Calderwood Lake Fishing
Graham County and Swain County, NCWRC District 9, 570 acres.
Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of Lake Santeetlah: John Matzko, CC BY-SA 4.0
Calderwood Lake through an angler’s eyes
Calderwood Lake is a lake in Graham County and Swain County, part of NCWRC fisheries District 9. NID records give it 570 acres of surface water. Calderwood Dam (1930) impounds the Little Tennessee to form it. A drive of about 8 miles reaches Fontana Dam, the nearest town. Mountain trout rules for Hatchery Supported water cover it.
NCWRC sources name rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout here. Boaters can use 1 mapped launch; 0 belong to the NCWRC access program. NCWRC puts 1 trout stocking dates on the 2026 schedule. US Forest Service owns the public access points.
For the trout herePiscifun Carbon XT ultralight spinning reel25% OFFSale $59.99 Getting a boat onto Calderwood Lake
- Boat launch, Calderwood Lakeboat ramp, public
Nearest put-ins to Calderwood Lake
- 7th Inning Stretch Boating Siteboat ramp, fee, 4 miles southeast
- Avey CreekLake Santeetlah, 8 miles south
- Lewellyn BranchCheoah Lake, 8 miles east
- Blue HoleCheoah River, 8 miles southeast
- Cheoah PointLake Santeetlah, 9 miles southeast
- Cable CoveFontana Lake, 12 miles east
NCWRC Boating Access Areas and Public Fishing Areas, USACE Wilmington District, USFS and OpenStreetMap, checked October 2026.
Pool level at Calderwood Lake
Brookfield Renewable (Smoky Mountain Hydropower), via safewaters.com, reading dated 2026-10-11. Agency page with the live chart.
What hits in Calderwood Lake
The list for Calderwood Lake is built from NCWRC stocking, rule tables, species profiles and the record book. stocked: 3.
NCWRC 2026 stocking list, warm-water regulations, species profiles and state records.
Hatchery fish for Calderwood Lake
When trout go into Calderwood Lake
NCWRC 2026 warmwater stocking list and the live trout stocking report. North Carolina stocking.
Harvest rules for Calderwood Lake
For Calderwood Lake, the Commission sets these special limits.
| Species | Size limit | Daily creel |
|---|---|---|
| mountain trout | Calderwood Reservoir (Cheoah Dam to Tennessee state line) |
Trout class of Calderwood Lake
| Trout class | Daily creel | Size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchery Supported | 7 a day | no size limit | Aug. 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027 and 7 a.m. April 3, 2027 – July 31, 2027 |
| Species | Daily creel | Size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass | 5 a day | 14 in minimum | No closed season |
| Crappie | 20 a day | 8 in minimum | No closed season |
| Sunfish | no creel limit | no size limit | No closed season |
| Striped and Bodie bass | 4 a day | 20 in minimum | No closed season |
| White bass | 10 a day | no size limit | No closed season |
| Walleye | 8 a day | no size limit | No closed season |
| Blue, channel and flathead catfish | no creel limit | no size limit | No closed season |
| Trout (undesignated waters) | 7 a day | no size limit | No closed season |
Interstate lines in the NCWRC rules pick some rows for Calderwood Lake.
NCWRC 2026-27 inland regulations (eRegulations), checked October 2026. All North Carolina limits.
Neighbor lakes of Calderwood Lake
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Stocked 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calderwood Lake | 570 | 1 | yes | |
| Cheoah Reservoir | 2 miles southeast | 3 | yes | |
| Lake Santeetlah | 11 miles southeast | 2,884 | 5 | |
| Queens Creek Lake | 22 miles southeast | 28.8 | 1 | yes |
| Fontana Lake | 22 miles east | 10,290 | 8 | yes |
| Nantahala Lake | 26 miles southeast | 1,605 | 3 | yes |
In reach of Calderwood Lake
Next reservoirs over from Calderwood Lake
- Cheoah Reservoir2 miles southeast
- Lake Santeetlah11 miles southeast
- Queens Creek Lake22 miles southeast
- Fontana Lake22 miles east
- Nantahala Lake26 miles southeast
Where to buy bait by Calderwood Lake
- Fontana Village Resort & Marinamarina, Fontana Dam, 8 miles
- Santeetlah Marinamarina, Lake Santeetlah, 9 miles
- Fontana Lake Marinamarina, Graham, 10 miles
- G & S Baitbait and tackle shop, Andrews, 20 miles
- NOC Outfitter's Storesporting goods store, Bryson City, 23 miles
- Jerking Bass Fishing Servicebait and tackle shop, Marble, 23 miles
Towns nearest Calderwood Lake
- Fontana Dam8 miles
- Lake Santeetlah9 miles
- Robbinsville13 miles
Calderwood Lake county links
- Graham Countyseat: Robbinsville
- Swain Countyseat: Bryson City
Spinning, baitcasting and a weigh grip
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Worth knowing about Calderwood Lake
Which NCWRC district covers Calderwood Lake?
Graham County and Swain County, in NCWRC District 9, about 8 miles from Fontana Dam.
Is Calderwood Lake a big lake?
The dam record lists 570 acres.
Does a ramp reach Calderwood Lake?
Access records list 1 launch; Boat launch, Calderwood Lake is one.
What species does Calderwood Lake hold?
Expect rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout.
What does NCWRC put in Calderwood Lake?
NCWRC plans 1 trout stockings.
Is Calderwood Lake under special regulations?
mountain trout: Calderwood Reservoir (Cheoah Dam to Tennessee state line), .
Can visitors fish Calderwood Lake?
An NCWRC inland fishing license from age 16, $32 a year for residents.
Is there a live reading for Calderwood Lake?
See the Brookfield Renewable reading on this page.
Which counter sells bait nearest Calderwood Lake?
Closest on our list: Fontana Village Resort & Marina, 8 miles.
Block out a day for Calderwood Lake
Read the limits, then pick a ramp above.