Pigeon River below Power Plant near Waterville
River flow & level · USGS gauge 03460795 · North Carolina · drains 538 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 4:00 PM · streamflow
The Pigeon River at Power Plant near Waterville is running 133 cfs, 32% of the median flow for October 26 (422 cfs, 29 years). Gage height is 6.89 ft. Flow is down 3% from 24 hours ago.
Whitewater: Pigeon River
for rafters & kayakersUpper Pigeon (Waterville to Hartford)
Too lowClass II–III+ · 4.3 mi · 33 ft/mi gradient
Low from 300 · good 700–1,600 · too high above 4,500 cfs
Now: 133 cfs on this gauge. Runnable range: American Whitewater, reach 1782.
- Mon Oct 26 7 pm – 9 pm
- Tue Oct 27 No flow release
- Wed Oct 28 No flow release
Duke Energy’s scheduled flow releases for the next three days (as of this page’s build). Source: Walters Dam (Duke Energy). Duke may change releases without notice.
This gauge does not report water temperature. Dress for the water, not the air: below 70°F a wetsuit or drysuit is recommended.
Duke Energy’s 2026 Walters recreation calendar schedules 1,200 cfs releases (12 pm–6 pm, or 2 pm–6 pm on some days) through the summer season; outside the calendar, flows depend on rain. Source.
Below dams the river can rise suddenly and turn violent when releases start; stay out of tailrace areas and off the river outside scheduled windows unless you know the flow. Ranges are for experienced paddlers at the gauge shown; rapids change after floods, so scout and check for new wood. Hurricane Helene (2024) reshaped the Pigeon; American Whitewater notes the upper put-in by the powerhouse is closed during I-40 reconstruction and the 2026 put-in is the bridge at the Waterville exit. Wear a PFD, never boat alone, and follow the American Whitewater Safety Code. New to whitewater? Go with a licensed outfitter.
Streamflow
cubic feet per secondReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Pigeon River below Power Plant near Waterville fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETFlow 32% of normal, flow steady — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:53 AM–8:53 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Flow32% of normalFlow steady (-3% in 24 h)
Official North Carolina fishing info: NC Wildlife Resources Commission — Where to fish
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:49 AM · Sunset 6:42 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:12 AM–2:12 AM
- Moon underfoot12:39 PM–2:39 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:53 AM–8:53 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:19 PM–7:19 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:12 AM–2:12 AM · 12:39 PM–2:39 PM Minor 7:53 AM–8:53 AM · 6:19 PM–7:19 PM |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 1:08 AM–3:08 AM · 1:38 PM–3:38 PM Minor 9:07 AM–10:07 AM · 7:03 PM–8:03 PM |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 2:09 AM–4:09 AM · 2:40 PM–4:40 PM Minor 10:22 AM–11:22 AM · 7:56 PM–8:56 PM |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:13 AM–5:13 AM · 3:45 PM–5:45 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 8:59 PM–9:59 PM |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:17 AM–6:17 AM · 4:49 PM–6:49 PM Minor 12:32 PM–1:32 PM · 10:09 PM–11:09 PM |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:19 AM–7:19 AM · 5:49 PM–7:49 PM Minor 1:21 PM–2:21 PM · 11:22 PM–12:22 AM |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:17 AM–7:17 AM · 5:44 PM–7:44 PM Minor 1:02 PM–2:02 PM · 11:33 PM–12:33 AM |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 35.78, -83.11 (moon times from astronomical equations, Pigeon River below Power Plant near Waterville local time).
October 26 in history
29 years of flow records- Today133 cfs
- Same date last year242 cfs2025
- Median422 cfs
- Normal range255 cfs – 689 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19981,620 cfs1998
- Lowest since 1998143 cfs2008
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 134 | -1% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 135 | -43% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 237 | -5% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 249 | -1% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 252 | -13% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 289 | -8% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 313 | +2% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 307 | -3% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 315 | -0% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 316 | -13% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Waterville Lake8 mi · Lake2,251.20 ft−6.80 ft vs normal full pond
- French Broad River at Marshall25 mi · River833 cfs63% of normal
- Douglas Lake27 mi · Lake965.62 ft−28.26 ft vs summer pool
- French Broad River at Asheville32 mi · River805 cfs73% of normal
- Cherokee Lake34 mi · Lake1,051.49 ft−19.31 ft vs summer pool
- Cedar Cliff Lake37 mi · Lake2,328.00 ft−2.00 ft vs normal full pond
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 03460795 — Pigeon R Bl Power Plant Nr Waterville, Nc
- Location
- 35.7836, -83.1119 · North Carolina
- Drainage area
- 538 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1998–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 4:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.