Hello winter! We’re getting an early taste of it this weekend with the icy cold front rocketing in now. It’s time to dust off your winter trouting tactics to catch them closer to the bottom as water temps dive. Hopefully stream temps will rebound next week as the weather moderates.
Headwater trout were hungry and hitting topwater early in the week, but might do better in droppers this weekend. Don’t miss Wes’ second episode of his new YouTube series as he stalks Georgia’s wild Brook trout.
DH trout were cooperative on junk flies last week, but are smartening up quickly after multiple releases. Private waters fish also have high IQ’s with low, clear water, and small dark bugs will be the ticket. Aim for the warmth of the midday sun.
Stripers took a break last week due to bluebird skies. Hopefully they’ll rebound when the clouds come back.
There are some great events in the horizon, so don’t miss our list!
Check out all the details 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, micro chubby for dry/dropper rig, para Adams
Nymphs & Wets:
DH streams:
Squirmy worm, egg, mop, bugger, micro girdle bug, root beer midge, duracell,Frencie
Wild trout:
Pheasant tail, zebra midge, frenchie
Streamers:
Olive woolly bugger, mohair leech, mini gulp sculp.
Reservoir stripers & bass:
Somethin else, Jo’s Somethin better, low fat minnow, clouser minnow,
River bass:
crittermite, hairy fodder, clouser, sparkle minnow
Headwaters:
They’re very low and very clear. They were fairly warm at the beginning of the week, but will cool off quickly with the freezing overnite temperatures expected this weekend. Expect more hits on your dropper than your dry until the creeks warm back up next week.
Did you “catch” Wes’ new YouTube series called “Wading with Wes?” Episode 2 aired this week. Join Wes and Israel on their native brook trout trek in the Georgia mountains.
Dredger ran high up the mountain on the warm Monday afternoon for some last hurrahs on dries. The little wild rainbows were cooperative in the 54-degree water. A #16 orange stimmy was all that he needed, along with a good stalk.
Stockers:
Georgia stockers will be scarce until next March, when the existing hatchery crops finally reach stockable size.
Private Waters:
They’re still fishing well, but anglers must bring their A games or a really good guide, since the water is low and clear and the fish are spooky. Book a trip with us soon!
Several of our guides partnered with the GA Women Fly Fishers to volunteer as fishing guides for last Sunday’s Casting for Recovery retreat. Event leader Megan: “It was another incredible weekend retreat for the breast cancer thrivers who attended the Casting for Recovery GA retreat. We tied knots, casted fly rods, created memories by the fire, and engaged in supportive conversations throughout the weekend. Oh, and we caught a LOT of fish on Sunday. Ten incredible women, all filled with joy and excitement, and brought together by a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis and the promise of a retreat that shares the healing power of water.
Thanks to the entire U/O community for the support of our GA program and to Jake and all the U/O guides for their efforts to get everyone on the water for Sunday’s fishing outing.”
Tailwaters:
UO buddy Ryan: “This past weekend myself and a few friends fished the Hooch tailwater. The water was horribly stained, worse than typical turnover, and fishing was slow! We were just happy to catch a few on junk flies, and went home early! Right now it seems like the action is variable day to day in some areas.”
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:
GA and NC DH streams have been stocked. Stockings are pretty light in NC due to the loss of hatchery fish during the long, hot summer. Big thanks to the US Forest Service and the SC and GA wildlife agencies for the copter stocking of Chattooga DH and the 15 miles of backcountry river above it.
GAWRD’s weekly fishing blog has some extensive DH intel in today’s edition, here:
Don’t miss the walleye info, too.
Our region’s DH streams are really low and clear. Water temps have been good (50’s), but will dive with this cold front. Mornings will be slow, but the bite should pick up with warming afternoons. Fish are still podded up in the few available drought refuges. Cover some ground quickly until you discover a pod that has found a safe shelter.
Best bets have been small dredged eggs and small stripped buggers, with squirmies and small rubberlegs also scoring. As expected, crowds are tough. Go early, late, or on weekdays to find more willing fish. Try small, flashy beaded or Euronymphs if you find fish that have already seen too many eggs. Yarn or small foam indicators will land lightly and spook fewer fish.
Rabunite Gabby reports that she and two other vols mentored a big bunch of new flyfishing gals from the UGA 5 Rivers flyfishing club last Saturday at Smith DH. Despite the crowds, the guides and gals found a few open pools and learned how to cast and drift. Most had a few strikes and several young ladies caught their first trout. Drifted eggs did best.
Dahlonega TU leader “Banker” said his club had a good outing this week at Chattooga DH. They spread out the entire length of stream. He said: Tandem #14 black microstone and peach egg rig on euro mono rig worked best for me and a buddy. Rest of our group spread out and the more accomplished euro nymphers did best. Eggs and mops seemed to work best for them but a variety of flies seemed to work. Folks are welcome to join our chapter.
Athens Jay and an accomplice hit Tooga DH yesterday afternoon. The water was extremely thin and they had to cover a lot of ground to find fish pods. Water temp 52 at 3PM. Peach eggs were hot, with a tie for a distant second between the squirmy and the olive bugger. All but one brown were bows. Trip highlights were a pair of bald eagles circling above the ridge top, and a third bird that cruised right down the river corridor.
Dredger hit the Nan DH for a couple hours last Wednesday afternoon. Water temp was a chilly 49F at 5PM, but he managed a handful of bows (half wild, half stocked) in a couple hours on his #16 frenchie. The water was thin and he had to cover ground to find the fish.
Warm Rivers:
No news, except that they’re real low and very cold. You’ll need to work your plugs, streamers and crayfish flies slowly for a chance at river bass.
Ponds:
No news.
Lakes:
UO’s Lanier guide Joseph: “Fishing on the pond was a little tougher this week with bluebird skies and high winds. The name of the game was finding less windy areas near where fish were previously holding.
Our best success came on Cowen’s somethin else and my “somethin better” in small sizes fished on intermediate lines. For conventional anglers small paddle tail swimbaits and surprntine style hard baits worked best.
We still have lots of great Lanier striper fishing ahead of us this season. If you’re interested in getting out there call UO Sautee at (706)878-3083 or visit my website at www.josephclarkflyfishing.com
I still have a few fall dates open.
Note: If you book a trip with Joseph between now and Christmas, we'll give you a free signed copy of Henry's book "Fly Fishing for Freshwater Striped Bass".
Events:
Take a riverside horseback ride with our next-door neighbors, Chattahoochee Stables in Sautee, and then visit our fly shop.
11/14 Atlanta Swap Meet
11/17 Program
Reminder: Athens Jay will be the program speaker at Rabun TU’s monthly meeting. Guests welcome. It’s gonna be a good one: “People, Places and Dreams”. Details in the November newsletter at
Winston Rod Raffle!
What a sweet deal for only three bucks!
The cold front is here, so break out your winter clothes and your winter fishing techniques. Let your stream thermometer and our shop intel guide you to success this week. PS: don’t forget a dry change of clothes waiting for you in your vehicle. Don’t ask me how I know….Good luck!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
