Unicoi Outfitters Holiday Fishing Report
Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report 6/26/26.
Welcome to our holiday fishing report, which will cover y’all right through the weekend of the Fourth.
North Georgia is heating up as it always does at this time of the year, but it’s still a fine time to wet a line. We just have to be a bit more strategic to find good water and to avoid the crowds.
For trout, the name of the game will be early morning angling before the sun rises and bakes our streams. Headwater wild trout will be good early if you go to high elevations and/or north slope streams. Stockers will be good early, as well, while tailwaters will stay cold all day.
We haven’t had much rain, so rivers will be clear if summer storms don’t hit them. Float the rivers for bass and bream early to avoid the holiday yak and tube armadas.
Ponds will still be good asking as there is shade in them. Reservoirs can be good for spotted bass early, before the water skiers and wake boarders awake.
Celebrate America’s birthday by making some memories on the water with friends and family. Catch our most recent fishing intel in our full report, here:
We look forward to seeing you this week at both of our stores. Stop in soon. Good luck!
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:
Last week’s list is still spot-on)
Dries: Water walker, chubby Chernobyl, micro chubby for creeks, yellow humpy, stimulator or elk hair caddis, purple haze or parachute Adams .
Nymphs & Wets:
Squirmies, Mops, and buggers for stockers.
Drowned ant, green weenie, micro girdle bug, Walt’s worm, lightning bug, redneck.
Mountain streams: drowned ant, green weenie, prince nymph, improved yallarhammer.
Streamers:
Sparkle minnow, jig bugger, bank robber sculpin.
Reservoir Bass & Stripers:
Cowen’s somethin else, low fat minnow, game changer, Clouser.
River bass:
Topwater: poppers, stealth bomber.
Streamers sparkle minnow, feather changer, thrasher, tweaker.
Bottom bouncing flies: crittermite, crawfish jambalaya, hairy fodder.
Bream:
Boogle bugs, Bumble butt, prince nymph, bream reaper.
Carp:
Carp it bomb, hybrid worm, ball peen craw.
They still have decent flows and are crystal clear. Temperatures are holding out right now, but will creep up with the forecasted heat wave this week. At 8AM today Dukes at Smithgall
and the Hooch on the lower WMA ran 64F,
while Smith above the lake was 63.
Get out at dawn, go up high, use that stream thermometer, and have sone dry fly fun til the sun heats the water to 66F between 10 and noon. Caddis, Adams, yeagers, and ants will get you all the rises you want, as long as you sneak up on those little wild fish.
UO buddy RSquared is currently chasing wild rainbows high the the headwaters above Franklin, NC. I think he’s too busy catching fish right now to drive out for a signal and text me his report.
Stockers:
I’d expect a bit shorter list today to precede a really long one next week to serve the big holiday crowds. Again, head to higher elevations and fish early to find less competition and more cooperative fish. Try dropping a small soft hackle wet a foot off the back of your bugger to convince hesistant stockers to take a swipe. As always , fund the 2026 master list and the weekly list here:
Private Waters:
Low, warm, and in their summer siestas til fall brings cooler water temps.
Tailwaters:
They should fish well as long as tributaries stay clear. Summer storms can hit them and cause muddy inputs to tailwaters, so keep an eye on the radar and call the closest fly shops for Hooch and Toccoa conditions.
UO buddy Spangler: “Hey Dredger, been a minute since I had much to report but here is some intel from Friday, a bit too late for last week but may help when there is a ton of rain in the forecast:
I fished the Hooch about 6 miles from the dam after the heavy rains the day before and did not think about the fact there was no generation scheduled prior, so the water was as murky if not murkier than it is during turnover. However, unlike turnover the o2 levels seemed good, and fish would bite what they could see (and they see better than me, demonstrated by how often I tripped and slipped in the stained water). I caught at least 20, with a couple standout sized browns and one nice bow. This heavy jig I came up with landed the bigger ones in heavy flow, I was jigging it on a tight line or just dead drifting it in boils. Little delicate flies still worked, down to a 20 hares ear. The level of success this day leads to me to think I need to work on being stealthier in normal conditions and I could duplicate this success!”
Warm Rivers:
Looking real good right now and will stay clear if pop-up storms steer away from their tribs. Try topwater (stealth bombers, boogle bugs) early and in the shade, then bounce bottom bugs (crittermite, weighted black bugger) during the high sun.
UO staffers Israel and Wes had a blast with Barts last weekend.
Iz said “Wes and I did some Barty fishin’. He was catching numbers on a Stealth bomber and I caught a couple chunky ones on a Crittermite.” Wes said: “Israel and I fished in Chattooga River Fly Shop’s BART Day tournament last weekend. It was a great event and the fishing was fantastic as well. We had a blast catching native Bartram’s bass. I caught all of my fish up top on stealth bombers, while Israel did most of his damage dragging around a crittermite fly.”
Ponds:
Athens Jay: “Piedmont pond paddleboard fly fishing was good again this week, especially the last couple of hours before dark. I fished a yellow Boogle Bug with lots of success for bream. The Boogle also worked well for bass, as did a dark, colored articulated streamer . The summer heat has fish moving off the bank and in to 3’-4’ of water.”
Lakes:
Just go early for cooler weather, lower sun, and fewer ski boaters throwing wakes your way. UO buddy, Lanier’s legendary Henry C, had a fun trip this week.
This trip was a raffle gift that Henry donated to our March open house, when we celebrated our move to the Sautee location. Thanks Hank!
PS : get your buddy, Rams #53, on some gooduns before he departs for training camp again.
Afar:
UO buddy JS really rubbed it in: “I just returned from southwest Colorado. Here's a brownie from a 50-fish day in the Gunnison gorge last week. 81 fish total between my friend Steve and I. Absolutely lights out fishing - dry/droppers, double leech rigs, and streamers kept the action high from sun up til after sundown. This was year 5 for us in the gorge and reminded me why this is my favorite place in the country to fish! And…
Here’s a bonus streamer eater from the San Juan's famed Texas Hole”
GATU’s “Dream Trip” John M is cashing in on the Yellowstone area’s first big hatches of the spring. Here’s a couple pics of real Good’uns from the Madison and Gallatin this week. It sure makes us want to get out there!
UGA 5Rivers clubby “Lucky” is also having fun where the buffalo roam: “Good morning, Dredger! Hope you’re doing well. I’m in Montana for the summer and finally able to fish a pretty good bit. Cooper is coming this weekend and told me you’d be in the area pretty soon for your annual trip. I hope y’all can get on some good ones!
I wanted to share this fish I caught yesterday with you. I caught a small brown in Yellowstone on the Gibbon. It ate a size 18 parachute Adams directly under the waterfall. One of the coolest fish/scenery combos I’ve experienced! I thought you’d appreciate it.
I also wanted to thank the UO staff and let all of you know how much of an impact you’ve made on me in the last few years. Fly fishing is about all I do now and your support of our club has been a huge factor in my passion, so thank you again. I hope to see y’all back in the South soon!”
Events:
Mark your calendars for July 10th. We’re having a blast with these summer get-togethers and Wes has planned the next one. See you in Sautee for some food, fellowship, and fish fibs!
This week’s tales should get you fired up to fish before the fireworks pop later this week. Happy birthday to this great country that we live in. If you don’t believe we’re great, just ask all of these foreign soccers fans descending upon America! Whether you’re bluelining for southern Appalachian specks, wading for native river bass, or tossing salmonflies to Rocky Mountain submarines, this country has it all, so go and enjoy it. We’re gonna, for sure. Delta is waiting…. Good luck and have fun!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
www.unicoioutfitters.com
