John Browning

First of all I am happily married to my lovely wife Alisha and a father of three beautiful little girls, McKenzie, Emma, and Mattie Grace. I was raised in North Georgia and was taught to love the outdoors by both of my parents. They had me hunting & fishing at an early age and I caught my first trout at the age of 2 ½ in 1976 from the Toccoa River. Probably the most important lesson I learned from Mom & Dad was that whether the fish are biting or not, it is still a great day and that I am blessed just to witness it. Just as much as anyone, I love the excitement of that trout rising to my fly or the anticipation that you feel when you make that great cast and just know he's gonna hit it, but I never allow myself to get so focused on the fish that it prevents me from enjoying the scenery or the wildlife that really make the experience complete. Alisha and I share a love of wildflowers and when I'm on the Trout stream I always take time to see what little surprises are waiting for me on the banks of whatever stream I am treating myself to that day. I cherish reminiscing about memories I have compiled from a lifetime of fishing these mountains. I love taking in all the ambient sights, sounds and smells that you only get on a trout stream, and most of all I love sharing these things with others. The best day fishing is always better with someone else.

For all you Uncle Remus fans out there, the Toccoa River watershed is my Briar Patch. As I said, I caught my first fish on the Toccoa at 2 ½ years old. All of it's tributaries and their tributaries and even their tributaries, have seen my flies. Noontootla Creek is very special to me, both the public section as well as Unicoi Outfitters' private section at Noontootla Creek Farms. Both Rock and Coopers Creek have a place in my heart as well but usually if you see my truck there, I have worked my way up one of their tributaries in search of my favorite quarry, "Specs" (brook trout for the purists out there). I've fished for trout all over the Southeast, Colorado, and Wyoming. I've cast flies from the inlet creeks of South Carolina to the flats in Florida. I've fished for bass from here to my personal bass fishing mecca in Catlett Virgina. I absolutely had a blast doing all of those, but contrary to most fly fishing publications, there is no place like home! Come and let me show you what I mean.

As I mentioned earlier, I like fishing with others, so what better way is there to fish in groups than from a boat? At an early age I was floating the headwaters of the Toccoa with my father in his raft. After the raft suffered a career-ending injury running through Margaret Straits on the Toccoa, I had to settle for friends with canoes. Now I have my own boat, a 15' ClackaCraft. I use it to do guided trips on the Toccoa and Tuckasegee Rivers and will occasionally treat myself to a day of pond fishing for bass in it as well. I would say 50% of my guide trips are out of that boat and obviously, the other 50% wading.

When I am guiding clients, the first thing I want them to realize is that I am just as excited as they are to be going fishing that day. I enjoy teaching the keys to being successful on the water and then give them tips on how to make it easier. Though it is extremely helpful, I don't believe casting is the most important thing. I think approach, presentation and identifying strikes should be everyone's first priority. Second would be proper line management. Does it really matter if you can cast 90' of line out if you can't tell when to set the hook? Don't worry, if you want to work on your casting I can help you, but as soon as I think you are ready I'm going to put you on the water and show you what I think is going to make you a better fisherman. If I can teach you what I've learned and it helps you catch more fish then you will go fishing more often. If you go fishing more often, as a result your casting will improve.

My number one goal, of course, is for you to have fun. Sometimes as guides we forget not everybody is looking for instruction, they just want to see some new water or just need the access that only guides have to offer. The first question I ask clients is "Other than catching fish, what are your expectations?" In other words, what can I do to help make this trip what you want it to be? I want that day to be one of those memories that I mentioned earlier, whether it be the number or size of the fish we caught or something unique and special that made that particular day stick in your mind. And keep this in mind: I want you to catch fish more than you do!

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Contact Unicoi Outfitters:

In Helen:
P.O. Box 419
7280 S. Main Street
Helen, Georgia 30545
(706) 878-3083
or by email.

In Blue Ridge:
490 East Main St.
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
(706)632-1880
or by email.

Unicoi Outfitters is a permittee of the Chattahoochee-Oconee, Sumter, and Nantahala National Forests. See contact page for more information.