With a guide
Guides and charters near Watauga Bluffs
Captains who run Watauga Lake, with their own phone numbers. You call and book with them directly.
South Holston River Company
Brown and rainbow trout, smallmouthsouthholstonrivercompany.com
Watauga River Guides
South Holston River Fly Shop
Brown and rainbow troutCall 423-878-2822southholstonriverflyshop.com
What to bring
Tackle for Watauga Bluffs
Three picks from the largemouth bass checklist that work for the fish here. Affiliate links: buying through them pays this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spending more? The bigger purchases, compared side by side:
How to get there
Getting to Watauga Bluffs
Watauga Bluffs is a public access point on Watauga Lake in Carter County, Tennessee, run by TDEC.
TWRA holds no written directions for Watauga Bluffs. Use the coordinates below, which come straight from the state’s access record and drop you on the access point itself rather than on the nearest town.
Watauga Bluffs is 4.7 miles north-east of Johnson City, the nearest town with its own page here. The county seat, Elizabethton, is 5.0 miles to the east. The closest other public access is Wagner Rd on Watauga River, 0.3 miles to the north. For bait, The South Holston River Company in Piney Flats is about 4 miles away.
Coordinates 36.36500, -82.29800
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Watauga Bluffs
Watauga Lake holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
One of the clearest and coldest big lakes in the state, ringed by national forest with the Appalachian Trail running along the northwestern edge. Smallmouth fish best in the lower reservoir; largemouth concentrate in Roan, Doe and Cobb creeks, which is to say, in the Johnson County arms.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Watauga Bluffs
What you can keep from Watauga Lake at Watauga Bluffs. TWRA sets 4 rules just for Watauga Lake. They replace the statewide limit for those fish. Everything else follows the statewide limit.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 combined with smallmouth | 12 in minimum | Watauga Lake rule |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 combined with largemouth | 15 in minimum | Watauga Lake rule |
| Spotted bass | 15 | No length limit | Separate from the largemouth/smallmouth limit |
| Walleye | 5 | 18 in minimum | Walleye run rule Jan 1–Apr 30: single-point hook only on Elk River (Carter Co.), Doe Creek, Roan Creek and upper Watauga River |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 in minimum | Statewide |
| Bluegill | No limit | No minimum | Statewide |
From the 2026–27 Tennessee Fishing Guide (TWRA), in effect 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, checked 25 September 2026. Rules change, so check the guide before you keep a fish.
10 public boat launches in Carter County, counted from TWRA’s own access database.
What it looks like
Watauga Lake around Watauga Bluffs
What the water at Watauga Bluffs actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0
Watauga RiverOpen the Watauga River page →Ken Thomas / Public domain
Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Parker1297 / CC BY-SA 3.0
Watauga RiverOpen the Watauga River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Pub. by The Asheville Post Card Co., Asheville, / Public domain
Watauga RiverOpen the Watauga River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0Next one along
More Watauga Lake access near Watauga Bluffs
The closest other public access points on Watauga Lake, measured straight line from Watauga Bluffs. Each one opens its own page with directions.
Watauga Bluffs water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, rainbow trout.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Watauga Bluffs
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Watauga Bluffs, including Watauga River and Boone Lake. Handy when the wind is wrong on Watauga Lake or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Watauga Bluffs
The closest shops to Watauga Bluffs that this site has checked. The South Holston River Company in Piney Flats is nearest, about 4 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Watauga Bluffs
Watauga Bluffs is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.