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For up-to-date information on North Carolina licenses, regulations and other wildlife resources, please visit the agency’s website NCWildlife.org.
RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 24, 2011) – Water levels in Rhodes Pond, a popular fishing and boating destination in Cumberland County, are lower than normal because of repairs the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is currently conducting on the pond’s dam and spillway.
The repair work should be completed within the next two weeks. Once the spillway gate is closed, water levels in the pond will slowly rise and the pond should return to normal levels within a few months.
“Completed work not only ensures that the integrity of the structure is sound, but also ensures that public safety is not at risk due to dam failure during a heavy rainfall event,” said Erik Christofferson, chief of the Commission’s Division of Engineering Services.
“Although water levels are down, fishing continues to be good, with both bank and boating anglers reporting nice catches of largemouth bass and sunfish,” said Keith Ashley, a fisheries biologist with the Commission.
Rhodes Pond, which is owned by the Commission, is a 461-acre blackwater impoundment of Black River and a popular destination for anglers targeting largemouth bass and sunfish. While there are no size and creel limits for sunfish, there is a five-fish daily creel limit for largemouth bass, as well as a minimum size limit of 14 inches, although two fish less than 14 inches can be included in the daily creel.
For a list of boating access areas and public fishing areas located across the state, visit www.ncwildlife.org/boating_waterways and www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.