Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pee Dee River at Hwy 731 below Lake Tillery USGS 021237840 - real-time stage and flow | USGS gauge | 35.20067, -80.06181 | Roster gauge for this water, at the head of the tailwater. This reach rises fast on a Tillery release. |
| 2 | Clarks Creek Access Duke Energy Progress - 1 launch lane | Access / boat ramp | 35.20179, -80.06072 | Duke Energy ramp just below Lake Tillery with a paddle carry-down. Shallow, rocky water subject to sudden rise and violent turbulence on dam releases. |
| 3 | Red Hill Access NC Wildlife Resources Commission - 1 launch lane | Access / boat ramp | 35.08460, -79.99864 | WRC ramp in Anson County, the middle of the Tillery-to-Blewett Falls reach. |
| 4 | Blewetts Grave Access Duke Energy Progress - 1 launch lane | Access / boat ramp | 34.98740, -79.87514 | Duke Energy ramp above Blewett Falls Lake. Very shallow - car-top boats and canoes only. |
| 5 | Rockingham Access Duke Energy Progress - 1 launch lane | Access / boat ramp | 34.94567, -79.86907 | Duke Energy ramp in Richmond County. |
| 6 | Diggs Access NC Wildlife Resources Commission - 1 launch lane | Access / boat ramp | 34.86539, -79.87912 | WRC ramp at the bottom of the reach, below Blewett Falls. |
Gauge: USGS 0212378405 — PEE DEE R AT HWY731 BL LK TILLERY NR NORWOOD, NC. Live flow on the web page.
Species: American Shad, Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass
Regulations: www.ncwildlife.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
The Falls Dam tailrace below Lake Tillery - the main access for the spring shad and striper run.
The Highway 731 crossing near Norwood - bank and ramp access at the gauge.
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge - bank access and a quiet stretch of the middle river.
Lake Tillery public ramps - powerboat access to the impoundment above the dam.
Blewett Falls Lake ramps near Rockingham - access to the lower impoundment.
The Highway 74 crossing near Rockingham - bank access on the lower river.
Pee Dee River access below Blewett Falls - the lowest North Carolina reach before the state line.
Spring: the shad and striper run below the dam, heavy generation and the busiest fishing of the year.
Summer: warm and often strong current, with excellent blue and flathead catfishing day and night.
Fall: cooling water, good bass fishing on the current breaks and much lighter boat traffic.
Winter: cold and steady, with big blue catfish concentrated in the deep channel holes.