Cape Fear River Fishing Pier

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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently completed construction of a fixed, universally accessible fishing pier along the Cape Fear River at Lock and Dam No. 1.

The wooden pier extends 30 feet out and is 90 feet wide across the T-section. The pier was designed and constructed by staff with the Commission’s Division of Engineering and Lands Management.

Unlike many of the piers constructed by the Commission, the pier at Lock and Dam No. 1 is a fixed pier with driven pilings so that it can withstand high-water events typical on the Cape Fear River.

The pier coincides with the construction of a fish passage way that is expected to improve passage of anadromous fish such as striped bass, American shad, river herring and sturgeon during their spring migrations upriver.

While the Commission built the pier, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now owns it and will maintain it. Pier construction was funded through the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which utilizes state fishing license money and funds generated from taxes on fishing tackle and other fishing-related expenditures.

Anglers fishing at Lock and Dam No.1, which is located about 32 miles upriver from Wilmington, can expect to catch a variety of fish that varies depending on the time of year.

Resident species include striped bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, striped mullet and channel, blue and flathead catfish. During spring spawning runs, migratory American shad and striped bass move into the area.

source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission