Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 9, 1993 TAG: 9305120338
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEWBERN LENGTH: Long
\ Friends of Claytor Lake, Inc. - called FOCAL for short - hopes to serve as a sounding board for various lake interests, organizations and jurisdictions, from water-skiing and fishing clubs to governments, businesses and just plain boaters.
Ward Angle of Precision Docks in Radford is president of the group, which has 60 to 70 members. Friends of Claytor Lake's board includes representatives from Appalachian Power Company, which owns the lake, and Pulaski County, as well as several lake businesses and the Pulaski County Clean Community Council. A representative from Claytor Lake State Park attends board meetings.
"We're in our infant stage right now, but we've got to start somewhere," Angle said.
Angle said Friends of Claytor Lake wants to be the primary contact between the general public and "those who are in charge and who are involved with the lake."
The group will focus its efforts this spring on a lakewide cleanup May 22 and hopes to involve all of the lake's major users, from clubs to individuals. Angle said Friends of Claytor Lake wants to see the cleanup become an annual event.
"Everybody's been helping us. Anybody can join," said Angle.
The group meets the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Shop-Eez next to Lowman's Ferry Bridge. Anyone may attend. You can contact Friends of Claytor Lake at 731-1038 or 731-1026. Their address is P.O. Box 596, Newbern, Va. 24126.
Whether you're a veteran water skier or have never been on skis but want to learn, there's a place for you in the\ Claytor Lake Water Ski Club.
The group has been active for several years and has about 30 members. The Claytor Lake Water Ski Club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Sunday at Conrad Brothers Marine off Possum Hollow Road on Peak Creek. Follow Virginia 100 from Dublin, then continue past Interstate 81, Exit 98.
President Todd Brewster said the club is planning its annual Possum Hollow Open tournament for August, in conjunction with the Virginia Tech Water Ski Club.
Club members also plan a trip to the Masters Tournament, a major national water skiing event held near Atlanta. During the winter, the club makes at least one trip to Snowshoe to do the other kind of skiing.
The club cooperates with Friends of Claytor Lake, and Brewster is a board member of that organization.
Brewster said the club has set up a four-buoy slalom course and will have a regulation water ski jumping ramp in place this summer.
Ability levels among club members vary from nonskiers and beginners to those who do trick skiing, barefoot skiing and show skiing. Brewster said members' ages range from teens to seniors.
The club has an active training program to teach newcomers. Brewster said they often use a training "boom," a device analogous to training wheels on a bicycle, to help novices get their feet wet and acquire some initial self-confidence.
Annual membership dues are $40 for families, $35 for individuals, and $25 for students. For more information about the Claytor Lake Water Ski Club, call Todd Brewster at 674-1734 or Carol Jackson at Conrad's, 980-1575.
Jet-skis are a common sight on Claytor Lake, and among other things, the Blue Ridge Jet Ski Club helps to keep users well-trained and safe. The group usually meets monthly during the warmer weather and issues a newsletter periodically.
However, activities are not limited to mild temperatures. The club has its annual Polar Bear Run each February. Jet-ski enthusiasts ride the lake from Claytor Lake State Park to the hydroelectric dam and back, or at least they try to, said Bill Osborne, a club official.
They also have a float for the annual Christmas parades in the area, and an Easter egg hunt.
There's also the annual Bridge Run where members run the length of the lake en masse. Then they enjoy a big breakfast at the state park.
"We're probably just a fellowship bunch. We like to ride and eat," Osborne said.
The club works with Friends of Claytor Lake and helps with annual lake cleanup activities.
Club dues are $20 for individuals, $30 for families, and $50 for dealers.
Call Osborne at 382-9095 for more information.
If you enjoy bass fishing, several Bassmasters clubs center a lot of their activities around Claytor Lake. All of them fall under the aegis of the National Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society in Montgomery, Ala., and the Virginia Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society in Richmond.
Clubs meet on different schedules, usually monthly. Annual dues are in the $15-$20 range.
Clubs sponsor various fishing events throughout the warmer weather. Activities include out-of-town trips to other fishing spots.
Some club members are involved in Friends of Claytor Lake. Sam Talbert, who belongs to three Bassmasters clubs, is a board member.
Early Duncan of Triangle Bassmasters said his group sponsors an annual fishing day event to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Joy Ranch. He said members take kids out on the lake for a day of fishing and companionship.
"Clubs really do help this lake," he said, pointing out that Bassmasters members helped set up the public boat launching ramp at Hidden Valley hollow.
"We're not just out there fishing," he said.
Clubs in the New River Valley include:
Pulaski County Bassmasters, Pulaski
New River Bassmasters, Radford
Walker Mountain Bassmasters, Bland
Triangle Bassmasters, Radford
Radford Bassmasters, Radford
Southwest Bassmasters, New River Valley area
For more information on Bassmasters clubs and activities, call Early Duncan, 639-5963, Sam Talbert, 674-4784, or Richard Stanford at 382-7537.
Most scuba diving in the New River Valley takes place on the New River, but Claytor Lake gets its share.
Dianne Bourne of the New River Valley Scuba Center on Roanoke Street in Christiansburg said an area scuba diving club, Neptune's Descendants, is inactive, but interest in diving remains high. In fact, she believes there's tourism potential in scuba diving.
In the New River, Bourne said many divers go under the Peppers Ferry Bridge on Virginia 114 between Montgomery and Pulaski counties. The water there is 45 feet deep and Bourne said it offers the best diving around. She said the river offers many rock ledges full of bass, muskie and catfish to explore.
The river bed even offers a chance for underwater fossil exploration.
At Claytor Lake, she said, the best diving is from a boat, and the best area is off the cliffs.
"The diving there is really nice because it's like a freshwater wall dive," she said. There are a lot of little crevices where fish gather, and an old Volkswagen in 35 feet of water has become a diving attraction.
She's been diving there seven years and has found "lots of junk and jewelry," including a watch that was still ticking. She said there are also anchors and lures, "just the kinds of things people lose from boats."
Bourne also said there's a deeper diving area on the New River in Giles County, with a drop off to over 70 feet. Finding it is "a bit tricky," however.
Get in touch with Dianne Bourne, New River Valley Scuba Center, at 382-9258 to find out more.
by CNB