Morrisville, NC Fishing: Fantastic Fishing Adventure in the Fall Line

Morrisville's prime location makes it a good spot not only for beach trips but also for fishing.

Morrisville, NC Fishing: Fantastic Fishing Adventure in the Fall Line
Morrisville, NC Fishing: Fantastic Fishing Adventure in the Fall Line
Team Guidesly

November 24, 2022, 7 min read

Updated on November 17, 2022

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Morrisville, in North Carolina, is part of Wake County, with a small portion of the area extending into Durham County. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region and is a suburb of Raleigh. Morrisville’s name was derived from Jeremiah Morris. Morris is the man who donated land to the North Carolina Railroad for a depot, water tower, and other commercial buildings. Morrisville continued to grow because of the rail line and its location at the intersection of roads heading to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough. Morrisville is a sought-after area, mainly because of its location. 

Morrisville is a wonderful area, as it hosts several events annually. Morrisville welcomes visitors to join and take part in its special events. The annual SpringFest turns Morrisville's Town Hall Dr. into a carnival that the whole family will surely enjoy. The festival includes entertainment, midway games, rides, live music, and local-favorite food trucks. Morrisville also hosts the East Meets West Food Festival. It is one of the area's most unique events, celebrating eclectic communities with food, culture, and music worldwide.

Morrisville's prime location makes it a good spot not only for beach trips but also for fishing.

Morrisville Fishing

boat, nature, calm weather, clouds

North Carolina boasts its top fisheries. The diversity and the number of fish lure anglers of all levels to the state. The state offers magnificent saltwater and freshwater fishing spots. Anglers can go flounder fishing or fly fishing for red drum in North Carolina.

Lake Crabtree is a small fishing lake with about 5 miles of shoreline. Anglers cannot use gas-powered boats while on the lake, making it a great destination for fishing from a canoe, kayak, or car-top boat. A fishing pier and a fishing platform with handicap accessibility are accessible to anglers. Anglers will find and catch largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, yellow bullhead, and common carp in this shallow-water fishery. The lake's shore allows an angler to bank fishing. Aside from fishing and kayaking, anglers can also go hiking or biking in the area. A boat rental service is available to anglers who want to go boating in the lake. Crabtree Creek Water Shed is another popular fishing spot in Morrisville. Bass, bluegill, crappie, flathead catfish, channel catfish, black bullhead, yellow bullhead, and redear sunfish call it home. Picnic areas and hiking trails are available in the watershed area for additional outdoor activities. Crabtree Creek, a Neuse River tributary, is also open to thrill-seeking anglers. Catfish, bream, and bass fishing are done in the area. Crabtree Creek starts in Cary and flows through Morrisville, William B. Umstead State Park, and the northern sections of Raleigh before ending into the Neuse at Anderson Point Park.

Anglers are welcome to cast their line in Hatchs Pond. The pond in Morrisville is known for its peaceful and family-friendly environment. Put-and-take fishing is widely observed in the area. Anglers can fly fish for crappie, redear sunfish, bass, bullhead, grass carp, bluegill, and catfish. Up in the northern part of Morrisville sits Brier Creek Reservoir. The reservoir sits near boat rental shops and inns that anglers might need if they prefer to stay longer in the area. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and black crappie are abundant in the reservoir.

Turkey Creek and Coles Branch are two neighboring fishing spots to Morrisville. Coles Branch is a 2.7 miles long tributary to Crabtree Creek and is abundant with bass, catfish, common roach, pumpkinseed, white crappie, rock bass, bluegill, and bullhead. Turkey Creek rises southwest of Cary and flows northeast to merge with Crabtree Creek. Anglers aiming to catch spotted bass, bluegill, catfish, bullhead, black crappie, and southern flounder are welcome to visit the area.

Holiday Acres Lake is a reservoir in Cary and Morrisville and is near Edgehill Farm Clubhouse. Largemouth bass, bluegill, green sunfish, channel catfish, black crappie, redeye bass, brook trout, and redear sunfish are the fish species anglers can target in the lake. The lake area is suitable for bank and fly fishing. Aside from Holiday Acres Lake, anglers flock to Continental Can Company Lake, an artificial pond or lake in Morrisville. The most popular species caught in the lake are channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, blue catfish, black bullhead, pumpkinseed, and green sunfish.

Many fishing locations surround the Morrisville area. Morrisville is rich with various fish species and scenic fishing spots. Anglers can choose from many fishing havens in the Morrisville, Wake County area. Anglers are required to provide a fishing license if they want to fish in the waters of Morrisville.

 

Top 10 Fish Species in Morrisville, NC

The top 10 fish species found in  Morrisville, NC, are channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, black bullhead, yellow bullhead, largemouth bass, common carp, white crappie, black crappie, and bluegill.

Seasonal Fishing

Fishing in North Carolina is open at any time of the year. Anglers can fish for selected species monthly, but there are seasonal fish species that feed actively during specific times only. Largemouth bass fishing is exceptional in North Carolina. It is attainable to capture largemouth bass year-round, but they get the best results when they fish for bass during spring and fall. Their spawning season occurs in spring. Catfishing in the summer is generally very good. The spawning season of the channel, flathead, and blue catfish depends on the temperature of the water. Bullheads are abundant in many North Carolina streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes. Early spring is the best time to fish for bullheads, while they breed in May through June. The best time for active common carp fishing is from April to August; they get ready for spawning by the second week of April. Crappie can be caught year-round, but the best daytime fishing occurs in spring and fall when large schools of crappie move to shallow water. Crappie's spawning period lasts from about March through May. Bluegill fishing peaks in spring and fall, but fishing for bluegill is still available during summer. The spawning season for bluegill usually starts around May and continues through October.

A Nice Escape to Morrisville

Best known for its diversity, rich culture, and well-educated workforce, Morrisville is a great area full of things to do that everyone will love. Morrisville has plenty of tourist spots, varying from restaurants to outdoor activities for groups.

1. Book a Fishing Charter

Booking a fishing charter will help anglers maximize their fishing tours off the waters of Morrisville. Fishing charters have different personalized trips available to clients. Fishing guides will give you tips and will also provide the reel and rods needed for the trip. They also often offer the ideal bait for fishing. Professional guides can take clients on crappie fishing trips or organize a Mahi-Mahi guided trip, depending on the client’s availability. Nautical Excursions, Blue Persuasion Fishing Guide Service, Ipock's Fishing Charters, and Saywhenfishin are some fishing charters anglers can book within the Morrisville area. 

2. Go for a Rock Climbing Adventure

Triangle Rock Club is the perfect place for travelers looking to conquer fears and achieve their full potential. The club is home to five exclusive indoor climbing and fitness centers, including gyms in the Morrisville and Raleigh areas, and offers activities for everyone. The Morrisville and Raleigh sites include lead and top-rope climbing, wide bouldering terrain, a cardio and strength center, and gear to take the rock climbing training to the next level. Triangle Rock Club offers fitness and yoga classes, climbing instruction, summer camps, Track Out camps, programs, corporate events, and parties.

3. Civil Way History

Tourists interested in Civil War history are welcome to uncover the Skirmish at Morrisville through artifacts at the Morrisville History Center in Town Hall. The center conveys the story of Morrisville and the Civil War skirmish in 1865. The display includes exhibits, a touch screen with short video vignettes, and a video viewing room. The Battle at Morrisville Station occurred during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the last cavalry fight of the War and happened between the armies of Major General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston.

Fish in Morrisville and beyond.