The William Umstead Memorial Bridge is better known as the “Old Manns Harbor Bridge” is one of two bridges that connect Roanoke Island with the Dare County / North Carolina mainland via west Route 64. The bridge spans the Croatan Sound on the western side of Roanoke Island.  There two fishing areas on each end the bridge.

On the east side, there are two parking areas were you can easily walk to the Croatan Sound. There are many Cyprus tree “knees” that hold fish. The water is shallow in places but does havve some drop offs. Extreme caution should be taken when attempting to wade fish here.

On the west side of the span, there is the Manns Harbor Pier. You can find more about this pier in that section. On the south side of the western span there is a concrete wall just above a fast current. This is an excellent place to catch passing fish during a moving tides.