Looking for lakefront homes on Watts Bar Lake? Find waterfront real estate for sale here. Located in Roane County, Tennessee. Discover the best lake front listings - properties, land, and acreage to build your dream lake house, cottage or cabin on. Search for an agent who specializes in lake property to help you buy or sell a home.
Sign up for our AUTO NOTIFY program and receive free updates on new listings that match your search criteria.
Map
Watts Bar Lake Description
If you are looking for lake home properties for sale in Tennessee, Watts Bar Lake should be at the top of your list. Located in Roane County, this reservoir was created by Watts Bar Dam. With 61 square miles of water, there is enough room to pursue any aquatic hobby.
If you like to fish, you'll find no shortage of variety in Watts Bar Lake. The most common varieties include black bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white crappie, white bass, striped bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, and bluegill. If you're lucky, you may also find yellow perch, redbreast sunfish, and walleye. There are many local marinas near lake houses for sale on Watts Bar Lake that offer boat rentals, like Eden Marina and Campground and Euchee Marina. The Lakeside Resort marina even has a Pro Bass Shop and live bait.
Water sports and activities are also popular on the lake. You'll find many lake goers swimming, water skiing, pontooning, or just sunning themselves on the beach or on the deck of a rented houseboat. If you want to take a break from the water, Watts Bar Lake is home to several wildlife areas, including the Long Island Wildlife Management Area, Rhea Springs Recreation Area, and the Thief Neck Island Wildlife Management Area. If you plan to go bird watching around your lake-view cabin, you'll likely see great blue herons, osprey, black-crowned night-herons, great egrets, and even a few bald eagles. Land critters near the lake include white-tailed deer, raccoons, and foxes.
The beauty of Watts Bar Lake serves as a backdrop to several area golf courses. Tennessee National is a private 18-hole championship course, with five holes that overlook the lake. Southwest Point Golf Course is a public 18-hole course hugged by a bend in Watts Bar Lake, offering stunning views. If you are interested in living on any of the golf courses near Watts Bar Lake, check out GolfHomes.com for property details.
Head into Roane County for unique dining options. Adelaide's, an authentic Civil War-era mansion, is home to Gibson Girls Southern Goodies. In addition to designer cakes, Gibson Girls offer a cafe with baked goods, sandwiches, and soups. If you are looking for a fun place for the kids, Market Street Fountain should be on the menu. They specialize in kid-friendly food and gigantic sundaes the whole family can share.
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.
Beautiful,and levels remain high for barge traffic.
Jet Skis:
Are they permitted? Yes
Swimming:
Can you swim in the lake? Yes
Water quality?
Good
Water Level:
Average water level variance? 2 Feet
Boat Docks:
Are they permitted? Yes
Power Boats:
Are they permitted? Yes and Houseboats
Depth of Lake:
37 Feet
Nearby cities:
Farragut, TN - 20 miles Knoxville, TN, -30 miles, Chattanooga, TN - 60 miles, Oak Ridge, TN -20 miles Gatlinburg, TN - 80 miles
Nearest airport:
Knoxville, TN - 35 miles
Building restrictions:
City of Kingston Planning Commission & Subdivision regulations - only 9 homes in immediate area
Watts Bar Lake Fishing Information
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.
Watts Bar Lake Boating Information
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
Lakeside Resort Boat Rentals
Watts Bar Lake Camping Information
Arrowhead Resort
Watts Bar Resort
Watts Bar Lake Local Area Businesses
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.
