Watauga River Guides

Watauga River Guides is a catch and release fly fishing operation based in Elizabethton, working the Watauga and the nearby South Holston. J.J. Howard runs the trips and fishes from a Hyde drift boat. Half day floats are $350 for one angler and $400 for two, while full days are $425 for one and $500 for two, and the same rates apply to on the water fly fishing lessons for anglers who are starting out. Rods, reels, flies, leaders and tippet are supplied, snacks and drinks come along on every trip, and lunch is included on full days. The service states that all skill levels are welcome and that trips are run for photographs rather than for keeping fish. Rainbow and brown trout are the targets on the Watauga tailwater below Wilbur Dam. Outside the main fishing season the same operation books squirrel hunting trips from November through February, which keeps the calendar occupied through the cold months.