Fishing in Helen, Georgia
Want to go fishing? Angling opportunities abound around Helen, Georgia! Our shops in Helen and Clarkesville are strategically located to help you find and enjoy fishing opportunities during your visit to northeast Georgia. Here’s a brief menu of your angling options:
Trout Fishing
Trout are the most popular menu item here in our mountains. Rainbow trout are the most common species, but anglers have shots at browns and brookies, too.
https://georgiawildlife.com/
Visitors can choose among several different trout fishing experiences, including:
(A) small creek wild trout at high elevations,
(B) stocked trout in streams replenished by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
(which offers both catch-and-keep and catch-and/release opportunities)
https://georgiawildlife.com/
(C) reserving a fishing slot at Smithgall Woods State Park to pursue trophy trout,
https://gastateparks.org/
(D) making reservations with us for catch-and-release, fly fishing trips on privately managed sections of the Chattahoochee and Soque Rivers. We offer both guided and unguided fishing options, as described here:
https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/private-water/
The best North Georgia trout fishing seasons are Spring (March -May) and Fall (October-November), when water temperatures are prime for trout and air temperatures are comfortable for anglers. Winter (December-February) is also a great time for hearty souls, dressed warmly, to tackle trout on warm afternoons in uncrowded streams.
As June approaches, area waters warm and trout fishing opportunities are more limited. Stocked trout fishing is still very good through July for summer vacationers, especially families with children. The high-elevation wild trout still cooperate for our fly fishing veterans who pursue them early in the day.
If you are looking for a good resource for all things trout fishing in North Georgia we recommend picking up a copy of Jimmy Jacobs book “Fly Fishing For Peach State Trout”
https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/fly-fishing-for-peach-state-trout-jimmy-jacobs.html
Bass Fishing
For anglers wanting to bass fish there are plenty of options on the larger rivers and lakes in our area.
Native Shoal bass, Spotted bass, redbreast sunfish, and bluegill are target species for anglers floating down the Chattahoochee and Chestatee rivers in their kayaks, canoes, and rafts.
Area lakes like Burton, Seed, Rabun, Chatuge, and Lanier offer largemouth bass, spotted bass, and sunfish species for boat and bank anglers.
Our Clarkesville store, on the downtown square, offers an excellent selection of technical bass equipment and lures for all your bass fishing needs.
We also offers guided river bass floats and lake bass fishing trips March-November. There’s always a chance at some bonus fish, too, including striped bass, carp, and gar.
Redeye Bass
Our area is also home to three species of native Redeye bass. Although small, these native bass are spunky, colorful, and a blast to catch on a lighter rod. The best time to target Redeye bass in our area is April-September.
These fish are often sought after by anglers pursuing the Georgia Bass Slam:
https://georgiawildlife.com/
Chattahoochee Bass can be found in the upper Chattahoochee river system in and around the Helen area.
Bartram’s Bass are found in the upper Savannah river system. The wild and scenic Chattooga river east of Clayton, Georgia is beautiful place to pursue Bartram’s bass.
Coosa Bass are found in the Coosa river system. The upper Etowah river and Amicalola creek near Dawsonville and Dahlonega, Georgia are good places to target these bass.
For anglers wanting to learn more about all things Redeye Bass we recommend checking out biologist Matthew Lewis’s book “Fly Fishing For Redeye Bass”
https://nativefishcoalition.org/store/the-quest-for-the-golden-trout-ks2e8
Striper Fishing
Northeast Georgia also has some great fishing for freshwater stripers. Reservoirs like Lake Lanier, Nottley, and Hartwell are great striper fisheries.
All the rivers that flow into those lakes are also good places to target stripers especially in the spring when they make their annual spawning run up rivers.
For anglers wanting a great resource for striper fishing check out our friend Henry Cowen’s book
“Fly Fishing for Freshwater Striped Bass”
https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/fly-fishing-for-freshwater-striped-bass-henry-cowe.html
For the kids:
Nearby Unicoi State Park is a wonderful destination for families, where kids can trout fish in Smith Creek, bream fish in the lake, hike to Anna Ruby Falls , zip line, kayak, paddle-boat, and try their hand at archery and airguns:
https://www.unicoilodge.com/
Lake Burton Trout Hatchery, 30 minutes east of Helen, is another popular family stop. Visitors can walk through the hatchery, fish for stocked trout at Moccasin Creek State Park and wild trout upstream from the park, bream fish at the lake shoreline, and hike the one-mile trail up to Hemlock Falls.
If you’re an existing or prospective angler, the Helen area has a lot to offer. UO can provide you with timely fishing information and the right tackle, baits, lures, and flies to make your day on the water a success. We’re great at teaching, too, so give our Gilligan Special a try if you’d like to learn how to flyfish.
https://www.unicoioutfitters.
Check out our weekly fishing reports, fresh every Friday:
http://blog.angler.management/
Then come on up to the north Georgia mountains. We are right on Highway 75 on the south end of Helen, so swing in to Unicoi Outfitters on your way to a great day of fishing! We hope to see you soon in Helen.
