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TROY, N.C. (July 30, 2014) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has opened a new fishing access area on the Uwharrie River at the N.C. Hwy. 109 bridge, north of Troy in Montgomery County.
The Hwy. 109 Public Fishing Access Area, located at 3597 N.C. Hwy. 109 North, has a stairway to the river and a canoe slide for launching and retrieving canoes. Commission staff also constructed a dedicated parking area, which has two spaces, including one that is handicapped accessible. Additional parking is available along the abandoned N.C. 109 bridge approach above the access area. The latitude and longitude for the site are: 35°25'56.15"N, 80° 1'1.96"W.
This is the second access area that the Commission has constructed on the Uwharrie River for small boats. In 2012, the Commission partnered with The LandTrust for Central North Carolina to open Low Water Bridge Fishing Access Area, which is located approximately 7 miles upstream of the new Hwy. 109 fishing access area.
According to Fisheries Biologist Lawrence Dorsey, the Hwy. 109 Public Fishing Access Area completes a circuit on the Uwharrie River for anglers and paddlers by providing a dedicated access area downstream of the Low Water Bridge site.
“The water is low in the summertime and during the summer anglers may decide to use the Hwy. 109 area as an entry for wade fishing rather than float fishing,” Dorsey said. “Anglers launching their watercraft from Hwy. 109 can expect to catch smallmouth bass, Roanoke bass and redbreast sunfish in this section of the Uwharrie River.”
Before construction started in mid-May, the area was an unused N.C. Department of Transportation right-of-way remaining from a bridge realignment project that had been used informally by the public to access the river.
The Commission paid for the construction of the new access area with money from the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which utilizes funds generated from taxes on fishing tackle and other fishing-related expenditures, and fishing license receipts. The N.C. Public Access Foundation (NCPAF) also provided a $250 donation to help pay for the construction. The NCPAF is a non-profit organization that works to promote and provide access to many of the state’s water bodies.
For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, including an interactive map of more than 500 public fishing access areas throughout the state, visit the fishing page. For a list of all boating access areas open to the public in North Carolina, visit the boating page.