New River is a unique coastal estuary

There are two New Rivers in North Carolina; one wanders through the mountains in the northwestern corner of the state, and the other begins and ends within the boundaries of Onslow County on the coast.

The coastal New River is a slow-flowing river with its headwaters near the town of Richlands and its ocean inlet approximately 40 miles away between North Topsail Beach and Onslow Beach. The New is narrow from its headwaters until it reaches Jacksonville. Once there, it widens and runs through Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. When it reaches the ICW, it narrows back down and flows its last mile or so with a strong current to New River Inlet.

There is very little tide difference in most of the New River. The closer to the inlet, the greater the lunar tidal influence. Days with strong winds may see exaggerated tides, as there are places the wind pushes more water than the moon pulls. A foot of tidal change can be significant, and changes of several feet only happen during exaggerated moon tides and hurricanes. With little tidal variation, there isn’t much current to push bait around, so fish find bait schools and feast.

A shallow-draft boat is necessary to get into many of the numerous bays and creeks that line the river and run into Camp Lejeune or New River Air Station. That single foot of tide often is the difference between fishing in an intended bay or creek or not.

AR 398 is an artificial reef in New River that is a project of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The reef contains hundreds of rubble mounds made from the debris of the old NC 17 Business bridge that crossed the New River in Jacksonville. It is located in six feet of water off Town Point, and yellow buoys mark the reef’s four corners.

The New River has endured some sewage spills and chemical contaminations, but hopefully that is all past. The New River Foundation was established in 1995 to help restore and protect the New River/White Oak River Basin. The foundation monitors the river’s water quality and its tributaries on a regular basis to prevent contamination.