Roger Bell
The Daily Herald Staff Writer

Roger Bell | The Daily Herald A motorist stops by to check out the newly refurbished Weldon Boat Ramp in the rain Wednesday. Advertisement

WELDON — Anglers going after rockfish this season in “The Rockfish Capital of the World” now have easier access to the water due to the reopening of the Weldon Boat Ramp in Weldon.

“I think it’s important to the area,” said Dean Barbee, with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Division of Engineering which designed the project. “The town really identifies with the river there and we’ve improved access for them and I think they’ll really benefit from it.”

The new ramp still has two lanes for traffic, but a third will open as soon as water levels recede enough to complete the lane. Barbee estimates this could take perhaps two or three more weeks. 

“I’ve been in contact with the power company and they’re not really sure,” Barbee explained. “The levels are really high at Kerr Lake ... so I’m not real sure.”

According to Barbee, steady rain and snow since the arrival of Tropical Storm Ida has swollen lake levels at Kerr Lake Reservoir, which feeds into the Roanoke River through its dam. In order to mitigate levels at Kerr Lake, authorities have pumped water into the river, causing steady high levels all the way to Weldon and beyond.

Still, anglers will see big improvements to the area. The parking area is now paved, with marked spaces. “There’s going to be six spaces for vehicles without trailers,” Barbee said. “They’ll be marked with signs so they’ll be clearly marked.”

A sidewalk will lead to a floating dock when the project’s completed as well, and of course there’s the third lane on the ramp itself. “We added the third lane to improve turnaround time,” Barbee explained. “We were trying to take pressure off the line getting them in and out. If you’ve ever been down there in striper season, you know the kind of lines they get.”

“The Weldon site is one of our most popular access areas, with thousands of anglers using it for access to the Roanoke River during striper season,” Erik Christofferson, head of the Commission’s Division of Engineering Services, said in a press release. “It’s been completely refurbished, with improvements to make access easier and more convenient for our citizens as they head to the Roanoke River over the next two months and the rest of the year.”

“I just hope everyone will enjoy it,” Barbee added. “We’re just happy we could make improvements for the sportsmen. We’re just happy we could do it for them.”

Striped bass season is now through April 30.