Moving upstream, the next available boat ramp is the NCWRC Tar Heel Boating Access Area located at Lock and Dam No. 1. There is a picnic area at the ramp and catfish anglers can fish from the bank below the picnic area. The boiling water just downstream of the dam is a notorious hangout for big catfish. However, it is also a notorious place for hanging up fishing tackle and boat anchors on the rubble-strewn bottom.

The fast water at the dam also poses risks to anglers in boats. Therefore, most anglers fish the quieter waters just downstream of Lock and Dam No. 1. This stretch of water, running from Lock and Dam No. 1 all the way downstream to Wilmington is a more natural stretch than the dredged channels between the locks and dams.

Anglers have the best luck in traditional catfishing areas. Deep holes on the outside downstream bends of the river and at the mouths of feeder creeks will hold plenty of big catfish during the daytime. The flats and slopes upstream of the holes will be the best places to fish at dusk, and as night progresses, the banks and oxbows will attract catfish on the prowl.

The Black River is tributary to this stretch of the Cape Fear and has excellent fishing. There is an NCWRC boating access area at the SR 1105 bridge at Ivanhoe that gives access to the Black River. Another NCWRC access to the Black River is the Hunt's Bluff ramp, located in Bladen County east of Kelly at the end of SR 1547.

The NCWRC Elwell Ferry ramp near Elizabethtown gives anglers access to the river between Lock and Dam No. 1 and Lock and Dam No. 2. The William O. Huske Lock and Dam No. 3 launching ramp had been closed for repairs through last winter but is now open for use. This gives anglers access to the river between Lock and Dam No. 2 and Lock and Dam No. 3.

The dredged channel between Lock and Dam Nos. 1, 2 and 3 is unusually homogenous for catfish water. It is basically a straight-sided, straight-running ditch with a uniform bottom depth dredged to allow the commercial traffic.

Feeder streams between the dams were blocked off to prevent the outflow of water to maintain navigation depth. The opportunity to fish deep holes, creek mouths and eddies between the dams is diminished. But that doesn't mean there are no catfish.

Anglers after flatheads target logjams and submerged trees felled by bank erosion. The area near the logjams is also an excellent place. Any blockage in the current flow will concentrate catfish. Many anglers choose the areas upstream of logjams, which are holding areas for woody debris whenever the navigation is cleared during maintenance activities.

Dropping baits to the bottom and ladling chum (consisting of fish entrails, pet food and leftover bait) pulls the fish from hiding. The catfish move upstream following the scent trail to baited hooks waiting on the bottom or suspended from float rigs. The skin of a catfish is covered with sensory buds, making the fish essentially a living tongue. The scent of food can therefore attract them from long distances and lure them from cover.