Note that I try to keep this info up-to-date, but be sure to check the web links, and also check with these parks & locations to be 100% sure (I could be wrong, and sometimes their rules change...)
Back around 1992, when I was in grad school at NCSU, I worked in the new Centennial Campus Textile building, overlooking the lake. It was so inviting that I bought a kayak, and took it out on the lake. It was wonderful, and in the shallow section of the lake there were giant carp (3 or 4 feet long) that you could sneak up on (I even managed to grab one by the lip :) When I returned to shore, campus police were waiting on me, and said I couldn't kayak there (even though there were no signs) - man, that really sucked!
Well, now-a-days, it seems that they *do* allow fishing & boating on the lake! Now, they even have a boat ramp for non-motorized boats, and allow fishing, and have 7 parking spaces - if you have to park in an NCSU campus spot, be sure to get a visitor parking permit (at the visitors' booth on Varsity Drive near the Avent Ferry Drive entry to Centennial Campus) or you'll most assuredly get a parking ticket if it's during the business/school hours on weekdays. Interestingly, the google-earth satellite image was taken while the dock & surrounding area was under construction.
(35.766685,-78.677237)
Google Satellite Map
