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Bear Creek Lake is a public lake in Jackson County, North Carolina, managed by NC Wildlife Resources Commission. It is public water managed for fishing by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Public access confirmed via NCWRC public water.
A western North Carolina mountain lake (TVA, Duke or a municipal reservoir) — deep, clear, cool water with smallmouth and largemouth bass, spotted bass, walleye, muskellunge, white bass and a winter crappie bite, plus stocked rainbow and brown trout near the cold dam releases. Fontana, Nantahala, Santeetlah, Glenville and the Hiwassee/Chatuge lakes.
Bear Creek Lake covers about 438 acres in the Mountains region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, walleye; muskellunge, white bass, black crappie, bluegill are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Robinson Creek and Cedar Cliff Lake.
Species from NCWRC access and trout-water data.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in North Carolina. Trotlines, set-hooks and jugs are legal on most inland waters with a licence and gear tags (not on Public Mountain Trout Waters or designated impoundments). Some NCWRC boating access areas gate at night; the Community Fishing Program lakes have posted hours.
Boats: The big Duke, Alcoa/Cube and Corps reservoirs have no horsepower limit; idle-speed / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, marinas, bridges and dams, and the tailrace areas are restricted. Natural coastal lakes (Mattamuskeet, Phelps, the Bladen Lakes) and many small NCWRC impoundments are trolling-motor or small-outboard only. NC requires a boater-education card for operators born on or after 1 Jan 1988.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at North Carolina state parks (which sit on many of the best lakes — James, Jordan, Falls, Waccamaw, Mattamuskeet-adjacent), Corps of Engineers campgrounds on Kerr and Gaston, and the Pisgah/Nantahala national forests. Game Land camping is limited to designated areas. The Roanoke River has a unique system of platform camping in the swamp.
Boat ramps: 2 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Anyone 16+ needs a North Carolina Inland Fishing licence — resident annual is about $27, non-resident annual about $45, and non-resident 10-day (~$23) licences are sold. A Mountain Trout privilege (~$16) is required in addition to fish any Public Mountain Trout Water; the Mountain Heritage Trout Waters in the mountain towns need only a $8 3-day licence. North Carolina residents 70+ get a free lifetime licence. Buy from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. A North Carolina Inland Fishing licence covers this water. Kerr Lake and Lake Gaston are fished lake-wide on a North Carolina or Virginia licence; Lake Wylie on a NC or South Carolina licence.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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