JUNE, 2006 UNICOI NEWSLETTER

Well, if you've been waiting on our newsletter for a fishing report, we've got good news and bad news. Bad news first. It's dry as a bone up here in north Georgia! The USGS gauge on the Chattahoochee in Helen is showing that the river is running at about 65 cfs. That's not much water! We're all wondering how long it will take the tubers to realize they're paying their money for a walk down the river while dragging a pink innertube. The Chattooga gauge is currently at 1.1 feet. No problem with kayakers poaching a run above Hwy. 28 at this level. Bottom line is, while we're still able to do some early AM trips on Nacoochee Bend, Frog Hollow, Cannon Falls and River North, the low water levels are definitely curtailing the number of trips we can provide and their duration. This is nothing really new but water levels certainly did get low in a hurry late this spring. One good thing about this low water is that we're having some dynamite dry fly action on big attractor patterns. With water this low, it's just as easy for the fish to look up as down and they just can't resist a big Tarantula floating over their head. So, the bad news is that the fishing on the larger streams is being negatively impacted by the low water and with July and August still ahead don't expect any improvement until fall. The Chattooga above Burrell's Ford looks like a small creek and afternoon water temps are in the low 70's as are the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee.

Now for the good news! The creek at Noontootla Creek Farms is still running in the high 50's early AM and low 60's by afternoon. Our guests are enjoying some great days there now and we're still fishing full day trips. Just two weeks ago we were fortunate enough to host the 2006 Fly Fishing Masters finals at Noontootla Creek Farms and the fishing was all we could have hoped for. We'll have more information on the show in later newsletters but for now all we know is that it will likely air the first week of September. The entire Fly Fishing Masters is a 7-show series which will begin in early July. There is currently no mention of it on their website but you can check in at http://www.olntv.com/ in coming weeks to find the schedule.

Obviously, if the Farm is fishing well, then the section of Noontootla upstream from us is in good shape also. The Forest Service section of Noontootla Creek isn't for everyone but it can be a lot of fun to fish if you like small, tight streams with extremely wary wild browns and rainbows. But, it provides relatively easy access and is one of the few streams in Georgia where you can fish for truly wild, stream born trout. No hatchery fish here, just smart little buggers that run under the bank when you close your car door. In the past few weeks we've seen some good hatches of giant golden stones, light cahills, Hendricksons and caddis on Noontootla and some good fish have been taken on dry flies.

More of the good news centers around the other high elevation streams in Georgia. Even though they are all running at low levels, the water is still cool and the fish are aggressive. Get a good topographic map to use with your trout stream map and head for the hills. Look for streams above 2000 feet elevation, pack a short rod, a box of attractor dry flies, some floatant, a 6' - 7' 5X leader, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bottle of water and hike upstream. You may just be surprised at what you'll find. A word of warning: work on your reflexes before you go. Those little wild fish can taste your fly and spit it out before your brain ever registers that you had a strike. That's part of the fun, trying to see if you can beat that little 6" critter on his home water. Odds are you'll miss many more than you catch. A brief disclaimer: watch out for poison ivy, yellow jackets, copperheads and bears; in that order. While a severe case of poison ivy will just make you want to die, the other three listed here can actually kill you so be careful and always tell someone else where you will be fishing and what time you expect to come out.

Finally, in the good news department we can't go without recommending the Toccoa tailwater. It's fishing great this summer with plenty of quality fish in the 15" - 18" range being caught. There are good hatches of light cahills and sulfurs on most days as well as small caddis, blue wing olives and, of course, midges. However, even in the midst of a good hatch you may find few fish rising and feeding on the surface. We're catching a lot of good Toccoa fish on woolly buggers but you don't always have to go deep. Small emerger patterns (size 16's & 18's) that ride just in the surface film can be fished dry fly style with great success. Try a parachute style fly tied on a curved hook so the body hangs down under the surface rather than rides on top. It was irresistible this past weekend and should continue to perform well over the summer months. 6X tippet is pretty much a necessity but you shouldn't have to go any smaller than that. If you want to fish a nymph, we've been most successful with a prince, micro stones, and hares ears in 16's & 18's. Beadless patterns are much more productive than the brass beads. If you need to get your fly down deeper, place a small split shot about 10" above your nymph or fish a fly with a dull copper or black bead head. The Toccoa is a blast to fish, it's easy enough to wade and wide open enough to give you room to cast. Check with our shop in Blue Ridge (706-632-1880) for the most up-to-date fishing information and, by all means, don't forget to check the TVA generation schedule (http://lakeinfo.tva.gov). When you go to the TVA website, click on "Blue Ridge" and "Release and Elevation". It will give you the predicted time of release for the following day by around 5:30 PM the previous day. And remember that Blue Ridge only has one generator so it's either on or it's off. If it's on, don't go in. If it's off, fish like crazy.

We hope this newsletter provides you with enough information to make a good decision on where to spend your valuable fishing time during the hot summer months. We're always available at both our shops to answer any questions you may have or just to talk fishin'. We are fortunate enough to get to fish quite a bit (it's our job and we're dedicated to doing it well!) but now and then we get to do some really great fishing vicariously through our friends when they stop by to tell us their latest tales. We look forward to hearing your stories.

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.

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Tight lines!

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