The best places to launch for catching saltwater catfish are from the city of Wilmington ramp located at the foot of Castle Street northeast of the U.S. 74-76 drawbridge and at the NCWRC Snow's Cut Boating Access Area located off Spencer Farlow Road in Carolina Beach east of the U.S. 421 bridge.

In the freshwater catfish category, the Cape Fear has several contenders for top-flight fishing. The native catfish include brown and yellow bullheads, white catfish and channel catfish. These small catfish are the mainstay of many fishing trips. Bullheads seldom exceed a couple of pounds in weight. White catfish can weigh more than 15 pounds but usually are in the lightweight class with bullheads. Channel catfish are next in size and commonly weigh above 5 pounds, with 10-pounders not at all rare.

Bullheads are easy to identify with their bloated belly appearance and large heads in comparison with body size. Channel catfish are the next easiest to identify because they have more streamlined bodies and have scattered dark spots on their sides.

The white catfish is the most misidentified catfish in North Carolina waters, often mistaken for a channel or blue catfish. It has a forked tail with rounded lobes that is unlike any other catfish.

These smaller species are a "catfisherman's meat fish." They will strike anything that smells and looks like protein and are occasionally caught with soft-plastic lures and spinners. In one multiple-species catfish catch along a tributary to the river, I found that the fish had been eating small turtles, a wood duck hatchling, aquatic vegetation, minnows and fry, sirens, beetles and grasshoppers. In many of the bullheads the predominant food was laurel oak acorns.

Anglers can catch these smaller catfish using prepared stink baits, cheese baits and blood baits. Packaged baits are easy to buy, store and carry to the river. They also stay on the hook nicely in the rushing waters above Wilmington. Other all-around catfish baits include worms, chicken livers, hot dogs, bacon, canned luncheon meat, shrimp, cut fish and canned corn.

The best areas to fish for the smaller catfish are near fallen trees and at the places where oxbows and feeder creeks join the main channel of the Northeast Cape Fear River.

There are some excellent places for bank-bound anglers to fish. There is a New Hanover County Parks and Recreation public fishing area with a wooden dock located on Old Bridge Site Road on the southwest side of the N.C. 133-U.S. 117 Highway bridge across the Northeast Cape Fear River at Castle Hayne.

On the southeast side of the bridge, the NCWRC Castle Hayne boating access area is an excellent place to launch. The mouth of Prince George Creek located a couple of miles to the south and the mouth of Island Creek, a couple of miles to the north, are also excellent places for catfishing.

Another free public fishing area is located to the south of the NCWRC Holly Shelter boating access area on SR 1523. A trail extends southward along the riverfront and it is open to walk-in fishing along its length.

Lane's Ferry Bait and Tackle is located on the west side of the N.C. 210 bridge at Rocky Point. The private launching area charges a small fee for fishing from the boat docks and for using the ramp. It's a great location for accessing some of the best catfishing along the Northeast Cape Fear.