Watauga River

Live conditions for Watauga River: the gauge, the water temperature, the trend, and what the water is doing today — read the way a guide reads it.

Right now

46cfs→ lowcaution

Low and skinny at 46 cfs — wadeable, fish the deeper holding water.

Water temp—

Stage1.46 ft

Engine callOFF 46 cfs outside wade band 80–400

Gauge read 7:15 AM CDT · USGS 03479000. Readings refresh every few minutes.

The water

Watauga River is a freestone river in North Carolina, fished for trout. On free-flowing water the trajectory is the story: falling and clearing after a bump is the window, rising water pushes fish to the banks and brings colour.

trout

Wade and float bands in cfs, the safety notes and the 14-day trend are on the signed-in river page.

Access

Valle Crucis Community Park River Accesswalk in
NC 194 Valle Crucis River Accesscarry
Rominger Road Bridge Accessbridge
Hubert Thomas Road Low-Water Bridgebridge
Watauga Gorge Park (Upper Gorge, US 321)walk in
Guy Ford Road / Lower Gorge River Accesscarry
Tester Road Access (American Whitewater)walk in

Directions to the put-in or wade access ride on every briefing.

The briefing

Know before you drive to Watauga River.

Every morning OUTFISH reads this gauge, the dam schedule, the water temperature, the sky and the tips library, and writes one plain-language call for the waters you track: go or stay home, wade or float, when to be on the water, where to put in, what to tie on — with directions.

Start free — 7 days of Guide

Signed in: the wade and float bands, the full hatch calendar, safety notes, the 14-day trend, shop reports and today's briefing for this water.

This month

Active in October:

012345678

The full calendar by month, with notes, is on the signed-in river page.

Verify it yourself

The same sources the engine reads, straight from the agency:

USGS gauge ↗

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