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About Rhea Harbor Resort & Marina
The Family Resort on-the-Water
Rhea Harbor has been a family-run resort and marina for more than 30 years. Our average guests have been revisiting Rhea Harbor for over 10 years. It is not uncommon to meet and visit with a 3rd generation guest.
We enjoy our friendships and life-style immensely. We would enjoy getting to know you and your family. Sandy (aka the mom and now grandma 7 times over) and MARK(aka "POP-POP") cooks wonderfully during casual cookouts with our guests. SANDY has a watchful eye and lollypop for any kid that wears their life jacket on the docks and the boats. Joe and his family are always around and willing to lend a hand with all your boating and resort needs. Since Joe has worked from the age of 5 at the resort, you will no-doubt hear stories about him from our many long-term guests.
You will find we are relaxed, fun and simply a family place. Please come down for a visit to feel what life is all about… simple days, friendships and a few good fish.
The Resort Grounds
The resort sits on a point facing islands on beautiful Watts Bar Lake. The surrounding is very relaxing. The grounds are lightly wooded with mature hardwood trees. In the spring, the old-large dogwoods bloom with white flowers. The grounds have grass down to the lake. One added benefit is we are mosquito free! TVA slowly fluctuates the lake level each week to destroy the mosquito larva.
All the cabins face the lake with porches and picture windows to enjoy the peaceful water. The beach area is located under large trees with both adult and kid swings & playground toys. Picnic tables are located around the resort. Shuffleboard, horseshoes and tetherball are also available.
The Lake
Watts Bar Lake is the largest of the TVA lakes built along the Tennessee River chain of lakes. It is over 38,000 square acres with 783 miles of shoreline. The resort resides on the Piney River channel, which empties into the Tennessee about 3 miles up-river from the dam. The lake is easy to navigate with many coves for relaxing floats and great fishing.
Watts Bar is open to the lower and upper lakes through the locks. Yes, you can lock-through the dam at no charge. It is easy and fun!
Watts Bar Lake being situated between Knoxville and Chattanooga means that it is one of “the best kept secretes of the south.” Most of the property around the lake is heavily wooded and TVA owned, so the lake is not very developed.
The fishing
Watts Bar is one of the great fishing lakes of the South. It yields up a wide variety of game fish: lunker, black, large & small mouth bass, jumbo crappie, rockfish (aka stripers, hybrids, wipers) white bass, sauger, blue gill and a variety of catfish.
Fishing takes place all year. Typically, crappie season starts as early as late February through the most of May. Bass usually start their move in late March and stay active though June. May early June is usually best for finding Small mouth bass hitting the surface.
In the summer, mornings and evenings are best. As it gets closer to the hotter days of summer, you will see more nighttime fishing for bass and crappie with lights. In July and August, you can usually catch white bass in jumps off of deeper river channels.
Mid-September to the end of October is quite active again for Bass and Crappie. It is also the best time of year to see the color changes in the trees.
In the winter months, crappie and bass are still very catch’able, and most say are the best time of year for eating or stocking your freezer.
Guides are available with some notice for bass and rockfish
The Water Sports: Swimming & water-skiing
The weather affords avid water skiers a longer season. Usually swimming is common for the locals in mid-May, for the northerners by May 1st! (Most kids tend to start a lot earlier) The water stays warm enough for most through September. October, you will want light-wetsuits/shorties.
What is nice about Watts Bar Lake and specifically the Piney area, is that we have a low population of boats. Water-skiing without boat wakes is very common. With the many large coves, even on windy days water-skiers can find calm water. If you like calm water, Watts Bar is for you.
Annual Leases
Rhea Harbor rents cabins daily, weekly and annually. Several of our guest simply like having their “lake cabin” all year. If you love the water, desire to live the boating lifestyles and want your own place without the hassles, a low cost annual lease may be right for you. Please ask about our annual leases so you can have your lake cabin when you want… every weekend!
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