Digital RSS feed from the Roanoke Times The Roanoke Times en_us Sun, 19 May 2013 17:29:21 http://www.roanoke.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.rss.XMLServer.cls ellen.mosely@roanoke.com The clock is ticking for Virginia’s spring turkey season, which ends at sunset Saturday. Unless Virginia’s turkey hunters go into a stall offense, they could set a scoring record. Through this past weekend hunters had checked in 17,257 birds through the V... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1929394-6/sun-is-setting-on-stellar-spring-turkey-hunting.html taylor 31546884@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Organizers of the Gallop for the Greenways are to be commended for not succumbing to peer pressure. With the Roanoke River flowing high and brown on Thursday, and completely covering a low water bridge on the race’s 5K course, organizers changed the route... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1921121-6/why-bother-running-if-you-arent-being-chased.html taylor 31519795@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Part of the fun of bass fishing is the quest for the magic lure. But the reality is that the lures and baits that worked well for our fathers and grandfathers will still work today when they're in the right hands.... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1917796-6/bass-classics-some-great-lures-never-go-out.html taylor 31509092@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 A number of changes were evident Sunday at the awards ceremony for the annual Smith Mountain Lake fishing derby known to most as the Optimist Tournament. Obvious to most observers were major renovations to the longtime host facility, Gills Creek Marina. S... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1912055-6/future-of-optimists-annual-fishy-tournament-looking-brighter.html taylor 31490190@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Booming participation in the Oakley Big Bass Tour event at Smith Mountain Lake means the annual Optimist Club of Cave Spring’s tournament is no longer the lake’s most popular fishing tournament. Still, the three-day event remains a big draw, luring roughl... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1901860-6/fishing-report-for-may-2-2013.html taylor 31456992@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Everyone knows bass spawn in the spring, but that doesn't mean they are always easy to catch.... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1900948-6/sightfishing-for-spawning-bass-is-a-springtime-tradition.html taylor 31453993@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 NORFOLK — A pair of captains licensed to run charter boats in Virginia were sentenced on April 25 for trafficking in illegally caught striped bass. Jeffrey S. Adams of Hudgins was sentenced to 180 days of home confinement to be followed by three years’ pr... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1898647-6/notes-charter-captains-sentenced-for-fishing-violations.html taylor 31446576@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Heading in to the recent Everstart Northern Division fishing tournament at Smith Mountain Lake, Scott Howard was concerned about how things might work out. Howard, who lives in Evington, had entered the tournament as a co-angler. That means he would be re... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1895539-6/fortune-smiles-on-evingtons-howard-in-smith-mountain.html taylor 31436936@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Like many mammals, humans tend to be creatures of habit. We could have 15 ways to drive home, but we’ll usually stick to one route. Maybe two if we’re particularly adventurous. I hope many of you have gotten into the habit of checking the sports section o... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1885615-6/no-need-to-hunt-outdoors-section-moves-to.html taylor 31406463@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Three numbers loomed large at this year’s Oakley Big Bass Tour stop at Smith Mountain Lake. The first was 670. That’s how many anglers participated in what has become the lake’s most popular fishing tournament. The second was one. That’s how many anglers ... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1876834-6/disqualifications-a-tradition-at-smith-mountain-lake-bass.html taylor 31378674@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Avery Anderson, 7, Charlottesville While other participants in today’s Blue Ridge Marathon have been taking it easy this week to rest their legs, Avery Anderson has been training harder than ever. “I did 12 laps!” she said with joy Wednesday evening. Pa... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1868048-6/runners-take-many-paths-to-get-to-blue.html taylor 31351338@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Strategies exist to make the conditions swing in your favor.... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1864191-6/windy-weather-can-work-for-turkey-hunters.html taylor 31339034@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Rick Wineman and his crew faced a dilemma. There at the side of the boat was a huge bluefin tuna. Exactly how big, they weren’t sure. They also didn’t know how to get this giant into Wineman’s 26-foot Regulator center console boat. “We had that fish besid... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1861660-6/outdoors-notes-virginia-crew-barely-boats-whale-of.html taylor 31330834@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 When something happens such as what happened in Boston on Monday, our first thoughts can’t help but be somewhat selfish. Are our friends and loved ones OK? This is one reason why cellphone coverage in Boston went haywire Monday in the aftermath of the sh... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1860889-6/living-in-fear-is-no-way-to-live.html taylor 31328335@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s turkey time, and the timing is good. Saturday’s spring turkey opener fell about as late as we’ll ever see it. But you won’t hear too many hunters complaining this year that the mandated second-Saturday-in-April opening is too late. With the delayed a... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1858258-6/springs-late-arrival-makes-for-great-start-to.html taylor 31319322@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 In the opinion of some of his peers, Ralph Rogo was wasting his time Thursday morning. Deftly, the Roanoke County resident cast a Berkley Gulp! minnow lure into the Roanoke River in Salem, watching the nail-thin tip of his spinning rod for a bounce indica... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1852062-6/time-to-revise-trout-stocking-policy.html taylor 31300706@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Here’s a look at some of the state’s best fishing options.... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1848561-6/virginias-fishing-bests.html taylor 31289223@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 For two years the unique Oakley Big Bass Tour has created a notable buzz at Smith Mountain Lake. Thanks to an expanded prize purse, the buzz is even louder for this year’s tournament, which runs April 20 and 21. At the previous tournaments, anglers who re... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1845625-6/oakley-bass-tourney-offers-even-bigger-hourly-award.html taylor 31279746@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 After leaving the sunny spring woods Saturday morning, Justin Mosby and his hunting partner — 7-year-old daughter Audrey — posed for the proverbial hero shot. But not with a turkey. It was just a picture of the two smiling hunters, who took advantage of S... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1840303-6/hunting-with-kids-a-special-event.html taylor 31262901@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Baseball fans were celebrating the season opener on Monday. While Virginia doesn’t have an official fishing season opener, the recent mild weather after the chilly March makes it seem like fishing season is finally here. “We had this big orange ball show ... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1822325-6/fish-still-biting-despite-cold-march.html taylor 31205806@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 John Crews has ascended into rarefied territory. At the recent Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Falcon Lake on the Texas/Mexico border, Crews hit the 100-pound mark for four days of fishing. His catch — 103.13 pounds — was good for third place in the... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1818128-6/crews-catches-hit-100-pound-mark.html taylor 31187829@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Proposed changes to Virginia’s hunting regulations have been made official. At a meeting in Richmond on Thursday, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries approved for public consideration an extensive list of possible tweaks to hunting rules. Next up ... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1805089-6/dgif-seeks-input-on-proposed-changes-to-hunting.html taylor 31150707@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 A friend recently told me he’d taken to an old-fashioned form of motivation to inspire his kids to work harder at school. “I give them $40 for each A they get on their report card,” said my buddy and fellow outdoors writer Kevin Rhoades, who was kind enou... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1800623-6/money-always-a-good-motivator.html taylor 31139889@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 For some, fishing for the elusive monsters may seem crazy,  but for others, muskellunge are an obsession... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1796649-6/muskie-madness.html taylor 31077137@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Roanoke developer Ed Walker is known for projects that transform old warehouses into trendy livings spaces. When the latest project opened this week in Roanoke, the interior had a different feel. Instead of condos or apartments, the interior of a large se... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1776156-6/rocked-out-the-river-rock-climbing-gym-is.html taylor 31053971@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 The big snow storm that walloped much of Virginia and West Virginia in early March created awesome conditions at the states’ ski resorts. But while those conditions have been great news for skiers and snowboarders they won’t necessarily translate into ext... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1766337-6/theres-still-snow-in-those-hills.html taylor 31033836@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Cutting the deer population has been a goal of Virginia’s wildlife managers.... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1740957-6/drop-in-hunters-deer-kill-is-not-necessarily.html taylor 30959801@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Virginia deer hunters who felt that they had it a little tougher than usual this past season had good instincts. According to preliminary figures released Friday by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the statewide deer kill was down 8 percent th... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1725882-6/deer-hunting-numbers-tail-off.html taylor 30892769@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Familiar names and a popular new feature are back for the annual Southwest Virginia Boat Show. Known simply as the Roanoke Boat Show, the event runs Friday through Sunday at the Roanoke Civic Center. As an indication that the boat market has rebounded aft... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1706387-6/visit-roanoke-boat-show-for-free.html taylor 30855564@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 A new push from the Virginia governor’s office is likely causing some scrambling among state agencies. The Governor’s Regulatory Reform Initiative is intended to have state agencies review their regulations and make changes to eliminate or alter rules tha... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1687488-6/dgif-ahead-of-the-game-on-new-intiative.html taylor 30797508@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Five months ago I couldn’t wait to get in this spot. On this evening, I couldn’t wait to get out. This spot was 15 feet up an oak tree, in my Summit climbing stand. My crossbow rested in my lap, a broadhead-tipped arrow at the ready. Facing into a stout n... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1682412-6/cold-truth-about-urban-archery.html taylor 30784242@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Avid kayaker Mike Kalanick knows that Western Virginia has a number of great whitewater creeks. But when the Charlottesville engineer puts his boat on his car and heads out to paddle he rarely comes this way. “I usually go to Maryland or West Virginia,” K... http://www.roanoke.com//outdoors/taylor/1667879-6/bill-in-virginia-senate-would-clarify-paddlers-access.html taylor 30739641@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17