It’s the perfect fall weekend to get outside. Y’all have October fishing and festivals to entertain the entire family. Trout waters are skinny and low, but cold enough to turn on the trout. Lakes are finally cooling off enough to bring bass and stripers back up toward the surface. And from fresh grits to hayrides and horse rides, our Sautee area has something for everyone this weekend. Get up here ASAP! Check out all the details in our full report, here:
https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/fishing-reports
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
www.unicoioutfitters.com
Sautee: 706-878-3083. Open 8-5 daily. (2454 GA Hwy 17, Sautee-Nacoochee.)
Clarkesville: 706-754-0203. Open 8-5 from Monday thru Saturday.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: October caddis, orange stimmy, parachute ant, para Adams
Nymphs & Wets:
Frenchie, October caddis jig, Duracell, mop, sexy Walts, pheasant tail, micro girdle bug, squirmy worm, soft hackle partridge.
Streamers:
Olive woolly bugger, mohair leech, sparkle minnow, mini gulp sculp.
River stripers:
Mop tail changer, bangtail, clouser.
River bass:
crittermite, hairy fodder, thrasher, leggy boi, clouser, sparkle minnow
Headwaters:
They’re low, clear, and cool and little wild fish are loving that chilly water. Just remember that they are real spooky in thin, glassy streams. Orange is still a tough color to beat for your October dries, but fish them after lunch as waters warm.
UO buddy Spangler: “Low doesn’t aptly describe how little water was in the tiny headwater stream I fished this morning. There were stretches where it normally branches that were totally dry, as well as some of the little feeders where I can usually make a cast at the junction. So it was tough to find fishable water but I managed to find some really old stream improvement structures that I had no idea where there (I really thought I was the only person who knew about this stream). Around these I managed to get some looks on my dry, but the only one to the net came on a little olive bugger with my tenkara rod. He was worth the trouble! One of the nicer specs I’ve ever caught in GA. Temps both air and water were perfect, not a lot of bug activity. Plenty of leaves hatching at about 3200 feet though!”
New UO buddy Jarrod from Tx: First rainbow of my life. Caught two and a creek chub on Xxxx Creek behind the landmark y’all told me about. Will be repping UO in Texas. Thanks again. Had a great visit and will definitely be back.
Ian’s fresh Smokies report:
Stockers:
Stockers are scarce. You might find some SCDNR fish on that border river, and a good number of summer leftovers in the two GA tailwaters.
Rabunite Gabby just sent this late report: “We fished Tallulah today. Nobody there but us. Caught a few holdover browns and several wild trout. I used nothing but an October caddis and Leigh used an Adams. It was a fun Friday on the water.”
Private Waters:
Still fishing great, as long as you don’t spook them in the thin, clear pools. Book a trip with us soon!
UO-Helen manager Wes: “Private water trips have fished great this week if you know how to play the “low clear flow” game. Dry/dropper rigs have been great with a few fish eating the dry. Most takes have been on the dropper. Very light weight nymph patterns that sink slowly and stay up off the bottom have been my secret to client success this week.”
UO guide (and former Alaska guide) Alex added: “Low and clear. Use big dry flies instead of indicators and pray for rain! My best droppers were a rainbow warrior and a WD40.”
UO guide Sydney: “Both my guide trips and personal fishing trips have been great! I have mainly been doing dry/dropper rigs with a small pats rubber legs . Pink bead CDC nymphs have also been working well on private water. With the water so low I’ve had to use small #16 and 18 bugs.
I’ve caught some fish chucking some streamers around here and there. Try some balanced leach patterns, and sparkle minnows if you’re a streamer junkie.
Private water trips have been a lot of fun for some first time fly flingers again this week. It’s been great with the prime water temps we’ve had, but we sure need some rain soon!
My dad and I got to go fish some private water for fun yesterday. He landed his PB trout and I caught a new species of fish to check off the list- the sucker!!! Overall it has been a great birthday week for me!”
Tailwaters:
UO buddy Ryan: “Last night I had a few hours to get out with my friend Jim on the Hooch tailwater. We worked on tight line nymphing, and Jim had a number of quick strikes but didn’t connect. While swinging he caught about a 3 inch baby brown which I was happy to see. I went on to catch a handful of little rainbows from smaller water, and we worked upstream to one of my favorite runs on the entire Hooch. It was all quiet until we made it to the very top of the run. The sun had set and it was hard to see a sighter, so we put an indicator on as Jim worked the head of the run. He set the hook at the end of a drift and immediately thought he was hung on the bottom. I thought I saw a weird twitch and we both simultaneously realized he was not hung on bottom! After a battle we brought this beauty to the net. A true Hooch Wade fishing trophy. These fish are not dumb, and the reward of catching them in wadeable water for moments like this has been my mission for the last 13+ years. Congrats Jim!”
Feel free to contact the Hartley duo for your Hooch Tailwater intel and maybe a guide trip:
Ryan Hartley: 678-468-0440
Myles Hartley: 678-900-0835
Delayed Harvest:
DH opportunities loom on the horizon (Nov 1) for Georgia and North Carolina program fans. Are you ready?
Warm Rivers:
They’re low and clear, but cold. The Hooch at Highway 115 was a chilly 57F when I crossed it this afternoon. Stick with subsurface bugs for your best catch rates. Leaves are falling, but it’s not too bad yet in the main flows.
Ponds:
No news.
Lakes:
UO guide Joseph: “Lanier Striper fishing has been good over the past week. We’re still seeing some fish feeding on top however, water temps need to come down a little bit for topwater fishing to be consistent. Most schooling we’ve seen has been over open water. For flies I’ve had the most success on my somethin better, game changers, and clousers. For conventional gear topwater walking baits and serpentine swimbaits have been the ticket.
Fishing will only improve from here. I still have some prime fall openings on my calendar but they are going fast. To book or inquire visit www.josephclarkflyfishing.com or call UO Sautee at (706)-878-3083.”
UO buddy and Lanier striper guru HenryC:“My young friend CD with his first striper on a fly... gamechanger for the win! You only get 1 chance to catch your first!”
Plentiful Events:
There’s a lot going on in our neck of the woods this weekend . Trouters can hit their favorite headwaters, while fall festival folks will enjoy Nora Mill’s 150th anniversary celebration. Don’t miss their cornmeal and pancake mixes.
Take a riverside horseback ride with our next-door neighbors, Chattahoochee Stables in Sautee, and then visit our fly shop.
Fall wanderers will also enjoy the Hardman Farm’s “Mountain Farm Celebration.”
Stop by Booth #9 at the farm and talk a little trout with Dredger. He’ll be helping his mother-in-law peddle her newly released Christmas Children’s Books.
Your grass doesn’t need cutting and your leaves don’t need raking yet., so it’s time for a road trip! This is the perfect fall weekend to tour for trout and mountain scenery, or cruise uncrowded lakes for bass and stripers. Get outside and take advantage of October’s natural wonders. We’ll see you in Sautee.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
