Tailwater · Limestone Influenced · Tennessee

Watauga River

Watauga River venue image

South Holston's sister tailwater — colder-running, a little bigger-feeling, with its own strong sulphur season from late April into September and a healthy wild population alongside the stocked fish.

Good · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River dropping into shape after a lift. Fishing well — get there before it drops out.
65% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.19 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityColouredClearing
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
1.19 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityColoured
Weather22°C
WindW 9 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead10.8 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
South Holston River
20 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

South Holston's sister tailwater — colder-running, a little bigger-feeling, with its own strong sulphur season from late April into September and a healthy wild population alongside the stocked fish. Generation-driven; check the clock before you wade.

  • Limestone influenced
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Watauga River' (TN06010103008_3000), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · TN06010103008_3000

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 65%
How the 76 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity70 × 18%12.6
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity63 × 12%7.6
Conditions total= 76
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts