What in the heck do all of these fishing signs mean?
While you’re waiting for the Todd summer concerts to begin, come on out and try your hand at fishing. Todd Island Park on the South Fork of the beautiful New River is designated as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters and has a Delayed Harvest designation. If you are new to fishing, you need to familiarize yourself with the various fishing designations which have strict regulations and can be confusing. You can find a great resource about fishing in North Carolina at http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/Fishing-in-North-Carolina#87841671-hatcheries–stocking. RiverGirl Fishing Company in downtown Todd also has a wealth of knowledge about fishing as well as offering fly fishing lessons and guided fishing expeditions. Learn more at rivergirlfishing.com.
In addition to having a valid fishing license at all times, regulations may include the type of lure or hook that are allowable, whether or not you may keep the fish that you catch and the dates when you may or may not fish a certain area. Here is a link to a nice chart which describes the fishing designations (the triangular signs above) in the NC mountains and what rules apply to each designation and here is a handy mountain trout map with a schedule of stocking locations and dates.
The waters around Todd Island Park were stocked in March and April. The last stocking date at the park until next fall is May 4, 2018.
A large number of designated fishing areas are on private land and the landowners generously allow fishing. If an area along a body of water is not posted with one of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission signs above, it is probably private property and you will need permission from the landowner to fish there.
Todd Island Park’s entrance is located at the corner of Todd Railroad Grade Road and Castle Ford Road about 2 ½ miles south of downtown Todd. The park is open to the public for fishing or using the walking trail during daylight hours. Todd Island Park is owned and maintained by the Todd Community Preservation Organization. Donations towards the upkeep of the park are welcomed. You may leave them in the donation box in the parking lot or make an online donation at www.toddnc.org. Happy fishing!