July 4th Free Fishing Day Provides Options For Anglers Of All Ages

This Tuesday, July 4th, is the 23rd Annual Free Fishing Day in North Carolina. From midnight to 11:59PM, everyone is welcome to fish in any public body of water, including coastal waters, without purchasing a fishing license.

WFDD's David Ford spoke with North Carolina biologist Kin Hodges about fish stocking programs, non-native invasive species, the rise of kayak fishing and much more.  

Interview highlights

On how North Carolina compares with other states in terms of fishing options:

I'd say we're very competitive. I mean, if you look at the diversity we have between salt water, coastal rivers, all the opportunities with impoundments and rivers in the Piedmont, and then the cool water rivers and trout fishing we have in the mountains; there's really not that many states that can match up with the diversity of what we have to offer. We have excellent sport fishing from one end of the state to the other.

On the biggest threats to North Carolina's fish stocks and habitat:

It's the simple, day-to-day activities of, largely, just excess sediment being deposited in our waterways. So, if you're familiar with the Yadkin [river], you know how bad it can get after a rainy spell as far as the level of mud in it. [It's] just poor land use, of people clearing land too close to streams and rivers, not leaving buffers of vegetation between the stream banks and fields to help filter off that runoff. It's those tons of sediment that get washed into our streams every rain event that end up having the biggest effect on the health of our streams. That fills in the pools. It muddies the water to where fish can't feed, [and] makes it difficult for them to reproduce. So, those are the things we're most concerned about. They have the most impact on our waterways across the country, but they don't usually grab the headlines like an isolated spill would.

On the best fishing options in the Triad and High Country this July 4th:

In the Piedmont, we've got city and county park lakes. Most of those have handicapped-accessible fishing piers, and a good majority of them are probably stocked monthly with channel catfish. So, those are really great for beginning anglers because you've got everything you need. You've got extra fish being stocked. You've got a pier that makes it really easy to get out there and have a safe, convenient place to fish—great place to take kids—and those are scattered all across the Piedmont.

[It's] really easy to find one close to you.

Another that I would highlight would be opportunities for folks that like to paddle. Kayak fishing has really exploded in recent years and historically, access to those was very limited. We have a lot of access opportunities for big motorboats—you know, big boat ramps—but, for our rivers, that maybe weren't accessible to motorboats, there were very few access points [for small boats]. So, for the last five or six years, we've been able to expand our activities and have gotten more involved with building launches for small boats and paddle craft on some of our rivers like the Dan River nearby, the Yadkin River, the New River, a lot of the tributary rivers like the Fisher River, and the Mitchell River that come into the Yadkin to the west in [the] Surry County area. Those make great fishing opportunities for small mouth bass, as well as other species like sunfish and catfish.

In the western part of the state, we have a lot of trout stocking. We have several streams throughout the [WFDD] listening area that get one last stocking either just before or just after July 4th, so those folks that are making that July 4th vacation will be able to take advantage of one last trout fishing trip for the season.

You can find answers to most other fishing-related questions at NCWildlife.org.