Asheville Anglers Cast Lines off New Handicapped-Accessible Pier

The handicapped-accessible pier at Lake Julian will provide anglers of all abilities with a more convenient place to cast their lines. Media: A hi-res version of this image may be downloaded here. Please credit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 26, 2004) – Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Progress Energy, Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Services and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Asheville anglers now have somewhere more convenient to cast their lines. A handicapped-accessible fishing pier on Lake Julian was completed Aug. 4, providing barrier-free fishing opportunities for anglers of all abilities.

The floating pier is 8 feet wide and 56 feet long with a 36-foot wide T-section at the end to accommodate several anglers at one time. The pier incorporates three low handrail sections to make it easier for anglers confined to wheelchairs to cast their lines.

“Bank fishing has always been popular at Lake Julian, but some anglers, especially those in wheelchairs, found it difficult to fish from the bank,” said Scott Loftis, district biologist with the Wildlife Commission. “This new pier, with its easy access from the parking lot, will provide anglers of all abilities with universal access to Lake Julian where the potential to catch fish is outstanding.”

A popular fishing spot with local anglers Lake Julian boasts an abundance of bass, bream and crappie, as well as channel catfish, which are stocked monthly by the Wildlife Commission through its Community Fishing Program. As a CFP site, Lake Julian receives truckloads of 8- to 12-inch channel catfish from May through October. In addition to stocking the lake with channel catfish, Commission personnel installed a solar-powered fish feeder which provides a supplementary food source for the stocked fish, allowing them to grow bigger, faster.

To facilitate access to the pier, a handicapped-accessible trail was constructed from the paved parking lot to the pier.

“Progress Energy is proud to partner with the county and the Wildlife Resources Commission to enhance the facilities at Lake Julian,” said Robert Sipes, vice president of Progress Energy’s Asheville office. “The new pier and the tackle loaner program will make the lake a more accessible and more valuable recreation resource for our community.”

For individuals who like to fish but don’t have the necessary equipment, Buncombe County Parks offers loaner rods and reels as well as tackle free of charge, through the Wildlife Commission’s Fishing Tackle Loaner Program (FTLP).

The FTLP loans rods and reels just as a library loans books. Anglers register at the Lake Julian Park office to receive a tackle loaner ID card which allows them to check out a rod and reel for the day. While the program is geared toward children under 16, anyone interested in fishing may participate. Anglers under 16 must have a parent or guardian complete the registration form.

After returning the loaner rods and reels to the park office, first-time participants under 16 receive a free mini-tackle box containing hooks, bobbers, sinkers and a stringer. Anglers can use the tackle loaner ID cards at all 41 FTLP sites in North Carolina, but they must return the rods and reels to the original loaner site.

“The biggest advantage of this program is that people don’t have to worry about carrying their fishing tackle around. All they have to do is show their card, borrow rods and reels and start fishing,” Loftis said. “We want to get new anglers, particularly kids, hooked on fishing and to encourage novice anglers to continue developing their fishing skills.”

The Community Fishing Program, begun in 1992, is a cooperative venture between the Wildlife Commission and local governments to provide more fishing opportunities in city and county parks, particularly for the young, elderly and physically challenged.

The Commission currently funds more than 30 Community Fishing Program sites across the state. Program expenses are cost-shared with local cooperators, with the Commission providing 75 percent of the operating funds through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and local cooperators paying the remaining 25 percent. Agreements are signed for five-year intervals.

“The Commission uses its expertise to improve fishing opportunities at program sites by stocking fish, installing fish feeders, clearing banks of underbrush and controlling nuisance aquatic vegetation,” Loftis said. “At the same time, the park’s staff maintains and improves picnic shelters, playgrounds, bathroom facilities, walking trails and other amenities.”

For more information on Lake Julian or Lake Julian Park, contact the Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Services at (828) 684-0376.

See more information on the Wildlife Commission’s Community Fishing Program and Fishing Tackle Loaner Program, or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 733-3633.

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