Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407210046
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARY JO SHANNON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Dads and granddads with little ones in tow spend time together in a sport that knows no age boundaries. Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs and church groups also make use of the pond on Poage Valley Road Extension in Roanoke County.
John Lambert, the farm's operator, estimates that as many girls as boys enjoy the opportunity to fish without a state fishing license.
The farm is open year-round, but business dies down during winter months. Business also tapers off in July and August if dry weather affects the flow of water from the nearby mountain spring.
Some people visit just to buy fish fresh from the tanks, says Lambert. His wife, Angela, thinks the demand for fish will only increase as people become concerned with diet.
``Fish is good for you,'' she says, ``and we know what these fish eat.''
John Lambert also supplies fresh trout for some Roanoke Valley restaurants.
His father, Bobby Lambert, bought the property 15 years ago, intending to build a home there. But uncertainties about a possible job transfer to Atlanta (he worked in the signal department of Norfolk and Western Railway) led him to put his plans on hold.
But Bobby Lambert planted a garden each summer, and the property became a place to ``get away from the city.'' His father-in-law, Mack McKinney, a retired pipefitter for the railroad, loved the mountain place, so Bobby Lambert gave him free rein to do whatever he wanted on the property, hoping to add pleasure to his retirement.
After attempts at raising cows and experimenting with raising catfish in a tank, McKinney decided to dig a pond and stock it with trout. John Lambert, who shared McKinney's love for the outdoors, helped build the pond and huge storage tanks where the trout live until they are large enough to release in the pond.
The two wanted a place where youngsters could have ``good clean fun and get off the streets and back to nature.'' John Lambert's own children, 3-year-old John Jr. and 14-year-old Christie, spend a lot of time at the pond. They even have play equipment to keep them occupied when they tire of fishing.
``It was sort of a hobby with my granddad. Then, after he passed away, I took it over,'' says John Lambert, who also works 10 hours a night at Valcom Inc.
A bronze plaque near the edge of the pond honors McKinney: ``Mountain Stream Trout Farm, in loving memory of our Dad and `Poppy', S.C. Mack McKinney, April 19, 1993.''
Lambert buys 3-inch trout from Bracken's Trout Hatchery in Wytheville for $1.60 a pound. He keeps them in five concrete storage tanks that are filled with water flowing constantly from the stream. The trout are fed fish meal until they are large enough to become food themselves - about four to six months. They weigh from 12 to 14 ounces when they are released into the pond.
Water diverted from the mountain stream fills the pond, which is roughly 20 square yards and 5 feet deep. Flowing by gravity through plastic pipes, the water gushes into the pond, producing a pleasant background sound.
Lambert doesn't charge to fish, but all fish caught must be purchased at S2.60 per pound.
Lambert works the fish farm daily and spends his entire weekend filleting fish, talking to customers and cleaning a nearby stream of winter storm debris so he can eventually offer stream fishing - which will require a Virginia State fishing license.
If things go according to plan, Lambert says he should be able to give up his night job within a year and work full time at the trout farm.
``I plan to have up to five people, by reservation only, with a $20 fee for a day's fishing and a limit of five,'' he says. ``Eventually I want to teach fly fishing.''
He also plans to construct a small building near the pond to sell ice, fillet the fish, store the buckets, nets and other equipment, and to develop a picnic area.
He also wants to build a smoker. He says many people hesitate to buy fish because they don't know how to prepare it. To take home a smoked trout that you caught yourself would be a great convenience, he says.
His father has retired and plans to build a house on the property. Lambert says he hopes having the home there will will solve some problems he's had operating the trout farm.
``Everybody that raises trout has the same problem - people stealing fish,'' Lambert says. `` It's a real headache.''
The Blue Ridge Parkway is above the property, with an access road about 250 yards away.
``I understand the Parkway is not patrolled after 11:30 [p.m.], and people drive right down here and fish. They have a new park ranger, and I've talked to him about it. I think they're going to help me some way.''
In an effort to prevent theft, Lambert installed an electric fence, but he says ``they throw their lines over the fence and catch them anyway.''
Beaten-down bushes and dead fish are evidence of intruders. He intends to create a runway for his two chow dogs to help guard the pond. Tied near the tanks, the dogs have proved to be a deterrence, protecting the fish that have not yet been released in the pond.
``Last winter during the ice storms I put the dogs up at night, and people came in and took fish out of the tanks. I've built dog houses so that won't happen again.''
He is certain having someone living on the property will also help.
Mountain Stream Trout Farm is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. and by reservation on weekdays. Call 774-9202 or 772-1749 to make reservations.
by CNB