Boat & Stay:
Waypoints on the Lakes of the Old North State
by Susan Shinn

If you’re planning a fall fishing trip to Kerr Lake or Lake Gaston, several marinas and hotels are ready to welcome you.

The Stonehouse Timber Lodge is located on Lake Gaston in Littleton. In the 1960s, it was a fishing camp. The property was taken over in 1997 by Richard and Martha Courser, its third owners. The place underwent a major renovation, with cabin refurbishing and the addition of more housing as well.

Today, the Coursers offer a variety of cabins, mobile homes and houses, eight on the waterfront and 12 off the water. Stonehouse Timber Lodge also features a private boat ramp, beach area and boat house.

“The biggest part of my business is that I rent boats,” Courser notes. He has 15 boats that include pontoons, ski boats and fishing boats.

The Coursers are proud of the fact that their place is family oriented, with quiet hours beginning at 11 p.m. The couple hosts lots of fishermen in spring and fall, who bring their families in the summer.

“We have a lot of repeat business,” Courser says. This time of year, the lake sees a different kind of crowd.

“The water’s still warm in the fall,” Courser says. “You see fishermen instead of skiers, tubers and boaters. They’re out there at the crack of dawn and come back in around 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon.

Lake Gaston plays host to a variety of bass tournaments. “State bass clubs have been coming here for years,” Courser notes.

The lake also has stripers, walleye, catfish, perch and crappie, he adds. “We have a good abundance of fish here.”

Meanwhile, Kerr Lake, a reservoir, also has several nice options for those who’d like to come and fish this fall.

Satterwhite Point Marina is located in Henderson at exit 217 off I-85, 30 minutes from Durham. The marina is located by water off Buoy K, and provides access to the reservoir’s 850 miles of shoreline.

Owned by Scott and Catherine Hughes, the marina features boat storage, a public ramp and a gas dock and convenience store. As a Crest pontoon boat dealer, the marina has served Kerr Lake and Lake Gaston for some 20 years. The marina’s fall hours are 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The ramp is open 24 hours a day but may be closed during extremely low water. You can check the Web site for ramp availability.

In addition, the marina has two beautiful cabins in the woods, each accommodating eight people. Each cabin offers two bedrooms, one bathroom, a sleeping loft, great room with dining area and fully furnished kitchen.

The cabins are available for weekend, weekly and mid-week rentals, with plenty of dates still available in October.

Mary Willis is manager of Best Western on the Lake and Lake Motel & Efficiencies, both located at Kerr Lake in Clarksville, Va. Both facilities have dock access and extended parking and electrical hook-ups – important for fishermen who need to recharge all the devices on their boats in the evenings, she says.

Best Western rooms feature refrigerators, microwaves, hair dryers, coffee makers, iron and free high-speed wireless Internet, along with a free deluxe continental breakfast.

At the Lake Motel, rooms have microwaves, refrigerators and free high-speed wireless Internet, along with a free continental breakfast. There are also two fish-cleaning tables here.

The town is a big fishing area, Willis says. “Clarksville is the only lakeside town in Virginia, and Kerr Lake is Virginia’s largest lake.” It’s known for its largemouth bass, striped bass and crappie. “We’re just now starting to get popular for our catfish,” Willis adds. “They are catching some nice-sized catfish.”

Fishermen will continue to visit Clarksville into the fall, Willis says. “Some of our best striper fishing is during Thanksgiving week. A lot of fishermen come in the week of Thanksgiving. It’s our last big week of the season. We have some diehards who come from Concord and Charlotte. The only time they fish up here is Thanksgiving week.

“They’re a lot of fun.”