Seasons Greetings!
Well, we’ve almost put another year in the can. Hard to believe,
isn’t it. Another
year of fishing opportunities has slipped away. Some were taken and many
more
than we would like to think about were missed for one reason or another.
Let’s
see, we had excellent fishing early on in the year and, as we moved through
Spring, we had ourselves fooled into believing the drought was over. Spring
fishing was fantastic on all our private trophy streams as well as the public
waters
where we guide wade and float trips. Things were really looking up and then
July and August hit us like a brick wall. The drought conditions of the
last 4
summers were back with a vengeance. If not for the tailwater trips we do,
we
would not have fished at all during this time. We were, literally, treading
water
during July, August and the first half of September. And then things began
to
take a turn for the better. We had the wettest October since they have been
keeping records. November and December have followed right along with good
rains and we noticed an announcement just last week that farmers are being
told
to prepare for a wet Spring in 2003. Could el nino really be our friend?
Who
knows. Weather predicting is an iffy prospect two days into the future and
six
months out may come with the odds of the proverbial snow ball in Hades.
However, who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth? Things are looking
very
good at the moment and we’re going to take advantage of them.
We’ve been preaching the virtues of Winter fishing for several years
now and this
may be the best one yet. We’re having great success on all our trips.
Our trophy
streams are yielding good numbers and some large fish (a 25” rainbow
on a size
20 blue wing olive this past week). Our lake is a blast to fish, offering
almost
non-stop action with streamers and small nymphs. Smith Creek is loaded with
fish, as are the Nantahala and Tuckaseegee Rivers in North Carolina. The
new
DH on the Chattooga River is everything we expected and more. We’ve
had a
couple of successful trips up there lately and are even more convinced this
is one
of the most beautiful rivers in the country. Big, beautiful and now well
stocked
with browns, rainbows and brookies, some of significant size. It feels as
if you
were fishing in a TU calendar photo.
Dukes Creek, as we mentioned last month, is regaining favoritism among
our
folks at the shop. It requires kicking the skill level up a notch or two
but can
produce some nice fish. The December issue of “Georgia Outdoor News”
features a good article on Dukes Creek written by Don Baldwin who fished
there
recently with Pete Griffin and Jimmy. Bottom line is this: while tradition
holds
that we Georgians trout fish in the Spring, Summer and early Fall, it’s
becoming
more and more evident that Winter fishing is second to none.
What to Use
It could be dries! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Midges and BWO’s
just may
provide that opportunity so be alert. Midge hatches occur frequently, regardless
of weather conditions. Blue wing olives are supposed to like dreary, overcast
days and, often, that is when you’ll see them. However, we also see
them late
afternoons on bluebird days. Hey, we’ve quit trying to figure out hatches;
we just
go with the flow!
High-stick nymph fishing is typical fare for this time of the year. Helgrammite
patterns, big hares ears and prince nymphs in size 10 for stone fly imitations,
soft
hackle pheasant tails in size 16, Island Park Specials (our old stand-by),
glass
bead caddis emergers in 16’s and 18’s. All these will catch fish
if presented
properly and at the right depth. Just remember, get a good drag-free drift
to
increase your odds. As we’ve said before, this is far and away the
number one
reason most folks don’t catch fish, drag.
Woolly buggers, of course, catch lots of fish. We won’t reproduce
it here but
there is a very good article on our website (Tips and Techniques) explaining
how
to fish buggers on a tight line during the Winter. Visit our website at
http://www.unicoioutfitters.com and read about our technique.
One more comment. Use a strike indicator! Don’t listen to your “purist”
friends
who put this method down. If they want to nymph fish without an indicator,
fine;
let them. They may catch plenty of fish. You can bet, however, they aren’t
catching all the fish that have the fly in their mouth. They’ll never
know how
many fish actually took their fly and rejected it without them noticing.
Even with
an indicator, you’ll probably never detect 30% of the takes. Without
an indicator
that percentage probably rises to at least 50% if not more. And this is
regardless
of the advanced skill level of many of those who dismiss the “bobber”.
Striper Fishing on the Fly
We want to thank our friend and colleague Henry Cowan for this report
on striper
fishing on Lake Lanier. Henry guides on Lanier for anglers wishing to try
for
stripers on a fly rod. He also is a nationally recognized innovator of striper
flies
and has several patterns listed in both Orvis and Umpqua. To book a trip
with
Henry contact him at Cowan’s Quality Flies and Guide Service (678-450-1133).
“Striper fishing on Lake Lanier has finally taken an upturn. Most
of the fish can
be found on the upper part of the lake (above Gainesville Marina). Birds
will
help you find these hungry fish. You might see terns and gulls feeding on
the
surface or you might see a Loon or two working on top of a pile of bait.
Once
located, the way to catch these stripers is to use a sinking line like Orvis’
Depth
Charge or a Teeney 350 grain. Small flies are the ticket as the threadfin
shad the
stripers are munching on are 1”-2” long. I like a sparsely tied
grey/white Clouser
(size 1/0) about 1 ½” long with a touch of pearl flash. A countdown
method is
used to catch these fish. Once you go over the surface feeding fish, or
locate
them with your depth recorder, you cast out to where the fish are and countdown
to the desired depth. Remember, the 350 grain line sinks about 1 foot every
2
seconds. So, if the fish are spotted in 15 feet of water, then a 30 second
countdown is required. Even if the fish are surface feeding, I would recommend
a 20 second countdown. If you see 5 or 6 fish busting on top, there are
probably
30 or 40 under the surface. These are hard fighting fish that will kick
butt on a 9
weight. January, generally, is a good month for stripers but the good news
is that
February is even better! Fish are averaging about 10 lbs. this year but
there are
many teen size fish being caught. See you on the pond!”
What's New
Only a couple of items to report here since the October Newsletter gave
a pretty
comprehensive report after our visit to the Fly Tackle Dealer Show in September.
We have, however, recently gotten in a couple of WaterSkeeter’s “Lake
Placid”
pontoon boats. They are almost identical to the “Back Cast” model
that we have
stocked for some time except the “Lake Placid” has an aluminum
frame that
reduces the weight by about 30%. It comes with 6 ft. oars, cargo deck, anchor
mount and a pump. The “Lake Placid” regularly lists for $495.00
without the
pump. Unicoi Outfitters has them on sale for $430.00 (pump included). Visit
WaterSkeeter’s website at http://www.waterskeeter.com and take a look
at the
“Lake Placid”.
Another new item in the shop is the recently produced “Chattahoochee
Flies”
DVD that was put together by the Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout
Unlimited. This is a very professional quality instructional DVD on tying
patterns that work well on the Chattahoochee River from the headwaters to
the
Delayed Harvest section in Atlanta. Featuring 9 patterns with which you’re
probably not familiar, tied by their innovators (all local guys who fish
the Hooch
way more than most folks are allowed to), and with fishing tips given for
each
pattern, “Chattahoochee Flies” is a great addition to your tying
resource library.
It sells for $20.00 and 100% of the proceeds are passed along to the Georgia
Council of Trout Unlimited.
Coming Up
As we begin the new year, we will again be offering our fly tying and
fly fishing
classes on a regular basis. Our first fly tying class is scheduled for February
15th.
It’s a one day class at a cost of $65.00. We’ll provide all the
tools and materials
needed if you don’t have your own. We also want to let everyone know
that we
can schedule our fly tying and fly fishing classes at any time as long as
we have a
minimum of 3 confirmed students. If your family, friends or work associates
are
interested in the personal attention we can give your private group, give
us a call.
We’ll help you pick a date.
One of our favorite events of the year is right around the corner. Rabun
TU’s
Rabun Rendezvous will be held on January 25th at the Dillard House in Dillard,
Georgia. This annual fundraising event has evolved into THE social event
of our
trout fishing world. Absolutely everyone is invited to attend. The cost
is $25 for
adults, $20 for those under 16. The admission price includes the cost of
dinner in
addition to a pig pickin’ and live bluegrass music by the Foxfire Boys.
The after
dinner speaker this year is our good friend, and one of flyfishing’s
most popular
ambassadors, Wanda Taylor. Social hour begins around 5:00 PM when folks
will
start gathering to “pick the pig”, perusing the raffle and silent
auction items,
listening to the Foxfire Boys, and enjoying the camaraderie of like-minded
folks.
If you don’t make any other social event, you need to experience the
Rabun
Rendezvous.
A Look Back
As we close out 2002, we can’t help but look back and give thanks
for all the
blessings in our lives. We’ve been fortunate enough to speak to and
provide
support for a number of Trout Unlimited chapters throughout the Southeast,
Georgia Women Fly Fishers, North Georgia Trout Online, The American
Fisheries Society and a number of worthwhile charities. We’ve fished
Huntington Creek and the Upper Provo River in Utah. Caught stripers and
largemouth on Lake Lanier with Henry Cowan, bonefish on Cat Cay in the
Bahamas with Polly Dean and Jimmy Jacobs, browns and rainbows on the
Davidson with Anthony Ruella. Fished the fabulous tailwaters of Southwest
Colorado with our good friend Mike Eckert and the Caney Fork in Tennessee
with master carver Jim Wiley and Chris Nischan
(http://www.rodandgunguide.com). Floated the Toccoa with Gary Taylor and
Brad Wayne, hosted a GWFF Casting Clinic with Wanda Taylor, and guided
Team South on a float trip during “Fly Rod & Reel’s”
Trout Bum contest. We’ve
fished for shoal bass on the Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee Rivers and brookies
on…I don’t believe we said. We’ve met new friends on fishing
trips like U.S.
Representative Charlie Norwood, outdoor writer Don Baldwin, Skip Barnette
(Atlantic Southeast Airlines President).
Our favorite new fishing buddy is Patrick Gorman, whose father, Tom,
was a Port
Authority policeman and a hero of 9/11. Tom was an avid angler who instilled
an outdoor ethic in his young son that we all need to encourage in future
generations of anglers. We look forward Patrick joining us at Nacoochee
Bend
again this Spring.
We’ve been fortunate this year to appear on ESPN’s “Destination
Outdoors” and
“Fly Fishing America” as well as GPTV’s “Georgia Outdoors”.
We’ve appeared
in a variety of publications including “Georgia Sportsman”, “Saltwater
Fly
Fishing”, “Georgia Outdoor News” and “The Angling Report”.
We were
honored to be recognized at White County’s “Salute To Education”
for our work
with the Discovery Class at White County Middle School and proud to assist
in
the first National Hunting and Fishing Day events at Unicoi State Park where
we
helped introduce over 400 people, mostly youngsters, to trout fishing. In
short,
life is good! We are so fortunate to count all of you among our friends.
We try
very hard to have the best fly shop and guide staff possible. We want your
experiences with us to be the foundation for a long relationship and hope
that we
always exceed your expectations. We truly value your continued support in
the
coming new year and wish you all the best.
Tight lines!
The Liars Club |