Watauga River

Fishing and stocking

Trout water; 4 stockings on the 2026 record, spread March to November. The most-stocked water on the Watauga County record for 2026.

Watauga County · North Carolina · see it on the national map

last stocked Oct 12 11 days ago

next Nov 9 announced

best window 10:30 pm-12:30 am solunar major today

4 stockings 2026

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Trout 4 stockings

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked today.

Date	Species	Size	Status
Mar 2wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
May 4wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
Oct 12wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
Nov 9wk	Trout	catchable	scheduled

When to fish Watauga River

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	10:07 am-12:07 pm and 10:30 pm-12:30 am	4:24-5:24 am and 4:41-5:41 pm
Tomorrow	10:53 am-12:53 pm	5:30-6:30 am and 5:08-6:08 pm

Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).

What the record actually says

Stocked 11 days ago (Oct 12)
Next announced stocking Nov 9

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · North Carolina fishing forecast

Gear for this water

Stocked within the last three weeks: fish are still bunched near the release points and keyed on familiar smells.

For the trout (trout stocked 4 times here in 2026, moving water)

Drifted bait	single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom
Small jerkbaits	floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends
Waders or wet-wading boots	stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
South Fork Holston River (Lower) VA	13 mi	Oct 5
Big Moccasin Creek VA	13 mi	Oct 1
Doe River TN	13 mi	Oct 4
Alexander Creek TN	17 mi	Apr 19
Laurel Fork TN	18 mi	Jun 7

Follow Watauga County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: North Carolina fishing regulations.