Water-Sheds
Hope everyone in the metro area survived the Friday storms and flooding. Here’s some Monday filler while we all await cooler weather . This homework will enhance your future river fishing success. Know your flows and the watersheds that generate them!
Many trout and river bass anglers will call or stop in the shop and ask us about stream conditions after significant rains. We welcome these inquiries, but anglers should know how to check themselves. The key is the USGS stream gauges. Check them out and you’ll see how quickly or slowly your favorite streams recover after a storm.
Our headwater trout streams with very small watersheds (acres of land draining into the creek) often drop and clear to fishable flows within hours, if not a day. Even rivers with small watersheds, like the Tallulah and the Hooch at Helen,
also recover quickly (a day or two), while rivers draining much larger watersheds (ex: Chattooga, upper Toccoa ) can take several days to shed a heavy rainfall event and subsequent runoff. Dial into those USGS gauges first and then point your truck in the right direction.
Don’t wait for streams to totally drop and clear! My best trouting, from Smithgall to Chattooga, has always been in stained flows. Catch the flow curve on the upswing to “red mud” or the downswing away from it and you’ll understand the benefits of stained water. Bring heavier tippet, a bigger net, and a friend with excellent photography skills!
My secrets to hitting that flow curve right can be found in an old Angler Magazine article, here:
Flip to pdf page 16, read it, and have some memorable days yourselves this year by hitting those flow curves right! Good luck. Stop in our UO shops for more great intel.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
www.unicoioutfitters.com