JANUARY, 2006 UNICOI NEWSLETTER

It's here! This weekend, January 21st & 22nd, at the Gwinnett Civic Center off Sugarloaf Parkway. We always enjoy this special show each year and look forward to seeing our friends and cohorts. This year we'll have with us the famed Sage Casting Analyzer to help you improve your technique. Stop by and give it a try.

We'll also have lots of stuff with great pricing: WaterSkeeter Rebellion pontoon boats (MSRP $350.00; we'll have them at the show for $250.00 & we'll include a $20.00 pump), St. Croix Avid rods at 40% off, Larry Nottley fly tying work stations at 40% off, special deals on flies and a few other items and plenty of books for autographing by Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser. We'll also have the new Sage VT2 rods on hand for you to try out. And, the highlight of the show, we'll be drawing for a free day at Nacoochee Bend on both Saturday and Sunday so stop by and drop your name in the minner bucket. We look forward to seeing you. (Visit the show website at http://www.castlow.com)

FISHING REPORTS

Well, here we are starting another year and, as always, there seems to be a certain undercurrent of excitement as we turn the corner toward spring. Not that there's much logic to that thinking since we have some great winter fishing but it's definitely there. Just part of that re-birth thing we all go through. As we look down that short road toward milder weather, bugs hatching, longer days and no split shot, let's don't forget the opportunities we have right now.

We've said this before but it certainly bears repeating; winter trout fishing opportunities in north Georgia and western North Carolina are as good as it gets. There's not a place in the entire U.S. that can compare with our trout fishing during the "cold months". We recently did a search for other trout fishing newsletters just to see what's happening around the country. With a few exceptions such as tailwaters and winter steelhead fishing, most of them were looking back at 2005 or looking ahead to their "season" in 2006. Season?!! We don't need no stinkin' season down here in the South! Just pick your stream, take plenty of layers of clothing, a variety of flies and a grateful attitude. No doubt, it can be interesting and even challenging on occasion but, hey, that's fishing. On recent trips within the past couple of weeks, we've had different anglers fishing the same creek or river on the same day with wildly differing results (Ed. Read the reports from the Chattooga and Dukes Creek below). We're talking about experienced anglers in both groups yet diametrically opposed results. Sure makes you scratch your head but it also makes us keep coming back for more.

CHATTOOGA RIVER

We have this recent report from Ren Gobris on the Chattooga River: "Sunday the trout were absolutely stacked up right in front of Reed Creek. If you have been there you know that the opposite bank is very shallow. Make your approach from that water toward Reed Creek. Set yourself up directly in the middle of the creeks inflow. As you approach, the water will get deeper. Sunday I was fishing in knee to lower thigh deep water using about a 30 foot cast. The action was outrageous. Lots of small fish. But many good sized trout as well. This is calm water, so if your indicator even looks nervous, set the hook. I caught all species there, brookies, browns and rainbows. In fact, I caught so many fish that I swear I must have been catching the same ones two and thee different times.

"I started fishing around 9:00 am. After putting on frozen boots and waders, I headed toward my usual haunts. There is nothing like starting a day in frozen boots. Anyway, the water temperature was a brisk 38 degrees. The morning air kept me in fingerless gloves. But these somewhat frigid factors didn't stop the fish from reacting to my flies. On my third cast, I caught what was perhaps the nicest fish of the day. It was a beautiful Rainbow and the start of another great day in which all three species, browns, rainbows and brookies came to the net with great often continued regularity. And get this, perhaps due to the NFL playoffs, I saw only two other fisherman all day. That was totally unexpected given what would become a beautiful spring-like day with temperatures rising into the 60's.

"I've been fishing a lot of wet flies lately. And I have been so successful, I may never go back to classic nymph fishing! This outing, I didn't even try another fly, or fly combination. My standard rig as of late has been long leaders and dual wet flies (size 14 and 16) on size 5X fluorocarbon tippet. Fish them on a dead drift. If no takes occur, be prepared as the fly begins to rise at the end of the drift. A good 30% of the fish caught Sunday resulted from takes as the flies were rising near, or resting at, the end of the drift. The consistency of this occurring was incredible. It is truly a fun and productive way to fish.

"Another tip about fishing the Chattooga, or any other DH river in winter for that matter, is to pay attention to the universal rule of fishing. That is, 80% of the fish live in 20% of the water. This is particularly true during hot summer months, as fish pool up in cooler and well oxygenated waters. The situation tends to reverse during winter months. That is, fish often hold up in deeper warmer less oxygenated waters. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm, so fishing well oxygenated waters is less critical. A trout's motive is geared more toward conserving energy than nearly anything else this time of year. The lower the water temperature, the more this holds true.

"So, buy yourself a thermometer and use it! Look for areas of warmer water. Often a degree or two will make a huge difference in how fish respond to your offerings. Prime areas to fish during winter months are deep pools, water that is warmed by mid-day sun, water along the banks (especially banks that receive a lot of sun and therefore heated soils and warmer water ) and the calm water along the extreme outside edge of seams (where fast and slow moving water meet). The best locations are almost always a bit beyond (inside the calm water) where one would normally fish these same seams in summer. Sometimes a foot or two beyond the edge of the seam will make the difference between an average day and a great one.

"Try concentrating your efforts in these areas. There will be exceptions of course. But, as a general winter rule, I always try to stay out of fast "classic fishy-looking trout water" in favor of slower, and preferably deep and slower, water. When possible, fish along the seams on the side of the river that holds the most slack water. I routinely see fishermen walking right through the most productive water in favor of water that should be reserved for spring, summer, and fall fishing. Look for these areas and cover a lot of water. Be deliberate about it and keep moving (your toes will thank you for it). Once you hook up, prepare yourself to stay a while. Other trout are likely holding there as well. Give these techniques a try and you too will eliminate most of the unproductive water where no self-respecting winter fish would live. - Ren"

(Ed. Note: On this same Sunday, some good friends who happen to be excellent anglers were fishing the Chattooga downstream from the area Ren was fishing. While they did land a few fish, they had to work very hard for them and probably landed less than 10 fish between the three of them. This time of year it can happen so don't get discouraged.)

DUKES CREEK

There have been quite a few anglers fishing Dukes lately with mixed results, us included. The water there is extremely clear and cold so you have to fish accordingly: stealthy approaches, long casts, long leaders with fine tippets fly on the bottom. Who knows why results can vary so much from angler to angler but they do and it may have little to do with the skill level. Just this weekend we met some friends at Smithgall who are relatively new but getting serious about flyfishing. As we walked up on them they had just "fished" a run on section one with no results. After a brief discussion on how they had fished it, we showed them how to read the water in that particular run and why there were likely fish holding there. While the creek bottom was fairly consistent throughout the run, the very top end had a boulder that created a little turbulence on the surface for the next 6 - 8 feet downstream. The depth of the run didn't change; it was about two feet deep from beginning to end. As "Dredger" stepped in to begin showing them how to fish it, we stood on the bank back in the shadows so as not to spook any fish holding there. In the beginning, it was difficult for the new guys to see anything in the run but once they understood that you don't look for a "fish", you look for a different color on the bottom or a shadow, they began to pick them out. It was also new for them to stare at the water until a small moving "window" passed over that would allow them to see clearly all the way to the bottom. It opened up a whole new world to them. Within a few minutes, Dredger was hooked into a 16" male rainbow on a size 18 or 20 Poison Tung nymph. The fish took off like a scalded dog downstream on a downstream run. Robert, one of our new friends, had rigged up with the small nymphs and moved in to re-fish the run using his new-found knowledge. As the Net Boy scooped up Dredger's fish, we looked upstream to see an 18" rainbow somersaulting over the surface and a big smile on Robert's face as his rod arced in obedience to the pull of the fish. The great Net Boy jumped into the fray and deftly landed the second trophy from the run that had been fished 15 minutes earlier with no results. (The great Net Boy himself wasn't getting to fish at this point!) Short story, 5 fish were hooked in this one run, 3 of them landed. All as a result of fishing the right section of the run with the right fly at the right depth.

Now, here's where it really becomes interesting. We split up, one novice with one experienced angler, and went our separate ways on different sections of the creek for the remainder of the afternoon. In the middle sections we struggled to get three more fish. The other two guys had a banner afternoon on the lower end, landing 6 fish over 16" and Robert (the novice) brought one 22 inch brown to the net. So how do you explain this? Our friend Jeff Durniak refers to it as the Forest Gump syndrome. Fishing is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Some days you get the macadamia nut, some days you get the coconut. We all pay our dues, even those of us who are fortunate to spend a considerable amount of our time on-stream. You take your experiences, learn from them and somewhere down the road it begins to pay off and the pay-off days are more numerous than the struggling days.

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

TOCCOA RIVER

If any stream in the state qualifies for a Jekyll/Hyde personality award, it's the Toccoa tailwater. On recent trips there, our guides have reported the fishing to be extremely slow one day and very good the next. February is always the month we look forward to on the Toccoa because of the black caddis hatches that occur. As we write this, there is a good early black stone hatch beginning there. At the moment, the fish aren't rising to them but it should only be a matter of time before the fish realize there is something up there worth moving off the bottom for. There are actually good hatches of the early black stone, blue winged olives and black midges going on right now on the Toccoa. Metrela used a stomach pump on one fish this past week and it was full of black midges, nothing else even though on the surface they were seeing the stones and the baetis in large quantities. If you attend the Atlanta Fly Fishing Festival this weekend (See announcement below), you may want to plan your trip around sitting in on James Buice's seminar on fishing the Toccoa.

OTHER STREAMS

There are numerous fishing opportunities to be had in our area and, while we've got detailed reports from the above mentioned waters, by no means to we want to you disregard the others. Noontootla Creek (public section) is tough with water clear as glass but can offer great rewards to those who devote the time to learning the fine art of stealth fishing. The Noontootla Creek Farms section of the stream continues to amaze us with its classic trout waters and trophy size fish picked from small runs and pockets. In our opinion, this is the premier stretch of trout water in all of north Georgia. If you've not fished it with us, plan now to schedule a trip to this magical place. For the latest information on Noontootla Creek, call our shop in Blue Ridge at 706-632-1880.

In North Carolina, the Nantahala and Tuckaseegee Rivers are prime destinations for a day or two of fishing. The Nantahala delayed harvest section above the powerhouse can be the most challenging due to the lack of sunlight to warm things up. Those of you who have fished there know that the sun shines down in that gorge for exactly 27 minutes on a good day. On a recent afternoon there the air temperature struggled to reach 41degrees while in Atlanta that same afternoon saw temps in the high 60's. Fly patterns on the Nantahala can cover the gamut from egg patterns to woolly buggers and pheasant tail droppers to blue winged olive or caddis dries. On a warm day when the water temps reach the high 40's, you can expect to see good dry fly action but until it hits those magic numbers, you'll be dredging the bottom most of the day.

The Tuckaseegee River in Dillsboro is one of our favorite streams to do guided drift boat trips on. This is a big river and provides lots of opportunities for fishing different types of water from deep slow pools to fast runs and even some pocket water. It is a tailwater and is managed as a delayed harvest stream this time of year. The upper section of the river from Hwy. 107 (just below Jack the Dipper Ice Cream Shop) downstream to the Webster Rd. bridge offers the best access and great fishing. If there is no generation, the entire river is wadeable. If they are running one generator, you can carefully fish around the edges but we wouldn't recommend wading very far out into the river. If they're running two generators, don't wade! There's too much current and it's too dangerous. Here's the good thing about fishing the Tuck; it fishes well regardless of the generation level. If you've got access to a pontoon boat, raft or drift boat, you can fish it at any time. And the fishing is great! We've had clients land more large fish (18-20") on the Tuckaseegee this year than ever before. Egg patterns work well during the winter months but standard nymphs like pheasant tails, hares ears and prince nymphs are steady producers. The upper end of the Tuck is paralleled by a public road and provides excellent access. The lower two thirds of the 5.5 miles of delayed harvest are bordered by a lot of private property but do provide some roadside pull-offs. If you are traveling in only one vehicle and want to float the river in a pontoon, you can put in at the upper end of the DH, fish down to the bridge and walk back up to your car. Less than a half mile walk but plenty of water to fish all day. And you'll have the river almost to yourself since the wading anglers can't fish the middle when they're generating. For more information on our float trips to the Tuckaseegee, call us at 706-878-3083.

TAYLOR & TAYLOR FLYFISHING SCHOOLS

Unicoi Outfitters and Noontootla Creek Farms are excited to announce that we are now the new permanent host home for Wanda & Gary Taylor's fly fishing schools. Few couples are better known and respected in the fly fishing industry than Wanda & Gary. Wanda is a fly fishing instructor with over twenty year's experience. She specializes in working with groups such as women, young people and couples. Her strong communication skills, leadership qualities, and sense of humor encourage people to exceed their expectations in the art of fly-fishing. She was the first female Orvis Endorsed guide in the southeast and the first female certified as a Master Certified Casting Instructor by the International Federation of Fly Fishers. She is a contributing editor for Fly Fish America and contributing author of, "Guide to Fly Fishing Favorite Waters," featured in the Orvis Catalog. She has been seen on TBS, ESPN II Walkers Cay Chronicles with Flip Pallot and the CBS Early Show. Wanda was awarded by the Southeastern Federation of Fly Fishers the 2005 Woman of the Year award.

Captain Gary Taylor is a national recognized fly fishing guide and licensed charter boat captain with over 30 years fly fishing experience in the lower 48 states, Alaska, Mexico, Bahamas, Canada and Australia. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his guiding and outfitting abilities, including the 1993 through 1994 Orvis Guide of the Year award. Gary is a Master Certified Casting Instructor of the International Federation of Fly Fishers. He has been featured in Saltwater Sportsman, Fly Fishing Saltwaters, Sporting Classic, Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, Jacksonville Woman Magazine, Georgia Magazine, Angler's Journal, Fly Fish America and Air Canada enRoute Magazine. Captain Taylor's expertise lies in dissecting not only the "How" but the "Why" of power casting and distance casting needed not only in the saltwater environment but also in our larger trout and steelhead streams.

Needless to say we are proud to announce our association with Wanda and Gary Taylor. These schools will not replace our traditional one-day classes but rather complement them with a two-day school giving the students an opportunity for more in-depth exploration into the art and skill of flyfishing.

We have the 2006 schedule set for the following dates: Mar 24-26 May 19-21 June 23-25 Oct 13-15

Visit the Taylors' website at http://www.taylor-taylor.com for more information on the curriculum. Or, you may call our shop in Blue Ridge (706-632-1880) to make a reservation.

THANK YOU

As always, we are grateful for your friendship and your patronage. If you ever need current fishing information or specifications and recommendations on gear, please call us at (706) 878-3083 in Helen or (706) 632-1880 in Blue Ridge.

Remember, if you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, just reply to this email with the word "remove" in the subject line. On the other hand, if you know someone you think would like to know what's going on with north Georgia trout fishing, please have them send us an email and request to be placed on our mailing list.

Tight lines!

The Liars Club http://www.unicoioutfitters.com