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Lake James

North Carolina · McDowell

The pin marks the middle of the water, for directions. The shoreline on the map comes from USGS NHD.

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Overview

Lake James sits in Burke and McDowell counties, about 50 miles northeast of Asheville, and is the uppermost of the Duke Energy lakes on the Catawba River. It was impounded in 1923 and covers about 6,500 acres at full pool with roughly 150 miles of shoreline. The water is clear and low in nutrients, averaging about 44 feet deep with a maximum near 141 feet. The lake's two main arms fish differently. Largemouth bass are concentrated in the upper, more fertile Catawba River arm, while smallmouth bass favor the clearer Linville River arm. Black crappie are present as well. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission counts Lake James among the most popular walleye fisheries in western North Carolina, but Commission studies found that white perch, alewife and blueback herring, confirmed in the lake between 2008 and 2010, are a threat to walleye. Lake James State Park has access on both the Catawba River and Paddy's Creek sides, including paddle in campsites.

Regulations

Lake James and its tributaries have a walleye minimum length limit, and leaving float fishing gear unattended is prohibited on the lake under local law. See the current North Carolina inland fishing regulations: https://www.ncwildlife.gov/fishing/regulations

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission; North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation