South Holston River - Bluff City, TN

The South Holston tailwater was created in 1950 when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) completed construction of the dam at South Fork Holston River in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

This amazing and beautiful river is considered one of the top trout fisheries in Tennessee and one of the best in the southeast. In fact the South Holston is ranked in the top 5 tailwaters east of Mississippi. Charlie knows this river like the back of his hand and spends the majority of his time on or near it’s waters.

Brown trout are now considered wild on the South Holston and have not been stocked since 2001. This makes it very unique in our area. Two sections of the river are closed yearly from November through the end of January to protect these spawning fish. The South Holston supports an amazing amount of rainbow trout as well. This fishery is protected by a slot limit for trout between 16 and 22 inches.

Learn way more about the river in this report from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Watauga River - Elizabethton, TN

This river is considered a sister river to the South Holston. It is thought to be one of the best trout fisheries in the Eastern U.S. The Watauga sports a 2.5 mile long trophy section and supports roughly 2,000 fish per river mile. Home to some very large fish, this water is as scenic as it is productive and can be floated in lower water releases.

The Watauga River flows northwest from the mountains of northwestern North Carolina into Carter County, Tennessee and is impounded near Hampton, forming The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Watauga Reservoir. Most of the reservoir’s 468 mi. watershed is forested and much of the Tennessee portion lies within the Cherokee National Forest.

Learn way more about this river in this report from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency