Badin Lake

Ci|5- х:в1 3 С-2. N.C. DOCUMENTS CLEARINGHOUSE NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION Division of Boating and Inland Fisheries JUN 19 1990 BADIN LAKE N.C. STATE LIBRARY RALEIGH By Wayne R. Chapman, Fishery Biologist and Marla Chambers, Assistant Fishery Biologist Badin Lake is located five miles east of Albemarle, and 10 miles west of Troy, North Carolina. Badin Lake, a hydroelectric impoundment, was constructed in 1917 by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) on the Yadkin River in Stanly, Montgomery, and Davidson counties. This piedmont reservoir has a surface area of 5,350 acres, a shoreline length of 115 miles, a maximum depth of 177 feet, and a drainage area of approximately 4,200 square miles. Full pool is at elevation 541 feet. Most of the water supply for Badin Lake consists of mainstream flow of the Yadkin River from upstream Tuckertown Dam. Two main geographical areas of the lake are the Mainstream Section and the Beaverdam Section. Railroad tracks running parallel to much of the western shore also separate another area from the rest of the lake. This small channel, called Harper Hearne and Palmerville, is inaccessible by boat from the mainstream. Considerable turbidity in the Mainstream Section usually follows periods of heavy rainfall. The Beaverdam Section generally remains clear. Water level fluctuations are minor. Badin Lake lies on the border of the Uwharrie Mountains and the watershed consists of rolling hills typical of the Piedmont region. Land development along the shoreline is very light, except for cabins and piers in the extreme upper Beaverdam Section. The islands and most of the western shoreline from Badin Dam northwest to Tuckertown Dam is owned by ALCOA and is open to the public for bank and boat fishing. Only the upper and lower parts of the Mainstream area are readily accessible by roads. Nearly all of the eastern shoreline from Badin Dam to Mountain Branch lies in the Uwharrie National Forest. This public area, containing numerous access roads is open to boat and bank fishing, camping and picnicking. Damaging trees and littering are prohibited activities in all areas around the lake. The large areas owned by ALCOA and the Uwharrie Forest along Badin Lake help to maintain the undeveloped scenic beauty of the shoreline but still allows public utilization. Fishing Most fishing effort is directed toward largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, white bass, white perch, various sunfishes and catfishes. Various shoreline areas containing vegetation, brush, and other cover and the Tuckertown Tailrace are good fishing areas during the spring and fall seasons. Open water areas also are productive during the warmer summer months especially off points of land, near submerged islands, drop offs and other structures. North Carolina inland fishing regulations and license requirements are applicable. Fish Management The Division of Boating and Inland Fisheries stocked nearly 550,000 striped bass fingerlings into Badin Lake from 1980 through 1988. Stripers also are stocked into High Rock and Tuckertown lakes and some migrate downstream into Badin Lake. The striped bass stocking program is considered a "put, grow, and take" fishery since evidence of reproduction has not been found and is not anticipated. However, the food supply of shad is plentiful and growth is very rapid. Several other management practices have been implemented to improve the fishing experience. In the early 1970's 18 fish attractors, constructed from about 400 old automobile tires, were sunk in water four to twelve fee deep. These attractors were designed to increase panfish and catfish harvests and to provide habitat improvement. Two fishing reefs were also installed. One consisted of 230 old tires and 20 pine tops near Palmerville Mountain and the other of 150 tires located near Badin. The Boating and Inland Fisheries Uwharrie Development Crew, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, has made numerous improvements along the Uwharrie National Forest shore. In 1988, 22 fish attractors made of discarded Christmas trees were placed in approximately 15 feet of water, 14 of which are marked by orange buoys. Each attractor was upgraded by adding 20 to 40 trees per site in 1989. Continued upgrading is planned every two or three years. Boat fishermen report successful crappie fishing at these attractor sites.