River Information

Watauga River

East Tennessee is blessed to have some of the most renowned tailwater trout fisheries in the southeast. The Watauga River below the Wilbur Dam is certainly considered one of the best. Located in far northeast Tennessee near the town of Elizabethton, the Wilbur Tailwater is a must-fish for trout anglers. The coldwater releases from the Wilbur Dam provide the perfect environment for year-round angling opportunities. Along with the South Holston, the Watauga is one of Tennessee’s two tailwaters that has an entirely wild population of Brown Trout. However, TWRA continues to stock both adult and fingerling Rainbow Trout to support a put-and-take and a put-grow-take fishery.

South Holston River

The South Holston rivals any trout fishing destination in the United States and is certainly regarded as one of the best in the southeast. Except for the nearby Watauga River, no other Tennessee tailwater offers a more abundant trout fishery. Located just outside of Bristol in northeastern Tennessee, the South Holston Tailwater flows nearly 20 miles from South Holston Dam to Boone Reservoir. It supports a very abundant wild Brown Trout population and is also stocked with Rainbow Trout annually. Floating either river by drift boat is an excellent way to explore the fly fishing waters that the South Holston and Watauga Rivers offer and allows access to waters simply unavailable to waders making for a memorable day of fly fishing.