The following issues of the Unicoi newsletter are available:

This page is a collection of advice, tips, techniques, and newsletters regarding fly tying, entomology, and fly fishing. Although our library is small at present, it will grow over time. If you have any material that you would like to add to this page, please send us an email outlining your idea.

The following articles are currently available:

• Western Style Fly Fishing - In Georgia describes fishing a tailwater river in North Georgia.
• Georgia Delayed Harvest Streamsgives information about Georgia's Delayed Harvest streams
• Graphite: Playing the Numbers provides some insights into understanding what is meant by the modulus of a fly rod
• Winter Fishing Tips and Techniques discusses winter trout fishing in the Georgia mountains.

We are also starting a series of stream-specific information pages for local streams, starting with:

Graphite: Playing the Numbers

It's difficult to shop for a fly rod for very long and not hear the term "so and so million modulus" authoritatively stated by someone. The first questions you may ask yourself might be: "What is a modulus?" and "How do they fit so many of them inside a 7 foot 2 weight?" The term is actually "Modulus of Elasticity" which is an engineering measurement related to the properties of materials. The unit most commonly used is P.S.I. or pounds per square inch.

The engineering definition is as follows: The ratio of stress to corresponding strain below the proportional limits of the material expressed in force per unit area. Where stress is the axial load divided by the cross sectional area and strain is the amount of deformation divided by the initial length. Simply put, a material with a high modulus of elasticity will have a high tensile strength at a given diameter and it will stretch very little per unit length.

How does this apply to fly rods? The modulus of graphite fibers used for a fly rod blank can influence two things directly: 1) Stiffness, and 2) Weight. Of course these two properties can influence every other characteristic a fly rod might have. If a high modulus graphite is used in a fly rod's construction, less fibers can be used to achieve a given stiffness, thus making the blank lighter. Unfortunately, the blank will also be more delicate. The reason for this is the fact that if the rod receives a scratch or nick, a greater percentage of the total number of fibers are damaged since there are less fibers present.

How does this relate to buying a fly rod? As much as we like to apply numbers to our sports, (300 horsepower, 3000 foot pounds, 300 feet per second, 30 inch rainbow) choosing a fly rod is not completely quantitative. There are other factors that supersede numbers like "feel", which is not entirely dependent on upon weight and stiffness…which is not entirely dependent on modulus of elasticity, hoop strength or anything else that can be learned by a freshman techie in a strength of materials class. Rod building is more of an art than a science.

Rod builders spend years learning the relationships between taper, wall thickness, modulus, fiber, and matrices and how these factors influence the performance and "feel" of the rod. In spite of all this, the most important factors in choosing a fly rod are not in the rod. They are in the fisherman. The process of choosing a fly rod should be a more subjective experience. No two anglers fish the same waters for the same fish with the same style. If everyone had the same needs, then there would be only one rod company with one line of rods.

The best advise for anyone looking for a fly rod is to cast as many rods as possible within the desired category. This way the angler can become more familiar with the intangible aspects of the rods that ultimately determine how much enjoyment he or she will derive from the equipment.

Bruce Humphrey

Return to Unicoi Outfitters Home page

Winter Fishing Tips and Techniques

Recent rains have really changed things in the streams. Although water levels are still below normal for this time of year, they are up from the extremely low levels of the past few months. For most of the Fall all the trout were bunched up in the deepest pools & runs they could find. Fishing for them was simply a matter of going to these deep areas and trying to make a good enough presentation with fly or lure to entice one of them to strike.

Hunting for fish was, essentially, not part of the strategy needed. You knew the fish were there, but so did everyone else who had fished through before you. As a result, the fishing was confined to these areas and over fish that had seen it all.

Even the small rise in water levels which we've seen recently has resulted in some dispersal of the fish. It seems that the trout were just as tired of living in those cramped and crowded holes as we were of fishing them. Now rocks and cover logs that haven't even been in the water in recent months are holding fish. The hunt for fish has returned!

Places that look like they should hold fish, may have fish again. Water conditions are clear and temperatures in the mid 40's. With the water being so clear, you may have to fish fine tippets if you're fly fishing. Take every advantage you can get to gain the high ground.

A very effective winter fishing technique is to swing a streamer across and downstream. Depending on water depth, an appropriate amount of split shot may be needed to get the fly down to the fish. Fishing a streamer such as a woolly bugger or muddler on a tight line downstream can be very productive now. Cast upstream for a dead drift until the fly passes you, then allow it to swing downstream on a tight line. You then have the option of holding the fly in the current to entice a strike as it slowly swims back and forth or to strip it back upstream. It's interesting to note that a strike can be very forceful at times with this method or so slight that it seems to be more of a nudge than a strike. If it's a hard strike it can actually break off your fly. With this in mind, always fish with your rod tip slightly off to one side; never pointed directly at your fly. The spring of the rod provides just enough give to prevent most break-offs.

The move outa my space strike can be almost like worm fishing for bass. Often the trout will simply want to nudge the intruding fly out of the area by nipping at the tail. If you react too quickly, you'll pull the fly away from the fish. Be patient, holding the fly right in front of the fish to see if it will come back and hit it again. Once you feel the trout has actually grabbed the fly (this may not be very obvious), the strike can be as little as a slow deliberate movement of the rod upstream while holding it parallel to the water. If you have a fish on, then give the rod a short quick pump to set the hook. Then hold on! Some very large trout are caught this time of year using this technique. Since you are already fighting the fish against the current, this is not the time to try to horse him in. Be ready for an extended fight, giving line whenever the fish attempts to make a run downstream, gaining ground whenever you have a lull in the run or the fish moves back upstream. A lot of fishermen think stripping a streamer is boring fishing. This opinion usually changes sometime midway of fighting that first big fish against the current. While streamer fishing doesn't have the visual thrill of a splashy rise to a dry fly, it is an extremely effective winter technique that everyone should learn.

Tight lines.

Jimmy Harris

Return to Unicoi Outfitters Home page