Roanoke River, VA
The Roanoke River is fly fishable from Lafayette all the way to it flows into Smith Mountain Lake. The best catch varies as it goes.
- The river has its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia at Lafayette in Montgomery County where the North Fork and South Fork of the river merge. Here, tributaries to the Roanoke hold some wild fish, but the Roanoke itself can be iff'fy.
- At time of writing (please check Delayed Harvest Waters), there are two delayed harvest sections located on the Roanoke River near Roanoke.: Green Hill Park in Roanoke County and in Salem along Riverside Drive from the Colorado Street Bridge downstream approximately 2 miles to the Route 419 Bridge. This section is most easily accessed from the Riverside Drive side of the river.
- There is smallmouth along much of the the Roanoke.
- There are some striper that run up the Roanoke from Smith Mountain Lake; good fly fishing for striper. They are starting to peter out by the Explore Park and the Niagara Dam stops them. The Roanoke is tough to wade for much of these stripers, especially at night, and caution should be maintained.
Virginia fishing and outdoors