With a guide
Guides and charters near Little Milligan
Captains who run South Holston and Watauga, 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 Little Milligan
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 Little Milligan
Little Milligan is a public boat launch on Watagua in Carter County, Tennessee, run by USFS.
TWRA holds no written directions for Little Milligan. 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.
Little Milligan is 12 miles east of Elizabethton, the nearest town with its own page here. The closest other public access is Butler Ramp on Watauga Lake, 2.5 miles to the north-west. For bait, Appalachian Outpost in Elizabethton is about 10 miles away.
Coordinates 36.32490, -82.00211
What you can catch
Fish you can catch at Little Milligan
Watagua holds these, according to the county research behind this site and TWRA’s own species notes.
What you can keep
Fishing limits at Little Milligan
What you can keep from Watagua at Little Milligan. Watagua has no limits of its own, so the statewide limits apply. These are the ones for the fish it holds.
| Fish | Daily limit | Length | Where or when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 black bass combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 in minimum | Statewide |
| Rainbow trout | 7 trout combined | No minimum | Statewide |
| Brown trout | 7 trout combined | 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
Watagua around Little Milligan
What the water at Little Milligan actually looks like. Drag or swipe through. Every picture opens that water’s own page.
Watauga RiverOpen the Watauga River page →Ken Thomas / Public domain
Watauga LakeOpen the Watauga Lake page →Mark Larson from Atlanta, GA / CC BY-SA 2.0
Watauga RiverOpen the Watauga River page →Brian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0
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 domainLittle Milligan water holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, rainbow trout.
Other water close by
Other fishing near Little Milligan
Public access on other water within 20 miles of Little Milligan, including Watauga Lake and Doe Creek. Handy when the wind is wrong on Watagua or the ramp is busy.
Bait on the way
Bait and tackle near Little Milligan
The closest shops to Little Milligan that this site has checked. Appalachian Outpost in Elizabethton is nearest, about 10 miles away. Call ahead in winter, when smaller shops cut their hours.
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Where to next
Around Little Milligan
Little Milligan is one access point. These pages cover the rest of the water and the rest of the county.