Watts Bar Lake
Kingston, Tennessee

Located in the heart of the Tennessee River Valley, Watts Bar Lake offers 39,000 acres for any kind of water recreation. The lake, between Knoxville and Chattanooga, is easily accessible. Watts Bar Lake is big - 72 miles long. It is the size as well as the location that makes it one of Tennessee's preferred visitors' sites. And the 780-mile wooded shoreline has ample coves to drop an anchor or drop a fishing line. Or any of the lake's many islands can be explored. The lake is teeming with fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, channel and blue catfish, rockfish, striped bass, sauger, bluegills and more.

Houseboaters have two marinas to choose from: Bayside Marina on the eastern shore or Rhea Harbor on the western shore. The wooded hills surrounding the lake provide a varied terrain for hiking or backpacking. By car, a scenic highway travels southeast from Watts Bar Dam to the Cherokee National Forest, which is a neighbor to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Water sports of all descriptions occur somewhere on the lake at some time of the year. There are more than 25 commercial docks on the lake and countless public boat ramps, day-use and access areas. Fishing, skiing, sailing, rowing and boating are obvious uses along with camping.

With a population of 48,000, Roane County is one of the most beautiful areas of East Tennessee. Though centrally located near major metropolitan areas, there is a small-town way of life and the people are easy-going, pleasant and friendly. Roane County is comprised of the cities of Kingston, Rockwood, and Harriman, as well as portions of Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs.

Nearby attractions include:

• The nationally acclaimed Tennessee Aquarium

• Lookout Mountain

• Rock City

• Chickamauga Battlefield

• Imax Theatre

• Creative Discovery Museum

• Knoxville Zoo

• The American Museum of Science and Energy

• White water rafting is on the Ocoee River

• Many nearby parks and wilderness areas offer scenic hiking trails

• The Smoky Mountain National Park, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge boast a diverse range of family activities.

For more Southeast Tennessee information:
http://www.setenn.org

The Compleat Tennessee Angler:  Everything You Need to Know about Fishing in the Volunteer State Watts Bar Lake is one of the South's largest and very possibly the most under utilized lake. In its 770 miles of picture perfect shoreline lie some of the South's best fishing. Large mouth bass are the largest population, followed closely by small mouth bass and crappie - all three species of crappie which include white, black and the recently stocked Arkansas black nose. The fishing season is open year round on Watts Bar Lake. The best fishing, however, starts in early March and lasts through October. Typically, the lake level is at summer pool (741 feet above sea level) by April 15 and stays at that level until November 1 except for a one foot weekly fluctuation. After November 1, the lake drops six feet for winter flood control and rises again the following April. Licenses are required for hunting and fishing in the County by anyone 16 or older. Applicants aged 13-15 can obtain a license by taking a hunter's safety course. Licenses can be bought at the County Clerk's office for $21, and expire at the end of February. Black Bass are plentiful in Watts Bar with Largemouth and Smallmouth available. Bass begin moving in March and are available in various parts of the lake through October. Night fishing with black lights is popular in June through August. Crappie fishing begins picking up in late February into March and reaches its peak from the end of April into May. Some crappie are caught at night under the lights especially during the summer months. Stripers and Cherokee Bass (also known as Rockfish, Hybrid and Wipers) are available throughout the lake. It is probably best to hire a guide on your first attempt at landing these monsters. Watts Bar has held the state record for these species several times in the past twenty years. Other species found in Watts Bar Lake include Bluegill, Bream, Catfish, White Bass and Sauger.

To register a boat, bring your owner's registration card and a bill of sale to the County Clerk's office. There they will collect sales tax (eight and one half percent) and give you the validated paperwork to send in to Nashville to register with the state. Licenses can be issued for between one and three years. The fee is based on the license duration and the size of the boat.

Arrowhead Marine - Boat Rental & Service
www.arrowheadresort.com/boat.html

Lakeside Resort Boat Rentals
www.fishlakeside.com/boatrent.htm

Arrowhead Resort
www.arrowheadresort.com/resort.html

Watts Bar Resort
www.wattsbarresort.com/resort.html

Lakeside Resort
www.fishlakeside.com/

For more camping information:
http://www.recreationusa.com/camping/tennessee.html

Tennessee Lakefront Cottages
www.tlcvacations.com
800-597-1952
email Linda Donson-Shearer at ldonson@mindspring.com

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