If you’ve ever been fishing or walking along the shoreline of Lake Gaston at night and shone a flashlight in the water, you may have seen glowing eyes staring back at you. Good chance it was a walleye! It’s a cool-water, popular sportfish native to the Western part of North Carolina and typically targeted for their excellent table fare. It’s one of this species’ coolest features (besides their toothy grins). That glowing appearance is caused by a reflective sheath in their eye called a tapetum lucidum.
Topics Related to Fishing
Fishing is a big deal in North Carolina. How big? Economically speaking, black bass fishing alone provides a $2.6 billion impact to the state’s economy, according to recent research conducted by the Wildlife Commission’s Social Science Research Unit in 2025. Black bass fishing in North Carolina consists of fishing for five species including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Alabama bass, spotted bass, and Bartram’s bass.
From first cast to first catch, the Learn to Fish program returns in 2026 with a full lineup of free, beginner-friendly classes held statewide.
They’re not talked about as much as other sportfish species here in North Carolina, but walleye numbers and angler success stories are on the upswing! Survey results from Lake James and Lake Hiwassee, along with angler reports, suggest that walleye populations are on the rebound in mountain reservoirs.
As North Carolina’s only native trout, the brook trout is the official freshwater fish of our state and is near and dear to so many. Numerous generations of Western North Carolinians have grown up fishing for, or hearing about, “specks” (the name often used locally), while many anglers continue to travel to our mountains to fish and create their own stories. Approximately 370,000 anglers fished the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Public Mountain Trout Waters in 2022, which generated close to $1.4 billion for the state’s economy.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Are you looking to get outside this summer while helping to develop new fish and wildlife habitats? We will be planting native aquatic vegetation in reservoirs across the Piedmont and need your help!
Our goal is to improve habitat for sport fishes and other wildlife by establishing self-sustaining native aquatic plant communities. These wetland communities can also help improve water quality, stabilize bank, as well as angler catch rates and enjoyment.