WATAUGA RIVER
The Watauga River is a tail water that flow from the Watauga Lake. Like the South Holston lake, Watauga lake is also one of the cleanest, pristine lakes in our nation. The tailwater flows cold twelve months out of the year which provides a perfect habitat for trout. This river has over 5,000 wild brown trout and stocked rainbows per mile! This river offers one of the very best opportunities to catch great numbers of wild brown trout in one day and at the same time, give you an opportunity to catch that trophy of a lifetime.
The Watauga is one of the best kept secrets in the state of Tennessee. With the South Holston getting most of the attention, the Watauga doesn’t get the same daily pressures. I like to break the Watauga down into four, 4 mile sections. The upper section closest to the dam sees the most stocking, due to its easier public access and has a great mixture of stocked rainbows and wild browns. This section includes the famous Bee Cliffs that over look the class III Anaconda rapid. This section is best fished using small midges and baetis flies being so close to the dam.
The next section would be the section that runs near the city of Elizabethton and is probably the least fished section of the river. Great hatches or big streamers can be used in this section and is a great place to catch a very large wild brown trout.
The third section of this tail water is the famout “Trophy Section”. This section starts at the old iron bridge at Smalling Road and ends at the town of Watauga. This section is single hook, artificial only, and is managed for the big boys.
The lower watauga runs from the town of Watauga to its end where it dumps into Boone Lake. This is another under utilized area and a section that turns to more of a brown trout poplulation than rainbows. Many hold over rainbows live in this section and can really run off some line when hooked.
The Watauga is a great seasonal river that gives you the opportunity to fish it many different ways. From its prolific spring hatches to its fall/winter streamer fishing, it is truly one of the best kept secrets in the east!
Limited outfitter use makes this river a first choice for many of our guest anglers.
- What the Watauga River offers:
- Year round consistant water temperatures.
- Sulfer & BWO hatches that are unreal
- Midge hatches so thick you need a dust mask.
- 5,000 fish per mile!
- Fishable at high and low flows
- The most epic Mothers Day Caddis hatch you have ever seen.
- Some of the prettiest landscapes you will see
The lesser known tail water in East Tennessee that has a very unique character!
Fed by one of the cleanest lakes in all the United States.
March – Mid April
Our wild browns are fresh off the spawning beds and are becoming very active. While nymphing and slow stripping streamers are the go-to methods, cloudy days bring hatches of blue wings and midges offering some dry fly opportunities.
Mid-April – Late May
This time frame is considered a “Guides’ Favorite” with our crew. Warming trends and typically stable water flows bring increased insect activity to the river. We have a fairly predictable hatch that provides some great afternoon action, and the appetites of our fish seem voracious at times. The infamous “Mother’s Day Caddis” hatch ushers in the seasons best dry fly fishing as is one that you will not want to miss!
Early June – July
Transition time on the Watauga. The flows are low and the terrestrial action with ants and beetles can be great in late July! Nymphing is always good on the Watauga.
August
Reduced water flows and true summer temps bring on our late summer mayfly hatches. This is also prime terrestrial month, so plan on throwing hoppers/beetles or dry dropper rigs most of the day. This is a great time for the patient dry fly angler to really “hunt heads” in some of the greasy tailouts and slicks.
September
The big browns start heading to the spawning beds and really put on the feed. Fishing big articulated streamers on high water is the ticket for that trophy of a lifetime.
October
Fall colors will be in their prime by around Halloween, and the brown trout will get pretty serious about spawning shortly thereafter. The pre-spawn timeframe can produce some great streamer action, as well as dry fly fishing on the cloudy days.