Lake Julian stocked with 1,333 catfish ahead of Memorial Day weekend
Lake Julian got 1,333 new catfish before Memorial Day weekend, giving Buncombe anglers a better shot at a productive day on the 300-acre Arden lake.
A fresh stocking of 1,333 channel catfish gave Lake Julian a Memorial Day weekend lift, adding more fish to the 300-acre Arden lake just as Buncombe families looked for a low-cost way to spend the holiday outdoors. For anglers, the payoff is simple: more fish in the water and better odds of a productive day.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission finished the spring stocking for Lake Julian, and the release fits the agency’s Community Fishing Program, which gives intensively managed waters monthly stockings of catchable-sized channel catfish from April through September. NC Wildlife says the best months to fish for channel catfish are April, May, September and October, putting this late-spring stocking squarely in one of the strongest parts of the fishing calendar.
Lake Julian Park is one of Buncombe County’s most familiar public spaces, with fishing access, picnic areas, disc golf, outdoor games, a playground, paddleboats, special event venue rentals, water access, a boat launch and Jon boats for rent. The park is open year-round seven days a week except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, which makes it an easy place for a holiday outing without leaving the county.
The stocking also fits the way the park is used by families and young anglers. Buncombe County’s Kids’ Fishing Club welcomes anglers 15 and younger, and the county calendar lists spring meetings at Lake Julian on April 23 and April 30, 2026. The program includes bait and a limited number of loaner poles, giving children a chance to fish without having to bring much gear of their own.
Lake Julian’s role as a public amenity runs deeper than a weekend outing. A county document says the lake was created in 1962 and was once used to cool a nearby power plant before becoming a county recreation facility. NC Wildlife says it stocks about 6 million fish each year in public waters across North Carolina, and the latest catfish release at Lake Julian is a small but visible example of that system at work in Buncombe County.
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