have
questions about individual trips, contact Fox at
540-342-6025 or
rkecvbfox@aol.com.
Forms must be received by April 16.
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