Wall of fame for every fish this backyard already put on the boards. Then the two runs and the map.
Same house, same water. Entries go newest first. This is the fishing site and the River House story in one place.
Fresh off the River House dock. Red-halo spots on the lawn at 1399 Broad.
Another Off the Dock rainbow. Same backyard water.
Fish on the grass with the George 11 slide for scale. Blue Zebco in frame. Rudy’s catch off the River House dock.
First good-sized trout in the backyard. Tough to get in the net. Off this dock.
First fish off the River House dock. Rudy Stone on the boards with the thumbs-up. The water was already in the family.
This is the one. Fish on the lawn, George size 11 slide beside it, blue rod in frame.
Rainbow · size-11 sandal · Off the Dock · River House, 1399 Broad
Same dock. Same river. No cabin shots.
Off the Dock · River House, 1399 Broad
First fish off the River House dock was a brown. Brooke’s fish. Rudy Stone, grandson, is in the photos with the thumbs-up. The dock just moved the first cast to the backyard.
Day 1, 22 August 2026 — Brooke with the brown. Rudy on the dock. The rainbow is Elizabethton water, same book.
First good-sized trout in the backyard. Bruce’s fish — rainbow, 16–17 inches, about 2.5 lbs. Tough to get in the net. Off the River House dock at 1399 Broad.
Rainbow · 16–17 in · ~2.5 lbs · 3 September 2026 · River House, 1399 Broad
The same street. Family in PFDs under the tree. Family on the grass by the dock. Bruce wading in the Navy hat. Rudy on the bank with a rod — whole frame, FOR SALE 423 sign left in the shot.
PFDs and the house hat. Bank by the dock. Bruce wading. Rudy fishing the bank — uncropped, sign stays in the frame.
The tailwater starts at Wilbur Dam, not Watauga Dam. Watauga Dam makes the lake. Wilbur is the dam that writes the daily river. Two pieces matter from 1399 Broad.
Wilbur Dam to Hunter Bridge. Hunter Bridge is 1625 Broad. The River House is 1399 Broad — same road, same water, toward town from that ramp. This is the cabin run. Wade it on low water. Boat it when Wilbur is generating.
Smalling Bridge downstream to the CSX railroad bridges. Official TWRA Quality Trout Fishing Area. Starts just downstream of the cabin, toward the town of Watauga. 14-inch minimum, two-trout creel, no bait — artificial lures only. Confirm current language on TWRA before you keep a fish.
TWRA’s Wilbur Tailwater plan treats water outside the Quality Zone as the general trout creel (commonly seven trout, no special size or bait rule). That is the book on the street run. The Quality Zone is the special-regs stretch. Always read the current Tennessee trout regulations; proclamations change.
Wilbur Dam → Hunter Bridge Smalling → CSX Quality Zone ● River House · 1399 Broad
Low water is a wade from the dock and the banks. High water is a boat. Sirens and flashing lights at Wilbur mean rising water. Next-day flow is usually posted by evening on TVA’s recreation-release schedule. The dam number on the TVA phone line for Wilbur is 42.
Hunter Bridge is the public ramp for the upper run. The house dock is private. Downstream public pieces include Smalling and the railroad-bridge end of the Quality Zone. Do not trespass private banks.
The Doe River Fishing Trail is a short drive toward Roan. Stocked water on 19E, wilder fish as you climb. Happy Trails to Hershel Julian. Stop before the gorge if you are not set up for that water.
South Holston is the other blue-ribbon tailwater in this corner of the state. A longer drive. Mentioned because people who know this river already know that one.
Sources: TWRA trout regulations and Wilbur Tailwater Trout Fishery Management Plan 2022–2027 (Quality Zone from Smalling / Smallings Bridge to the CSX railroad bridges; 14-inch, two-fish, artificial only). TVA recreation-release information for Wilbur. Local run description as used on the previous River House page. Regulations are summarized — verify on tn.gov/twra before you fish.