Last year it was wagon rides but this summer Explore Park is trying to get people to visit by taking a ride with “Rock On Charters” – a company that runs float and wade trips through about 160 miles of rivers and streams in Southwestern Virginia and the High Country of North Carolina, including the New River, James River, Jackson River, and Maury River.
At Explore Park, they’ll service the Roanoke River Gorge that flows through the park. Ruttrough Point located within the park is the take out area and they put in about two-and-a-half miles upstream.
Co-owner Josh Laferty from Roanoke was looking for a closer location that offered quality floating and fishing. “[The Roanoke River Gorge] is a fishery that we (he and Ken Trail, the other co-owner) knew about and that we had explored. Due to lack of public access, it’s somewhat of a difficult fishery to access unless you come from upstream in a smaller boat. Quite frankly, we had a desire to expand our business and to find something a little closer to the mainstream Roanoke area that offers people easier access, shorter drive times, things like that. We felt like this was the perfect fit if we could make something work here.”
“It’s new. We’re aggressively trying to promote it and the reaction we’ve had has been quick and positive.” The results (of the press release from Explore Park about the venture) were swift with people calling with interest in what was going on.”
The river contains numerous rock ledges known for holding smallmouth bass. “In normal flow a lot of these sections provide some good wade opportunities for anglers to get out and actually get in the water,” said Laferty.
Half day combination float and wade trips last between 4 and 6 hours, depending on the conditions of the river. Lunch can be provided if requested, and Laferty said all the fishing done in the Roanoke River Gorge is catch and release.
“We prefer to release the smallmouth and muskie. We just feel that their more of sport fish and not necessarily the best table fare.”
The company has three USCG licensed Captains and six boats. Laferty said you don’t have to be an experienced angler to take the trip. Rock On Charters provides the boat, gear, bait, instruction, and expertise. Part of the proceeds of each trip will be donated to Explore Park to help with its operations and improvements.
Laferty said they’ll know next spring if they can make a go at offering their services to guests at Explore Park. But since their business is weather dependent, it’s hard to tell. In fact, he says their season should have started about six weeks ago, but because of all the heavy rains they’re just now getting started.
They’re looking to partner with an area hotel to offer trips to out-of-towners.
Unfortunately the rains have also brought a lot of debris. Traveling down the river, guests are ocassionally greeted by trash along the riverbank; tires, hubcaps, a construction barrel, and grocery bags that were washed downstream by the swift water this summer. In other spots, hikers have dumped their trash during their visit. Laferty hopes volunteers and others will make it their mission to clean the area and keep it clean.
He said it’s just a beautiful area to float though, having seen otter, heron, deer, bald eagles, osprey, and kingfishers during the silent trip.
– Beverly Amsler
It just needs some development and it will be good to go. People want parks and resorts to be clean and organized but without altering its feel of nature. This business might just work because of its natural flowing river.