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Shallow, rocky riffles across a wide river lined with leafy green trees in soft summer light

Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga

Elizabethton sits on the Watauga River below Watauga and Wilbur dams in the north-east corner of Tennessee.

  • Tennessee · South
  • 5 waters
  • 16 guides nearby
  • 6 shops nearby
  • TRI airport · 14 mi
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Photo credit

Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga River in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

More about Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga

Elizabethton sits on the Watauga River below Watauga and Wilbur dams in the north-east corner of Tennessee; the South Holston River runs south-west from South Holston Dam past Bluff City toward Kingsport, and Johnson City and Bristol, on the Virginia line, are the nearby cities.

Waters around Elizabethton

About this

Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.

All Tennessee waters
  • The Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, a broad, calm river between bare autumn treesTailwater trout fishery
    Photo credit

    The Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Watauga River

    Tennessee · 1 mi from Elizabethton

  • Green water churning out of the South Holston Dam powerhouse into the river below the grassy dam faceTailwater trout fishery
    Photo credit

    South Holston Dam releasing into the South Holston River tailwater, near Bristol, Tennessee. Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    South Holston River

    Tennessee · 14 mi from Elizabethton

  • Water spilling over the mill dam on the Little Pigeon River in Pigeon Forge, with the Smokies beyondDelayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Doe River
    Photo credit

    The West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Old Mill dam, Pigeon Forge. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Doe River.

    Doe River

    Tennessee · 1 mi from Elizabethton

  • The Smith River at dusk between dense, dark green banks in Henry CountyTrophy / quality trout waterRepresentative photo · not South Fork Holston River
    Photo credit

    The Smith River in the evening, Henry County, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Fork Holston River.

    South Fork Holston River

    Virginia · 29 mi from Elizabethton

  • Close view of clear water rushing over coloured pebbles in the South Toe RiverDelayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Watauga River
    Photo credit

    The South Toe River, Yancey County, North Carolina. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Watauga River.

    Watauga River

    North Carolina · 23 mi from Elizabethton

Distances and official pages

The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Elizabethton. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.

All gauge readings

The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.

Reading the gauges around Elizabethton…

Check any river's flow Dated report publishers

All Tennessee waters

Meet local guides

About this

16 guide listings within 60 miles (16 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.

All Tennessee guides

All Tennessee guides

Fly shops nearby

About this

6 shop listings in the towns around Elizabethton, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.

All Tennessee shops

All Tennessee shops

Fish around Elizabethton

Agency species and seasons (38 waters)

Taken from the state agency pages of 38 waters around Elizabethton, each on its own water page with the agency link. Seasons are quoted word for word and apply to the water named.

  • Rainbow Trout1 water
Species guides mention (15)

Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch.

  • Brown trout10
  • Rainbow trout8
  • Smallmouth bass8
  • Brook trout6
  • Largemouth bass3
  • Striped bass3
  • Bonefish2
  • Carp2

Things to know

  • Fishing license: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

    Fees on the agency page.

    Waters across the Virginia and North Carolina lines need that state's licence.

    Not verified by us

    License page

  • Getting there

    TRI Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA Airport · 14 mi

    Airports and lodging

  • Regulations and access

    Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.

    4 official pages

Official license and rules pages

Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.

Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.

Veteran-owned and veteran programs

About this

Near Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga. Each fact comes from the business's own website, an official register or an approved claim; the listing page links the source.

  • River Run AnglingGuide · Bristol · 14 miMilitary discount · from their website
  • Conrads Guide ServiceGuide · Blountville · 20 miVeteran-owned · from their websiteVeterans on the team · from their websiteMilitary discount · from their website

Veteran programmes and licences

The Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga area

About this

The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Elizabethton. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.

Map of the Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga area: its waters, shops and guides

RestroomsWaters

Map of Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga

Restrooms near Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga

Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

Map of 6 restrooms near Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 6 restrooms near Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

  1. Restroom

    0.2 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  2. Restroom

    0.4 mi away in a straight line

    Run by City of Elizabethton (as mapped)

    • Public (mapped)
    • Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
    • Hours: sunrise-sunset (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  3. Restroom

    1.6 mi away in a straight line
    • Wheelchair accessible (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  4. Restroom

    1.6 mi away in a straight line
    • Wheelchair accessible (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  5. Restroom

    1.9 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  6. Restroom

    2.4 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)
    • Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
    • Open 24/7 (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

Base yourself nearby

About this

Elizabethton and Johnson City are closest to the Watauga; Bluff City and Bristol sit nearest the South Holston below the dam. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.

Find lodging on Google Maps

Nearest airports

About this

Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.

  • TRI Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA AirportBlountville, TN · 14 mi · regional
    Search flights
  • AVL Asheville Regional AirportAsheville, NC · 66 mi · regional
    Search flights
  • GSP Greenville-Spartanburg International AirportGreenville/Greer/Spartanburg, SC · 100 mi · regional
    Search flights
  • CLT Charlotte Douglas International AirportCharlotte, NC · 106 mi · major hub
    Search flights

Rough out the trip

About this

Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.

Estimates, not quotes

  • Fishing licenseSee source
    Agency page
    Source

    One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency; see the agency page.

    Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
  • Guided days5 rates pages
    Riverstone Fly FishingHigh Country Guide ServiceAppalachian Fly and YakBeast Coast Anglers - Guided Fly Fishing
    Source

    1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 5 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.

    Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied)
  • Find lodgingSee source
    Search lodging
    Source

    Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.

    Source: Lodging search link
  • FlightsSee source
    Search flights
    Source

    Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to TRI (Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA Airport).

    Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)

No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.

How we estimate

Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.

Parks, forests and visitor offices

About this

For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.

Gear checklist

About this

What to bring on a guided float fishing trip: rain gear, polarized sunglasses, sun protection, a dry bag and your license. Most guides supply rods and flies. Estimated prices and where to buy.

A woman rows a drift boat while a man stands in the bow and casts

Guided float trip

Usually supplied by the guide; a 9′ 5–6 weight if you bring your own · Trout on most western float rivers

Open checklist

Watch: what to expect on a guided float trip

About this

What the guide brings, what you bring, how the day runs.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • FLOATING ETIQUETTE (fly fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • HOW TO FLY FISH FROM A DRIFT BOATEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on guided float

Stories from Tennessee

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Tennessee.

No Tennessee stories yet.

Share a storyAll Tennessee stories

Sources for this page

All 11 sources

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Links checked 22 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.