UO Fishing Report - 9/25/26
Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 9/25/26
Hooray, Fall has arrived! Cooler weather and water will make both the fish and the fisher very happy. It’s much more comfortable fishing up here now. In fact, bring a sweatshirt or light jacket for the chilly mornings. Mountain trouting for summer survivors is much better with water temperatures dropping down into the 60’s. The two tailwaters are still cold and fishing well, too.
NC Delayed Harvest fans will have to wait a bit longer this fall for that action to restart.
Bass rivers are low and clear and cooling. Streamers may work better than surface poppers right now, especially before the afternoon sun warms those waters.
Reservoir bass and stripers are still lagging behind, as always, since it takes many more chilly days to cool off big lakes.
Western and northern trekkers had great fun once again. Enjoy their trip pics and tales.
Saturday is National Hinting and Fishing Day and a free fishing day for all Georgia residents. Invite a friend who hasn’t fished before and be their hero.
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:
(Last week’s list is still a good bet)
Dries: purple haze, parachute ant, elk hair caddis, orange stimulator.
Nymphs & Wets:
Micro girdle bug, frenchie, flying squirrel, prince nymph, pheasant tail, root beer midge.
Streamers:
Jig bugger, sparkle minnow, bank robber sculpin.
River stripers:
Mop tail changer, bangtail, clouser.
River bass:
stealth bomber, Boogle bug, crittermite, hairy fodder, black leech or bugger.
Bream & Carp:
Hybrid worm, carp it bomb, gill scorpion, amnesia bug, mini jig bugger.
Headwaters:
We had some good storms up here that briefly boosted flows, but creeks are now back down to their September droughty levels. But those little wild trout will wake up and eat, thanks to cooler water temps. Headwaters will fish well all day long, at lest til the middle of the week. Afternoon action will slow if those projected hot days push late-day water temps back into the upper 60’s. Got some orange bugs for fall risers?
UO buddy Athens Jay: “I was in north Georgia for a Tuesday event that got rained out. Plan B was to visit a small stream that I hoped would benefit from the rain, but not be blown out.
Fortunately, the storms gave the flow a bump and added just a little turbidity. These conditions had the wild rainbows feeling frisky and looking up. Wild fish on a one-weight rod are a lot of fun! The only fly I needed was a size 18 October Caddis. I’m ready for Fall!”
Stockers:
Stockers are still swimming in the two tailwaters. You’ll just have to deal with declining fall water quality in the reservoirs, which can affect DO levels.
GADNR is spicing up several streams to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday.
Private Waters:
October is just around the corner and our prime fall weekends are filling up fast. Call your favorite shops and guides ASAP to “net” good trip dates before the new year.
Tailwaters:
Lanier Tailwater fan Mo: “They sure love that mop in the pea soup. It was working so well I didn’t have to change flies once. Fooled more browns than rainbows too.”
Delayed Harvest:
Everyone knows that we’re still a month away for the GA DH opener. But we just learned that we’ll all have to wait a month for the NC streams, as well, of the usual October agency opener:
Warm Rivers:
No recent reports but, man, they’re looking good! The Hooch at Highway 115 was clear and 70 degrees when I crossed it at 3PM today. You might do better with streamers and crawdad bugs instead of poppers right now, given the cool-down. That’s Wes’ recommendation and he knows river bass! Check out his video report:
Ponds:
No recent reports. Still a good bet for bass and bream around downed trees at dawn and dusk. They’ll need another week or two to cool off and pull fish shallow throughout the day.
Lakes:
No recent news, but spots and stripers will starting stirring as October’s chilly nights start cooling off Lanier’s surface waters.
Afar:
UO buddy RSquared: “I spent this past week in the North Country fly fishing for King Salmon. The fishing & catching were excellent. All of our Kings took salmon egg flies. The cooler Michigan weather felt great after a long & sweltering summer in Georgia. As cooler weather returns to Southern Appalachia, I will begin focusing more on trout in Ga., NC, & TN.”
UO buddy Myles: “My first time in Montana has been a blast. Between some sightseeing and fishing, it’s an incredible place. I found my first cutts and whiteys, waited during some bison jams, and tangled with some reel-singing Madison bows and browns. With some hot intel from Dredger, we went to a local river hotspot and it paid off. The water was moving quickly, but with enough weight, I managed to get down enough to make some good drifts, which paid off nicely. I caught some very nice brown trout and couldn’t be more thrilled!”
UO buddy Bluejay met a fellow Rabunite astream in Yellowstone. He again flipped us a pic of a real Good’un from IDBIS Creek.
Bucket List:
Hop aboard a plane with Jimmy next February and hit Argentina!
Events:
Check out the Casting for Recovery online auction and their great October 1st party to fund their breast cancer survivors retreat at Smithgall Woods.
Come see us again in Sautee for October’s “First Friday” gathering. These monthly gatherings of UO staff and friends are a lot of fun. Cmon UO, grab sone free supper, and be part of our fish tales community!
Finally, there’s a chill in the air and the smell of wood smoke from forest campfires. Return to the woods and waters and enjoy your first true taste of fall. It’s a fine time to wet a line in the southern Appalachians. Stop in, swap a fish story, and grab those hot orange October bugs. Here’s to fall’s great joys- fishing and football!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
