Fishing and Boating

A one-acre pond and a 3.5-acre pond provide ample fishing opportunities. The two (2) ponds host a variety of fish including bass, catfish, bream, and sunfish. Our Wildlife Education Center is centrally located between the two (2) ponds. The center has live bait, educational materials, and loaner rods available for youth ages 15 years and under.

Largemouth bass, bream, crappie and catfish all live in these lakes. This joint project between Guilford County and the Fisheries Division of the NC Wildlife Commission provides area anglers with the opportunity to catch and keep channel catfish. This project also improves the fishing quality of the lake while giving anglers a better-than-average chance of catching catfish. Revenues from the fishing fees collected also help pay for this program.

Every month between April and October, the Fisheries Division delivers 1,000 catfish to the lake. These fish are 8-10 inches long and are hungry for your hooks. Although these fish are small, two (2) different feeding areas are set up with solar-powered feeders to provide the young fish with plenty of food to help them grow. And grow they do! Many people catch fish in the three (3)-pound range on a regular basis and some 15-pound fish have been caught.

Anglers can try to lure crappy, bass, catfish, brim, and pan fish from the banks of Bass Pond or they can cast off in the shallow waters of Reedy Fork Creek. Paddlers can launch their canoes and kayaks at the low water crossing and enjoy a scenic ride down Reedy Fork and Buffalo Creeks. (7.4 miles to takeout at Highway 87 in Ossipee, 7.6 miles to portage at Glen Raven Dam, 8.6 miles to Haw River-Mountain to Sea Trail) Children of all ages can walk barefoot in the creek and be entertained by the sights and sounds of the natural habitat.

The Guilford County Farm features a scenic 4-acre pond behind the greenhouses near the main parking area, open for free fishing seven days a week during daylight hours. A short walk leads to a fishing dock and multiple shoreline cutouts. While shade is limited, picnic tables and benches are available, and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs, umbrellas, and water. The pond is home to largemouth bass, sunfish, bream, crappie, and catfish and is part of the Community Fishing Program with the NC Wildlife Commission. Each month from April to October, 1,500 catfish (10 inches or longer) are stocked, improving fishing opportunities. The Farm also hosts a Family Fishing Day in May or June, offering fishing pole rentals, demonstrations, and environmental education.