We have now twice vacationed at High Rock Lake in Denton, North Carolina. About 15 miles east of Lexington (the Barbeque Capital of the World), it’s a great spot for a family vacation. There are all the water sports, naturally, and the fishing is good, too. Even in the hot summer, we were able to catch lots of catfish and bluegills.
High Rock Lake is like a blue collar version of Smith Mountain Lake. There is a wide variety of homes, ranging from elegant beach front houses to log cabin a-frames and small camps. Much of the lakefront property is still undeveloped. I assume it’s because High Rock Lake is not extremely close to the major Carolina metropolitan centers like Charlotte, Greensboro or the Triad.
High Rock is a reservoir lake and serves as the boundary between Davidson and Rowan counties. It’s also used for hydroelectric power generation. High Rock is a 15,000 acre impoundment with 365 miles of shoreline. The name was derived from the neighboring High Rock Mountain, the tallest mountain in that area.
The lake has excellent bass fishing and has hosted the BassMasters Classic on three occasions. High Rock has an ample population of channel, blue, and flathead catfish, plus crappie and several different types of sunfish, such as bluegill, shellcrackers and others.
All in all, the fishing is good, the lake is not overly crowded, rental rates for cottages are reasonable and it’s a great spot for a family getaway.