FEBRUARY, 2006 UNICOI NEWSLETTER

Spring...can you feel it coming? Sure, we had some snow last week (thankfully, not a record setting blizzard like New England), but you just know that Winter is about over. As we type this, predictions for today are afternoon temps around 60 degrees. It doesn't take too many of those days to make us start planning more fishing trips. Read the following fishing reports to get a feel for the extremes of fishing this time of the year.

DUKES CREEK

An interesting phenomenon is going on at Dukes right now. The big rainbows are going into spawning mode. All Winter long we've been forced to tie on the lead and get the fly down on the bottom of the deepest holes. And we've been rewarded with some great success. On trips to Dukes this past week, we've noticed that a lot of big rainbows are holding in the much shallower gravel runs and are cleaning out redds (beds) for spawning. It's still nymphs and small soft hackles but you can actually sight fish for them. While we didn't try it, in the coming weeks you may pick up some of the smaller fish with egg patterns. They'll be waiting downstream of the redds hoping to pick up a stray egg now and then. We would suggest using the smallest egg pattern you can find since rainbow eggs are not very big.

We have noticed a couple of other interesting things. First, the fish don't seem to want to leave their spawning area. They will definitely spook in the sense that they know you're there and may not take your fly but they will hang around, or leave when you approach but return soon thereafter. Secondly, if you spot a couple of fish that appear to be doing the dance, odds are there are several more fish hanging around in the same run but not readily visible. At one point we were fishing to a couple of rainbows holding on the far side of a run, taking turns trying to get a good drift in front of them while the other stood on the bank acting as the gillie, providing encouragement (or laughing as the case may have been). We spent almost two hours fishing this one run for those fish but it was a real learning experience. In the end we both ended up connecting with the same fish! It was first hooked on a dropper rig with an olive woolly bugger with a black bead head and a soft hackle trailer but, in the excitement of the accomplishment, the angler immediately broke the big fish off. Turn lost. Twenty minutes later, our partner hooked into what appeared to be the same big fish. This time the fish made a mad dash across stream and, we thought, threw the fly. Turns out, the fish hadn't been hooked at all but rather the original olive bugger still in her mouth had been hooked and came loose as the fish bolted. The consolation prize: we got the first fly rig back as it was still entangled with the tippet of our partner's line. That is some consolation, right? We called it that. To finish the story, we finally decided to move on after annoying these fish for so long. As we walked upstream, not only did we move the three fish we had been casting to but about 10 others who had been holding in water where the surface was just broken enough to prevent us from seeing them. Amazing, over a dozen fish in one run!

The rainbow spawning activity is also occurring on some of our private streams right now and makes for some really exciting fishing. Please keep in mind that we should be very careful not to step into the redds. They're relatively easy to identify. As you're looking at the bottom of the gravel runs, you'll see some areas that appear to be lighter colored than the rest. What you're seeing is where the fish have fanned out all the silt in order to provide a good environment for the fertilized eggs. Trout reproduction in Georgia should never be taken for granted. They face a lot of challenges, not the least of which are silt and infertile waters. Watch your step for the next few weeks and respect this fascinating act of nature. It will likely be winding down around the second week of March. This is concrete evidence of what good water levels and protected stream buffers can do for our trout streams. Visit this website for some telling research on Georgia's stream buffers: http://www.gaepd.org/Files_PDF/Water/buffer_science.pdf

SMITH CREEK

(Ed. Note: We always enjoy reading Ren Gobris' stories and appreciate what he has to say in this report from Feb. 12th.)

"As most of you know, I am a transplant from Pennsylvania. And in spite of trying every conceivable plan of honesty, deceit, and bribery to get out of the Southeast, I still find myself inexplicably tied here. So although I fought it for years, there is just no more denying it. I am officially a "Damn Yankee." A Yankee, most people will agree, is someone who was born above the Mason Dixon line (although I've also heard the term loosely defined as born above Atlanta). But a "Damn Yankee?" Let me explain.

"Upon first moving to Macon, almost twenty years ago, an old Southern Gentleman who was sipping on a Mint Julep while sitting on the front porch of the 1842 Inn defined the term for me. He said, "Son, not only are you a Yankee, someone for whom I can forgive your Northern aggression (a clear reference to the Civil War). But, you are a Damn Yankee. That is, you came to our beloved South, and much to the South's dismay, you stayed!" I remember telling myself as I walked away, Welcome to the South.

"So what does all this have to do with Smith Creek? Simply this. That old guy may have been at least partially correct. Sometimes, for us cold water fishing enthusiasts, it's not so bad to be from the South.

"I met an angler on Smith Creek from Northern Virginia who was as giddy as a kid about fishing in a light snow, catching a fair amount of nice rainbows, and having the stream all to himself. You may recall that Sunday was not the nicest of days. In fact at times, snow flurries were really reminiscent of winters up North. But when compared to the weather the Northeast had this past Sunday (ie. the highest snowfall in NYC in recorded history), who could complain? I was happy just to be fly fishing. And that's exactly the point this angler was making.

"He made me appreciate, once again, what we Southern-living cold water enthusiasts all too often take for granted. That is, our DH Fishing Streams are a real blessing. This angler was absolutely enamored with Smith Creek and was somewhat incredulous that more fishermen weren't out enjoying the resource. I didn't have the will to tell him that it was Sunday morning. And snowing. And, that most Georgia Anglers were either at church services or at home making love to a strong cup of coffee. He mentioned that Virginia has no winter fishing that comes anywhere close to Smith Creek by comparison. (If he thinks Smith Creek is a wonderful stream, I thought to myself, God help him if he ever fishes the Chattooga. If he does, he may never go back!) And that is true for many, if not most, of our states that hold good trout waters. Most are simply not open for the season or, frozen over with only fly tying, reading, and thoughts of spring fly fishing in the minds and hearts of fly anglers.

"This angler was right about Smith Creek. It is a small treasure in every meaning of the word. Sure our larger rivers get much more press and visitation. And, thankfully so. But Smith Creek remains a perennial favorite for a number of reasons. First, it is a small and intimate stream that will really test your skills. Like any small stream, at times it can be down right humbling to the best of anglers. This is a stream where I consistently lose many more flies to trees than I do to subsurface obstructions. Second, unless the area gets hit with a major storm, Smith Creek remains fishable when other rivers are blown out. Third, at least for me, it fishes consistently just about every time I fish there. I never do extremely well. I'm not a good enough fisherman for that. Skinny and absolutely clear water coupled with little room for back casts makes for challenging fishing.... especially in high sunlight. But I never do particularly poorly either. And last, but certainly not least, the City of Helen and its conveniences are close by which usually translates into good food and a few beers for lunch and/or dinner after a day on the water.

"Despite cold temperatures, occasional high winds, and on and off snow flurries, the fishing remained relatively good throughout the afternoon. All total, I caught approximately a dozen nice rainbows and one especially nice (for the size of the water) approximately 13-inch brown. Only three trout hit on an upper Pheasant Tail Nymph pattern. The remainder hit various soft hackle patterns that were suspended below. All flies were size 14 and 16. That's not bad considering I didn't start until after noon and quit sometime around 5:00. Another typical day on Smith Creek."............ Ren

TOCCOA RIVER

While there are some good black stone fly hatches coming off on the Toccoa, we are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the black caddis. For the moment, look for the small black stones, blue winged olives and black midges on the surface. Subsurface, a good combination is a big woolly bugger with a soft hackle pheasant tail dropper rigged to be fished on the bottom of the deep pools.

The really exciting story on the Toccoa is the announcement that DNR plans to establish a new Delayed Harvest stream on the upper Toccoa. Approximately 1.5 miles of the river from Sandy Bottoms canoe launch downstream to the Forest Service property boundary just above Shallowford Bridge is scheduled to be managed under delayed harvest regulations beginning this coming November. This is a fantastic announcement! We predict this section of the Toccoa will become one of the most popular trout streams in the state. The river is big here and provides a variety of habitat for the fish. It will be a great stretch for wade fishing or fishing from a pontoon boat. The State must hold two public hearings on this issue before it becomes a reality but things look very positive. We will keep you notified on the dates of the public hearings when we get them. We should all keep this in mind the next time we hear of budgetary cuts that affect fisheries management in Georgia. The folks at DNR/WRD are doing an amazing job providing us with great fishing opportunities with extremely limited resources. Tell them the next time you see them on-stream.

CHATTOOGA RIVER

Our recent trips to the Chattooga have provided for some great fishing. Guides Mitchell Barrett and Dave Humphrey took clients there on a couple of trips this past week and report that the activity was impressive. Over 30 fish landed on one of the trips; all three species with the largest fish of the day being a beautiful 16" brookie. Flies that were productive this past week were Yaller Hammers, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tails, natural San Juan Worms, and size 16 Blue Winged Olive wet flies. Some of the best action was had by swinging the wet flies through a run and letting it rise at the end of the drift. Most fish were around 13" - 14". Quality fishing here in late Winter. Spring fishing on the Chattooga should be nothing short of fantastic.

HOOT ON THE HOOCH

Foothills TU is again hosting their annual "Hoot On The Hooch" banquet in March. The date for this year's event is March 11th so put it on your calendar now and plan to attend. We're moving to a new, larger venue this year and invite everyone to attend. Reservations are not necessary.

Admission: $20.00 per person/ $35.00 per couple

Location: Black Bear Dinner Theater (2.5 miles south of Unicoi Outfitters on Hwy. 75 - see http://www.blackbeardinnertheatre.com/public/Directions.aspx for directions)

Doors Open at 6:30 PM

Dinner: Barbeque by North Georgia Barbeque (including their famous banana pudding)

Entertainment: Shoal Creek bluegrass band (http://www.shoalcreekband.com)

Bucket Raffles & Silent Auctions

Georgia TU's Dream Flyfishing Vacation winner will be drawn (http://www.georgiatu.org)

NEW LEGISLATION

We recently received an email from our friend and fellow flyfisherman, Steve Levetan concerning a bill that he has helped get introduced to the Georgia Legislature. It concerns a problem we all confront every time we go on-stream, littering. GA House Bill 1320, the Comprehensive Litter Prevention and Abatement Act of 2006 can be viewed at this website: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/sum/hb1320.htm

If this issue concerns you, please contact your representative and let them know how you feel.

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