Upstream of Calloway Road Bridge Posted
Another popular fishing section along the Watauga River off of N.C. 105 was posted with trespassing signs recently.
The area is upstream of the bridge on Calloway Road in Foscoe. The property owner here posted the signs earlier this year.
The Watauga River parallels N.C. 105 from its headwaters near Grandfather Mountain until the Broadstone Road intersection near Valle Crucis.
This stretch of river has historically been a great wild trout fishing area and fishing holes dot the map here. But many of those dots are on private land and aren’t accessible.
There’s probably half-a-dozen areas open to public anglers along N.C. 105.
“It’s kind of a patchwork of: ‘It is okay to fish here, but not necessarily there,’” said Kin Hodges, district 7 fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC).
The NCWRC lists the Watauga River along N.C. 105 from the Avery-Watauga county line to the bridge on Calloway Road as Public Mountain Trout Waters. This is nearly a 5-mile stretch of river that features mostly wild rainbow trout with some wild brown trout sprinkled in the mix.
The lower boundary of the Public Mountain Trout Waters along the Watauga River is just downstream of the bridge at Calloway Road.
“There’s a little mud-hole parking area to the side where people can actually pull off the road and fish. You can tell it’s a really popular spot,” said Hodges. “You can still get in there and walk downstream. But if you’re going upstream, you know, you’re going to be blocked by his posted signs.”
The signs are posted about 50 yards upstream from the bridge.
Access issues are nothing new to anglers along the Watauga River here.
Access Lost at Twin Rivers, Hound Ears Dam
At least 2 miles of the Watauga River along N.C. 105 used to be delayed-harvest waters from what is now the Twin Rivers development to the bridge at the intersection of N.C. 105 and Broadstone Road.
At Twin Rivers, the Boone Fork merges with the Watauga River. This is a very popular area to fish. But this area closed to the public years ago. Anglers have been known to buy lots inside this development in order guide clients to the wild trout.
Downstream of Twin Rivers, another section of the Watauga River closed near the old Hound Ears Dam. This area closed in 2012.
For decades, this was a popular spot for a variety of outdoor enthusiasts.
Not only did it provide great fishing holes in a gorge-like atmosphere but it also featured a challenging whitewater kayak run during high water flow and a swimming area known as “Boone Beach” among college kids.
But Hound Ears Club blocked the shoulder of Shull’s Mill Road with giant boulders, which was one of the two parking areas accessing this section of river. About the same time, the owner of the empty parking lot above the dam on N.C. 105 enforced towing.
So here was two big chunks of the river closed to the public – not to mention smaller access areas getting posted.
“This part gets closed, that part gets closed until finally you no longer have enough continuous water to make it work,” Hodges said. “At that point, you just have to remove the whole thing.”
Upper Gorge Replaces Highway 105 as Delayed-Harvest Waters
Fortunately, for the delayed-harvest program and anglers, the Upper Gorge Watauga Park in Sugar Grove opened up around the same time that the stretch of river along N.C. 105 exited the delayed-harvest program.
The delayed-harvest waters in Sugar Grove are from Hubert Thomas Road bridge to the Upper Gorge Watauga Park at the intersection of U.S. 321 and Watauga River Road.
The character of the river is different in Sugar Grove than along N.C. 105. The water is flatter and warmer. While the river here isn’t conducive to wild trout, it’s stocked with rainbow, brown and brook trout. The river at Upper Gorge Watauga Park also features wild rock bass, redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass.
The other delayed-harvest area is in Valle Crucis – stretching from Dewitt Barnett Road low-water bridge to the boundary of Valle Crucis Park. This delayed-harvest area has also shrunk in recent years
Rules for Wild Trout Waters
As for the Public Mountain Trout Waters on the Watauga River on N.C. 105, the season is open-year round. Here are some of the rules:
• Only artificial lures having one single hook may be used
• You can only keep 4 fish
• The four fish must be at least seven (7) inches long
• It is unlawful to possess natural bait on your person while fishing
To search for more Public Mountain Trout Waters, click to the N.C Wildlife Resources Commission website.