Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 6, 1994 TAG: 9406080010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
His fishing partner gave a quick look, wondering if Beavers had taken a tumble on the streambed rocks.
But that wasn't what prompted the shout. Beavers was about to get his knuckles bloodied by the uncontrolled whirling of the handle on his reel. A hefty trout had put a major bow in his fly rod and was heading downstream, with Beavers following as rapidly as possible over rocks that were slick as a banana peel.
It was a rainbow trout, one that had struck violently, then rolled to the surface in a shower of spray, displaying a broad, silver side with an almost fluorescent rose-colored stripe along its length.
The fish looked to be about 3 pounds, but Beavers would never know for certain. When he got it to his outstretched hand he simply unplucked the hook and watched the trout ease back into the current.
Just downstream, Jack Compton, Beavers' fishing partner, was below a set of rapids, casting to a pool that had been gouged from around the shadowed base of a tree.
``There is a 6-pound trout in here,'' Compton said, his confidence boosted by accounts of other fishermen who had left the spot with broken lines and broken hearts.
The two anglers were fishing an area they call Klondike Valley Trout Waters. Don't let the name and size of the fish fool you. While it may sound like Yukon Territory reached by float plane out of Dawson, it is Bland County's Klondike Valley, about 10 miles from Bland off Interstate 77.
Like kids operating a candy store, Beavers and Compton were sampling the fruits of their new business, a pay-fishing area on Walker Creek where the trout are plentiful and - most important - big.
``I love to fish,'' said Beavers ``When the season first opens I fish pretty much all of the streams the state stocks. I just don't like to continually catch those little fish.''
In pursuit of bragging-size fish, Beavers frequently has traveled to the Cedar Springs Sportsman's Lodge, where Wythe County's Cripple Creek turns out hundreds of citation-size trout for anglers willing to pay a $25 daily fee. But the Cedar Springs pay area has become so popular you can't just show up whenever you happen to get fishing fever, Beavers said. Reservations are needed weeks in advance.
Beavers and Compton got to thinking that if trophy trout fishing has been so attractive at Cripple Creek, near Rural Retreat, why wouldn't it work elsewhere?
``After doing some research we found out that there is a big business in trout fishing,'' said Beavers, who operates Home Land Realty in Wythe County. ``I was amazed.''
A couple of weeks ago, Beavers and Compton opened their pay-trout program along a one-mile section of Walker Creek, where Compton, a contractor, owns about 400 acres.
``Our objective is to go with 20 percent citation-size fish, and the others will be from three-quarters to one-and-a-half pounds,'' said Beavers. ``Right now the fishermen are averaging four fish. They are just tickled to death. They can come over here and catch four or five and they will have one big fish or two big fish. You won't catch these on a state stream.''
The fee is $20 for a day of fishing, with a limit of six. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The original plan was to stock all big fish, Beavers said. But finding a source of trophy trout proved to be difficult, even after checking hatcheries all the way to Arkansas.
``Besides, big fish are tough to catch, especially when the water gets low,'' Beavers said. ``You don't go in there and catch five or six big fish, I don't care if the stream is full of them.''
So Beavers and Compton settled on the idea of garnishing the stream with a generous number of trophy fish, while also stocking easier-to-catch trout that measure 14 to 16 inches. That way, Beavers said, there's always an opportunity to land a bragging-size fish, but if that fails you aren't going home fishless.
The new program has been attracting about five fishermen daily, a number that is expected to change when the word spreads.
``We aren't going to go with any more than 20 people a day,'' said Beavers, who wants to preserve a quality experience. If the response merits it, there is potential for opening an additional mile of stream, he said.
Walker Creek winds through a valley between Big Walker Mountain and Brushy Mountain. It traverses a wooded section in the pay area where trout hold in the deep-water pockets and pools that mingle with fast water. Like most trout streams, this one is best fished when there is a good flow of water.
Many fishermen have been hooking trout with night crawlers and salmon eggs, while others have had success with spinners and even small plugs. There has been an occasional fly fisherman.
For a time, Beavers and Compton considered opening the stream to fly fishing only several days a week, or at least giving a discount to fly anglers willing to release their catch.
``We may get to that,'' said Beavers. ``We are really open to suggestions.''
For information or reservations, call 703-637-3293 or 703-688-4519.
by CNB