Blue Ridge Guide Association Installs New River Access Safety Signage Thanks to Tennessee TRI-FLY Donation
The Blue Ridge Guide Association is proud to announce the installation of permanent signage at 10 public access points along the South Holston River and Watauga River, made possible through a generous donation from Tennessee TRI-FLY.
Each sign clearly identifies the public access location and notes the river mile distance from the dam — critical information for anglers, boaters, and paddlers navigating these tailwaters. To further enhance safety and accessibility, the signage includes a QR code linking directly to BRGA’s newly developed online Resource Page.
This digital resource provides:
TVA generation schedules
River safety information
Updated river maps
CFS flow rates
Approximate water arrival times for each river
By combining physical signage with dynamic online resources, this initiative helps ensure boaters, anglers, and paddlers have access to accurate, real-time safety information before and during their time on the water.
On Saturday, February 21st, two volunteer teams totaling eight individuals installed the signage, contributing more than 50 volunteer hours. In total, 10 large signs and 10 small signs were installed across both rivers.
The project’s total cost exceeded $3,500 and included sign production, hardware, posts, equipment rental, graphic design, and website development services. Thanks to Tennessee TRI-FLY’s leadership donation and the hard work of volunteers, this initiative significantly enhances public safety and river awareness for our entire community.
The Blue Ridge Guide Association is honored to partner with Tennessee Tri-Fly in strengthening river safety, supporting responsible recreation, and investing in the well-being of our fly-fishing community. This project reflects BRGA’s ongoing commitment to protecting, educating, and serving those who enjoy our region’s treasured fisheries.
River Water Temperature Gauges
The Blue Ridge Guide Association and the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited have successfully installed six permanent temperature gauges that are monitored remotely for the South Holston and Watauga rivers. We received a generous donation from the anglers of a local 3fly tournament in our area which funded the purchase of six monitoring stations that our organizations placed on both rivers. We will need to pay the annual fees to keep the information flowing so please renew/donate and get involved.