Cape Fear River bank fishing

First post! Glad I found this site!

So I was fishing with the kiddo at the Riverside Park in Castle Hayne. I know that there's the pier there, and the pier on the other side of College. New to the area and I just wanted to catch some perch for the kid so all I had was nightcrawlers. Decided to tight line fish some of those worms out near the current and caught a couple small blue catfish. So I'm wondering:

Are there some big cats in there?
Is the river always that high? Seemed like it was pretty high and quick, but I'm new here so I'm not sure.
What all can I catch there, and what bait works best for you guys?
Are there any other spots close to there to do some bank fishing?

Any good insight on fishing there is appreciated, I'm tired of always driving down to Sutton and taking that long walk to the bank. Take care and thanks!