To protect sensitive species, we ask that all visitors follow Leave No Trace principles and to not move river rocks while they play – rocks which provide shelter for aquatic animals. CHANGES IN CURRENT FLOW. From its beginning downstream to North Carolina #1580, the stream is under the state's wild trout regulations. "The Watauga River is great for both beginners and experienced anglers because it is a wide stream and it is hatchery supported. Like the South Holston lake, Watauga lake is also one of the cleanest, pristine lakes in our nation. It's very small and there's little water to fish … We are up and running give me a call to get on the water. The deeper part of the split holds a large population of Rainbows that chase olive streamer all the time. About the Watauga River. Fish are use to seeing certain insects in their stream at a certain time of the year. Subtracting the South Holston River from the area, a trip to fish the Watauga River is still a destination worth while. Watauga River. by guest-paddler A self-supported trip created by guest-paddler Trip Overview. It has plenty of easily accessible water with easily caught fish, as well as wild water for anglers looking for a challenge. The Watauga River in east Tennessee is home to so many brown trout, that they are no longer even stocked here. Standard river walleye fishing tactics (grubs, flies and minnows) should work. Watauga River is one of the best trophy trout tailwaters in the state of Tennessee. The Watauga River is an excellent spot for both beginner and veteran anglers because it is a wide river and hatchery supported. Last Monday had one full day of high water on the Watauga. Ends 79 miles later in Tennessee, where people ride boats on the river to fish. Its hard being the bearer of bad news, but it … The use of the Watauga River hatch chart is very important when fly-fishing. On this stretch of the Watauga River you might see a Blue Heron and you’ll probably see a few ducks, some jumping fish and trout swimming by your feet. The Profile Trail at Grandfather Mountain State Park parallels the Watauga River and ends with a stunning view of the iconic profile face. That is, 80 percent of the fish are located in about 20 percent of the river. Wow! The Lower Gorge River Access at Guy Ford Road near Bethel is the put-in to the classic Watauga Gorge.. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — State officials are investigating a fish kill on the Watauga River. The tailwater flows cold twelve months out of the year which provides a perfect habitat for trout. Last week we floated the Watauga river and the South Holston river. Watauga River in Tennessee. Though this area has been accessed for decades, it’s the newest official public access along the Watauga River in the Boone NC area. Last-Minute Tubes at Cove Creek Store If you need a tube at the last minute, the Cove Creek Store on U.S. 321, in between old U.S. 421 and Mast Gap Road has tubes and more for sale. Then mix it up with a float for smallmouth or a trek for wild fish. Anglers looking for some big, hungry browns will want to pay close attention to this river, as some state record-breaking fish have been caught here recently. That's because Dwight has a perfect record of fishing the Watauga River in horrible weather, and he and Neil Sawyer brought the rain when they fished on Friday, September 25, 2015. The Watauga River starts out at the bottom of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina at Banner Elk, North Carolina, near Boone. I like it for guiding, but there are lots of wild waters for people who want the extra challenge," said Matt Maness, professional fly fishing guide with the Foscoe Fishing Company. The Watauga River is a tail water that flow from the Watauga Lake. The TVA had flows up and down last week. As the river makes a split between the island fish tend to hold in the under-banks. See also: Top Trout Fishing Spots in Arizona. As you move through the middle fish numbers decrease slightly, but average size goes up. The Watauga River or “The ‘Taug” as we like to call it, is our other big favorite that stems from Wilbur Lake. 828 719-1543 . Welcome to the Watauga River Lodge located on the trophy section of the Watauga known to produce gargantuan browns, football-shaped bows and bug chugging brookies – so break in your own equipment or let our expert guides provide you with everything you’ll need to tame these trout. If a fish sat in swift water all day, it would have to swim hard just to hold still. The Watauga is also blue ribbon trout habitat, located in our backyard. This is the stretch of river that receives the most angling pressure, but it has the largest concentration of big fish. After crossing into Johnson County, the Watauga River is first impounded by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Watauga Dam, creating the 6,430-acre Watauga Lake. length: 16.3 mi (26.2 km) Average depth: 16.0 m (52.5 ft) Max. Watauga River is a stream located just 1.9 miles from Spurgeon, in Washington County, in the state of Tennessee, United States, near Boring, TN. Welcome to the Watauga River Lodge located on the trophy section of the Watauga known to produce gargantuan browns, football-shaped bows and bug chugging brookies – so break in your own equipment or let our expert guides provide you with everything you'll need to tame these trout. The Watauga River rises from a spring near the base of Peak Mountain at Linville Gap in Avery County, North Carolina. Based in Boone, he was the first to guide anglers in a drift boat down the Watauga River In Tennessee. The next day the TVA sluiced 1000cfs on the South Holston. Watauga River Float Trip with Curtis Wright Outfitters, Fly Fishing in Asheville with Curtis Wright Outfitters will ensure the best opportunity for you to enjoy this unique area and catch and release some spectacular fish. Walleye - Late winter: As the water temperatures approach 50-degrees, walleye begin spawning runs up the Watauga and Elk Rivers. onthewatauga.com. It is not uncommon to catch a “stud” as some may call a big fish, on any stretch of the river on any given day. depth: 265 ft (81 m) Shore length 1: 104.9 mi (168.8 km) Surface elevation: 1,959 ft (597 m) 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. The majority of the water that feeds the Watauga is held in Watauga Lake, but just below Watauga Dam is a second smaller lake called Wilbur. Watauga River: Along the Watauga River in between Foscoe and Sugar Grove is a great stretch of trout waters. The confluence of Roan Creek with the Watuaga River is a staging point for these fish. Birds, salamanders, fish, and other wildlife thrive in the riparian ecosystem in and around the water. Watauga River, Elk River: Primary outflows: Watauga River: Basin countries: United States: Max. Nearly inaccessible to everyone but kayakers, the Watauga Gorge has been described as stunning, pristine, spectacular and rugged. The fish in this area of the Watauga River are aggressive toward flies and wet wading is great from March-November. Watauga River. Spring is here, sort of. The Watauga River starts out at the bottom of Grand Father Mountain in North Carolina at Banner Elk, North Carolina, near Boone. After crossing into Johnson County, the Watauga River is first impounded by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Watauga Dam, creating the 6,430-acre Watauga Lake. This scenic river snakes 18 miles though beautiful rock cliffs and farm country, eventually connecting with Boone Lake as part of the TVA Reservoirs. If Dwight Specht books a date to fish the Watauga River, mark it down on your calendar! Then mix it up with a float for smallmouth or a trek for wild fish. Watauga River. The Watauga is a tailwater created by Wilbur Dam and is considered the sister river of the South Holston, offering trophy trout fishing. The Watauga River rises from a spring near the base of Peak Mountain at Linville Gap in Avery County, North Carolina. Whether you’re spinning, baitcasting or fly fishing your chances of getting a bite here are good. Though there may be other waters that produce more fish, few can compare to the quality of fish that come from this river. Watauga River is a river in Oak Grove, TN in Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, John And Landon Carter House State Park, Cherokee National Forest, Blue Ridge, Appalachian Mountains. This river has over 5,000 wild brown trout and stocked rainbows per mile! The Trophy Section – runs from Blevins rd to Persinger Bridge in the town of Watauga, TN. The Watauga river is in good proximity to the South Holston. Lots of fish to the boat with the biggest measuring just over 17 inches. From its beginning downstream to North Carolina #1580, the stream is under the state’s wild trout regulations. Watauga River, North Carolina fishing report, rainbow trout fly fishing forecast, fishing season updates, fly shop and fishing guides, and fly-fishing weather. The Watauga River is one of the most talked about trout rivers in the Southeastern United States – boasting 2000-3000 fish per mile. Our Watauga river fly fishing guides can fish either river and usually determine destination based on flows. It’s very small and there’s little water to fish because above the bridge at Highway #1580, it flows mostly through private property. Sure, you might catch a fish here or there by just randomly casting. The Watauga river in Tennessee has been fishing extremely well.Tva has finally given us some lower water and the sulphurs have showed up on the middle river in good numbers. After the river goes into some rapids work the outside of the seams. watauga river delayed harvest wga 1 sr 1103 bridge to confluence with laurel creek 1.00 brook 500 500 500 500 500 2,500 r'bow 500 500 500 500 500 2,500 brown 250 250 250 250 250 1,250 beech creek wga 1-2 headwaters on sr 1126 to access at sr 1321 7.00 brook 80 80 80 240 r'bow 80 80 80 240 brown 40 120 buckeye creek wga 1-2-3 walking trail immediately downstream of buckeye creek reservoir. The 19.4 mile trip took us just under 8 hours with light paddling and a couple breaks. I was fishing this day with Rob Benfield with The Strike Outdoors Fishing Guide Service and we were using a specially designed jet boat to navigate the cold water of the Watauga. The Watauga River tailwater flows from Wilbur Reservoir near Siam TN to Boone Lake near Johnson City. The nymph bite was outstanding. But I typically find fish grouped in areas where the speed of the current or the depth of the water changes. The Watauga River is home to 6,000-8,000 fish per mile, and much like the South Holston, we love to float and fish it throughout the year. View a map of this area and more on Natural Atlas. Either can usually be fly fished on a given day depending on the preference to wade or drift. Posted on February 11, 2015 June 12, 2018 Categories Watauga River, TN Tags brown trout, East Tennessee, fish, fishing, Fishing guide, fishing spots, fly fishing, flyfish, Flyfishing, rainbow trout, tennessee, Tennessee Fly Fishing, trout 2 Comments on Watauga River: Riverside Dr. Watauga River: End of the trophy section The lower river is fishing well with good quality fish coming to the net. But, while the weather sucked, the fishing did not. Make sure when you check TVA river flows you look at Wilbur Reservoir not Watauga. The Watauga River. Nearly 3 miles below Watauga Dam, is the TVA Wilbur Dam, which forms a much smaller but very deep reservoir … My wife and I paddled the length of the Watauga River from Wilbur Dam to Boone Lake in our two 14' Georgian Bay touring kayaks. If you understand what insects are present on a stream at a given time you will be better prepared. You can park at the Valle Crucis Community Park off of Broadstone Road or you can park on the pull-off near the intersection of NC 105 Bridge and Broadstone Road. Starts as a trickle of a stream behind a BBQ joint at the base of Grandfather Mountain. Fishermen will find a variety of fish including brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout here. The Watauga River Tailwater can be broken up into three different sections: the upper section near the dam, the middle section and the lower section as it runs into Boone Lake. The fishing was incredible. 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