UO Fishing Report - 8/1/26
Trout waters are warm, but we’ve found a few cool breaks to enjoy. DNR Stockers are still hitting some waters, while tailwaters are cold and finally clear, at least right now. We’ll have to watch these expected rains and see what gets blown out. We do give y’all have great advice on how and when to hit high, stained water.
Rivers finally cleared and bassin’ has been good between storms. Lanier is dead for shallow water fans, but pond action has held up well.
Our trouting travelers have found success both near (NC) and afar (MT), and we invite you to August’s First Friday community event at our Sautee store next week (7th). Catch all the details in our full report, here:
https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/fishing-reports
That report’s a day late and I beg your forgiveness, but the fishing and food were too darn good to come home early yesterday. I know y’all will understand and cut me some slack. Come see us soon and swap fish stories!
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: parachute ant, para Adams, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulator.
Nymphs & Wets:
Drowned ant, green weenie, pheasant tail for wilds. Squirmies, Mops, pats rubberlegs, and buggers for stockers. Droppers for picky fish: small pheasant tail or hares ear soft hackle.
Streamers:
Sparkle minnow, jig bugger, bank robber sculpin.
River stripers:
Game or feather changer, Clouser, wiggle minnow, Cowen’s coyote.
River bass:
Stealth bomber, crittermite, jiggy dead Ned, feather changer, hairy fodder, #4 black woolly bugger.
Bream & Carp:
Hybrid worm, carp it bomb, gill scorpion, amnesia bug, mini jig bugger.
Headwaters:
They’re low, clear, and hot, but can change in a moment’s notice with the expected storms. It’s the usual summer message right now: go early, high, or north to find cold water and eager wild trout before lunch. See my Smokies report, in the Afar section, below. Got some ants?
But don’t shy away from the stain! We helped you with a recent post, which I also placed on our fishing report page:
Here’s a second netful of great high-flow advice from our park buddy, Ian. Watch his instream vid. Know how to play the runoff game to your advantage!
Stockers:
Yesterday’s list is still fairly long. Go early in the day and high in elevation to have your best shots at willing mountain stockers. Or you can go to a cold Tailwater if it isn’t too muddy from tributaries after storms.
As always, find the 2026 master list here to find those creeks that will still get stocked late in the season.
Private Waters:
Forget em til October. Low, warm, and in their summer siestas til fall brings cooler water temps. Call your favorite shops and guides in August to book those prime fall weekends.
Tailwaters:
They’ve cleared up from last week’s monsoon. Let’s see what happens to them tonite.
UO buddy Ryan: “I hit the Hooch last night (31st) for a few hours with a friend. The turbidity was about a 4-5, so there was some decent stain to the river, but it didn’t seem to affect the fishing! We were both tight-line nymphing, and put around 15-20 fish in the net between the 2 of us. Last night we worked on implementing a “haul” into my friend’s euronymphing cast in order to get more distance and a longer drift, which was necessary as he fished his deepest water yet while fly fishing. Leading your flies further upstream becomes crucial in very fast and deep runs in order to have enough time for the flies to get down to where most of the fish are sitting. He did well, hooking fish in some technical and small pockets as well that water the majority of people would pass by without consideration. Size 18 France fly and Walt’s worm patterns did all the damage as we fished with 5.5x & 6x tippet. It was a fun evening session!”
Brother Myles hit the Hooch last Saturday and said: “I got Evan on the water today. I introduced him to euro and he picked it up very well!”
You can contact the Hartley duo for your own Hooch Tailwater guide trip:
Ryan Hartley: 678-468-0440
Myles Hartley: 678-900-0835
Warm Rivers:
Check those USGS gauges!
They’re clear today (I crossed the clear Hooch at Hwy 115 at 10AM today), but that may change with tonite’s expected showers.
Note: to check the Upper Hooch, dial into the USGS Hooch at Leaf gauge. To see if the Soque has dumped mud into the lower Hooch, call up the Hooch gauge at Duncan Bridge and check the Soque gauge too. The Duncan gauge has temps, too! For the Chestatee, check its sole gauge. Find all of your GA gauges here:
https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/en/?region=lower48
Just zoom way in to see all of the GA stream monitoring sites and click on the one(s) of interest.
UO buddy RSquared: “The Redeyes (“Alabama Brook Trout”) in NW Georgia are still looking up. Water levels are good. I have used hoppers, Boogle Bug poppers, small Stealth Bombers, and size 8&10 Chernobyl Ants all summer. Any color works as long as it is yellow! Seriously, I have successfully used yellow all summer with great success. Why change when this color has been so effective?”
UO owner Jimmy and grandson Crosby made a float trip for Shoalies this week. The whitewater section was dingy but still low. Lot of dragging the raft. The bite was slow but he put a baker’s dozen in the boat. Great day for Grandpa!
Ponds:
Our trusty pond reporter has returned from his Idaho adventure. He’s on the pond right now (2PM) and sending me live updates. Jay said: “Paddleboard streamer fishing is good! My dry/dropper combo is working great, too!”
Keep that phone dry, Jay!
Lakes:
Still on the slow side due to hot water and surface disturbances by all the other summer lake users.
UO’s Lanier guide, Joseph, is looking ahead: “I was able to get out on Lanier for a little on Thursday morning. Fishing was tough, being the day of the moon, bright bluebird skies and warm water temps. I fished up shallow with glide baits for most of the morning, looking for a big bite but was met with mostly follows. While running between spots I saw some schooling action on the main lake, however it seemed sparse.
Over the next few weeks the water should start to slowly cool and fishing should improve.
With striper season approaching now is the time to start thinking about getting on my calendar for those who are interested in trips. My calendar is open for all prime dates. If you’re interested in a fall or winter trip give UO Sautee a call at 706-878-3083 or visit my website at
Afar:
I’m tardy with this week’s fishing report, but for a good reason: collecting fishing fodder for y’all! I did some homework on Thursday night and saw favorable weather and water conditions on Friday, so I drove to the Smokies.
I dodged the usual elk and turkeys on the drive into the park and hopped in the water at 9. The air was 61F and the river, 59F. Fished til the water temp hit 66F at 3PM. Got a nice bunch of bows and three small browns on my Euro rig. The winning patterns were a #16 copper frenchie in fast water and a #16 sunken ant in slower pools. Both had to be dredged to get down to bottom-hugging fish, either via a heavy anchor fly or by adding one or even two size B shot. One big reservation migrant put a good bend in the two-weight. Had some competition from a merganser, but we agreed to share the water.
Met up afterward with fellow Rabunites Rick and Gabby, who had fun taking elk pics just after dawn and then hiking in to toss small caddis dries to tributary rainbows. We topped off a fine day in NC with supper at Haywood Smokehouse in Franklin.
My good friend from the DNR days, “Deadly” Damer, just returned from his annual trout trek out yonder. He flipped me this pic while out there and said “Bank riser on a #16 beetle and 5X tippet.” I’m looking forward to his MT trip tales.
If y’all get rained out and housebound this week, here’s a nice story to pass the time. Enjoy the video. And old friend from my Hokie days wants to reunite the next time he visits his Marietta sister. I can’t wait to hear Gino’s salmon stories! And I think it’s a good message for Georgians, too.
Events:
Don’t miss our August First Friday event at our Sautee store. It’s next Friday, the 7th, at 530PM.
That’s the latest as we gladly say goodbye to July and try to weather August. Let’s hope for a few more cool spells to provide some morning trout treks at high elevations. Let’s see how much rain we get tonite and through the week. Some stain will be good for trout, while rainless stretches will allow a few more bass floats.
Stop in our Sautee shop next Friday to tie some bass bugs or simply share some fish tales and tactics. It’s always a good time! Have fun this week, in the rain or in the sunshine!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
