North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer Patrick Brown said he was dispatched to the dam around 1 a.m. The mishap, in which the boat struck a pillar in the water, happened around 12:45.
Brown said witness accounts show that John Sutton, an experienced boater and fisherman from the Enfield area, had been bait casting with a net in the area of the dam called the boil, where the water from power generation is the most turbulent.
Sutton, 31, is experienced in handling a boat in the boil, and had made at least three trips that evening.
On the fourth trip, Brown said the boat hit the pillar at full throttle and Sutton was most likely thrown from the boat.
Dominion shut down the dam about 15 minutes after the 911 call.
A family member at the scene this morning declined comment.
Wildlife, Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad, the Weldon Fire Department and the Littleton Fire Department were continuing search efforts as of this report. The Halifax County Sheriff's Office assisted.
