Fishing

Located in eastern TN, is regarded as one of the best trout fishing destinations in the South. Supporting over 2000 fish per mile, it seems fitting that the Cherokee translation for Watauga is "river of plenty". This 16 mile tailwater receives daily releases of cold water from Wilbur dam creating an optimum environment for aquatic insect life and year round angling. Prime dry fly and sight fishing occurs from spring, all the way in to the heat of summer when other streams get low and unproductive. The best section of river is the TVA designated "Quality Trout" zone which starts at the lodge and meanders 2.5 miles downstream. The river is home to a variety of wildlife and is flanked by towering bluffs and pictorial farms.

A small lake consisting of just over 4,500 acres, Boone Lake is a very diverse fishery. This manmade TVA impoundment is formed by two of the southeast’s best tailwater fisheries, creating excellent habitat for smallmouth, largemough, spotted bass, stripers, hybrids, and panfish.

Another TVA impoundment, holding approx 6500 acres of clear water. Watauga is a very challenging fishery with big rewards. Known for its big smallmouth and tasty walleye, Watauga offers anglers an unforgettable experience.

The Nolichucky forms by the convergence of the South Toe, the North T,oe and the Cane rivers. These rivers begin in Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties of the western North Carolina mountains. Between the Toe tributaries and the Nolichucky itself, there are over 40 miles of great small mouth water. “Nolichucky” in Cherokee means “river of trees”. The river winds through miles of wilderness with very little access. True mountain rivers, the Toe and Nolichucky offer great scenic float trips, full of quality small mouth, in an uncrowded setting. Rarely do we see other boats fishing these waters.

Regarded by many as one of the most productive rivers in the TVA system. In 2001 the TWRA stopped stocking the brown trout because of a self supporting, spawning population. Aside from its famous wild browns, the S. Holston is probably most noted for its incredible hatches. There are different hatches throughout the seasons making for excellent but challenging fly fishing. The most noted bugs of the S. Holston are the midges and the mayflies. Generally, there fish rising to some kind of aquatic insect on the river 365 days a year.

Due to the different generation schedules, the S. Holston offers year round excellent fishing opportunities. The rivers famed sulpher hatches occur in the middle of the summer when the dam is releasing water giving the opportunity to sight cast to large rising wild trout. This is as fun and challenging as it gets. The river is renowned for its hatches, but also for producing some of the largest trout in the southeast. With excellent fishing opportunities throughout the year, including the winter, there is no downtime for this river.