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Watauga River is a public river in Watauga County and Avery County, North Carolina, managed by State of North Carolina (public / navigable water). You can fish it on an North Carolina licence, but bank access is only at road crossings, parks, NCWRC access sites and other public land; riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
The Watauga — the tailwater below Watauga Dam runs into Tennessee, but the North Carolina river above Boone is a Delayed-Harvest and Hatchery-Supported trout water, plus the Valle Crucis and Guy Ford sections. Wild and stocked rainbow and brown trout in a cold, fast mountain river.
It runs roughly 58 miles through the Mountains region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout. Live flow and gauge height come from the Watauga River At Elizabethton, Tn USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Elk River and Beech Creek.
Species from NCWRC access and trout-water data.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in North Carolina. Trotlines, set-hooks and jugs are legal on most inland waters with a licence and gear tags (not on Public Mountain Trout Waters or designated impoundments). Some NCWRC boating access areas gate at night; the Community Fishing Program lakes have posted hours.
Boats: The big Duke, Alcoa/Cube and Corps reservoirs have no horsepower limit; idle-speed / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, marinas, bridges and dams, and the tailrace areas are restricted. Natural coastal lakes (Mattamuskeet, Phelps, the Bladen Lakes) and many small NCWRC impoundments are trolling-motor or small-outboard only. NC requires a boater-education card for operators born on or after 1 Jan 1988.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at North Carolina state parks (which sit on many of the best lakes — James, Jordan, Falls, Waccamaw, Mattamuskeet-adjacent), Corps of Engineers campgrounds on Kerr and Gaston, and the Pisgah/Nantahala national forests. Game Land camping is limited to designated areas. The Roanoke River has a unique system of platform camping in the swamp.
Boat ramps: 10 mapped — Boat ramp, Put-in, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 4 sites mapped nearby — Grandfather Campground, Cardens Bluff Campground, Profile, Little Stoney Creek Campground.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03486000 — Watauga River At Elizabethton, Tn. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16+ needs a North Carolina Inland Fishing licence — resident annual is about $27, non-resident annual about $45, and non-resident 10-day (~$23) licences are sold. A Mountain Trout privilege (~$16) is required in addition to fish any Public Mountain Trout Water; the Mountain Heritage Trout Waters in the mountain towns need only a $8 3-day licence. North Carolina residents 70+ get a free lifetime licence. Buy from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. A North Carolina Inland Fishing licence covers navigable rivers. Where an inland river meets Coastal or Joint waters (marked by NCWRC/DMF signs) a Coastal Recreational Fishing Licence is required instead. A Mountain Trout privilege is required on Public Mountain Trout Waters.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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