Unicoi Outfitters is north Georgia's premier guide service and fly fishing outfitter, located on the Chattahoochee River near alpine Helen. Look for fishing reports, gear and book reviews, and general musings here from our staff and guides.

Friday, February 7, 2025

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 2/7/25



Our warm spell continues and it’s a mighty fine time to wet a line.  Trout streams are really low and clear, but they’re warmer and the past week’s bite reflects that.  Add a fresh dose of GA DH stockers and you have the prime ingredients for success this weekend. Carry some dries with you, too, and catch some bonus fish on top before the rains come next week.


Lakes are much slower to respond to rising air temperatures and shallow stripers are still scattered and temperamental. But they’re still worth a shot during our false spring of sixty degree days. And you can always chase spawning walleye while waiting on the stripers to bunch up.


Catch Wes’ weekly update to his hot fly list and the latest fishing reports here:

http://blog.angler.management/


Stop in either UO shop (Helen, Clarkesville) for your February supplies.


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: Micro chubby Chernobyl,  orange stimulator, parachute Adams, blue wing olive, little black caddis, little black stone. 


Nymphs & Wets: 

DH streams: Twister egg, Frenchie, Duracell, micro girdle bug, ruby midge, little black stone, RS2, gold ribbed hares ear.


Mountain streams: Pheasant tails, micro girdle bugs, prince nymphs,  root beer midge.


Streamers:

Sparkle minnow, Jiggy fry, CDC squirrel leech, muddy buddy.


(Bass & stripers) Somethin’ else, Clouser minnow, micro changer, jerk changer.


Get to know more about Wes here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AuiA1U7Th/?mibextid=wwXIfr


Headwaters: 

Low and clear, but warn enough to give you plenty of hope for some dry fly action.  Two different speck chasers visited the shop last week and said they had great outings for natives “high in the mountains.”  Their fine pics proved their point. Try single, fluffy dries to start. Only add a dropper if it’s a slow morning or a deep pool.  For forest road updates, try the Chatt Forest Ranger District offices: Example: Tallulah Falls RD:  706-754-6221. 





Delayed Harvest Streams:

They’re low and clear, but also warmer  and restocked here in GA.  Try some junk flies first (buggers, eggs, and squirmies) and dry/dropper rigs next. Don’t forget to twitch them.



UO buddy and new flyfisher Tanner said: “thanks for the flies and advice before my Smith DH trip. Got one on a dry fly and one on a woolly bugger.  I lost the only dry fly I had. I’m gonna have to get a few more because several fish came up and bumped my white indicator.”



Rabunites Nan and Rick gave the Nan DH a try.  She said: “Lots of these flying around, but no fish rising to them.  Didn’t see a single fish. Didn’t even see any running in terror from our flies. We dredged with several nymphs and I tried dries late in the sunny sections. Water temp 48. My Helios remains unchristened. But it was a gorgeous day and we had a really good time. Very few anglers. I caught a lot of bugs. Bald eagle flew really low right over our heads and perched about 150 feet from us for a long time. I hope he had better fishing luck!  But at least we witnessed the first true hint of of trouting spring with the Quill Gordon hatch. Hopefully the fish will figure them out quickly.”



New flyfisher and new UO customer Cale visited with us and then went out and caught his first trout on a fly rod. And a brookie at that! Congrats Cale!



Private Waters:

UO Helen manager Wes: “I guided repeat client Frank on some private water last Tuesday afternoon and wow, the weather was incredible for a February day!  We had highs in the mid 70s.  We had a great afternoon catching eager fish in pockets and riffles on streamers and soft hackles.”




Tailwaters:

No recent reports. Be on the lookout soon for black caddis squadrons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Hq00edl8s


Rivers:

UO buddy RSquared: “In NW Georgia, white bass had begun staging near the mouths of tributaries on the Coosa River. However several days of sub-freezing temperatures the last couple of weeks sent them back to the main channel. I had hoped that the recent warm days would entice the white bass back to the tributaries. However, my former student, Nathan, fished it today with no success. He talked with several other anglers and they also were not finding any white bass and very few crappie. We have several more warm days ahead so my fingers are crossed.”


Lakes:

UO buddy MD:  “Got out to enjoy the beautiful weather in Athens the past few days. No luck on hopper/dropper rigs on my go-to local lake, so switched over to a sink-tip line and a black and brown Barr's meat whistle. Caught several nice large mouth bass in the moving water where creeks entered the lake. It was one of those days where I would've been content simply kayaking some of my favorite water. Since then I've been hard at "work" filling my fly boxes with warm water patterns as this false spring continues.”





UO guide Joseph: “ Jimmy and I had a decent outing on Hartwell last week. The main lake was up to 53 degrees and the backs of creeks were 57. We were able to find some good schools of fish but they were being just as picky as they are on Lanier. We tried three different flies on two different lines and even some conventional lures on spinning rods and still couldn’t buy a bite. After putting the long rods up and heading back toward the ramp, we ran into a group of hybrids eating on the surface. They were much more eager than their bigger cousins. Two casts and two fish on an underspin and they never showed themselves again.




If you’d like to book a trip call the shop at (706)-878-3083!”

Learn more about Joseph here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19pR2Xyk72/?


UO buddy AJ: “Lanier has warmed back up into the low 50s and both stripers and bass are moving around. The problem is they are very spread out, moving quickly, and have been very picky. The other problem with this warm weather is all the extra boat traffic, even during the middle of the week. I counted 14 boats out in one small area this AM. Fish are eating a range of threadfin from super tiny up to 2”-3”. Hard to go wrong with a small Clouser, Somethin Else, or Polar Minnow. And definitely play around with your retrieve speed. Hopefully these fish will get grouped back up soon and it’ll be a great spring! Now booking trips for March, so reach out if you want to get out! My website is: www.lanieronthefly.com.”





UO owner Jimmy just called in and said Lanier this morning was frustrating. He saw stripers, but there were scatted singles and just dimpling the surface “like they were sipping blue wing olives.” No fish to hand, but he said it was a fine morning on the lake.


Events:


Ongoing: Dream Trip ticket sales. Win a week of fishing in Yellowstone for just ten bucks, or one of a dozen great runnerup prizes.  Drawing on March 22.  Details here:

https://georgiatu.org/


March 22 : Hoot on the Hooch. Georgia Foothills TU’s annual fundraiser on the banks of the Chattahoochee River at the Helendorf Inn in Helen. All Dream Trip raffle winners announced.


Good luck during this second week of the false spring. Enjoy the “warm” and just tolerate the “wet” with a good raincoat. We need the showers for some stream recharges. Don’t forget a few dark dries, too, for this brief period and for the true spring hatches just on the horizon. Ready for those tailwater caddis flights?


And those stripers will soon be schooling in the shallows again. We are just a few weeks and a few degrees away from their early spring “blooms,” too.


Stop in one of our shops if we can help you out.

Helen:706-878-3083

Clarkesville: 706-754-0203


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Friday, January 31, 2025

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 1/31/25



Sorry for the late report; I just got back from a big time at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show. If y’all have a chance, get down there and enjoy the free seminars on casting, fishing, and fly tying. My two favorites today were the casting tips and demos from Jeff Currier and Kevin Howell at the casting pond next to our UO Booth #436.



For this week’s fishing report, look forward to your “taste of spring.”Warm and mostly dry weather should awaken a lot of fish from their frozen slumber. Delayed Harvest trout aren’t as abundant as they were a month ago, but enough are still around to make your trip worthwhile. And I wouldn’t be surprised if GAWRD redosed them next week.



Wild trout have been frozen, but should thaw and eat this week. You just have to get to them.  Some national forest roads are still closed.   Each district office will have the best info on its respective road status. Find the districts here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/conf/about-forest/offices


For next week, carry some “hope” and few seasonal dries (winter stones, BWO’s, midges) in case these warm days spur a small hatch or two. In a few more weeks, the tailwaters should host the black caddis hatch, so put some of those bugs in your vest or sling, too.


Stripers are deep and slow and so should your streamers be. See Joseph’s most recent Lanier report. And catch Henry Cowen at our UO booth all day tomorrow for some Lanier intel.   Buy his book so you don’t have to remember what he told you.


Catch Wes’ weekly update to his hot fly list and the latest fishing reports here:

http://blog.angler.management/


Stop in either UO shop (Helen, Clarkesville) for your February supplies. Better yet, swing by the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show this weekend and visit with our UO staff  (Jake, Wes, Israel, and our young guns) at Booth #436.  Enjoy this week’s warmth, indoors and out!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: Micro chubby Chernobyl,  orange stimulator, parachute Adams, blue wing olive, little black stone, gray elk hair caddis.


Nymphs & Wets: 

DH streams: small Frenchie, tungsten baetis, small pheasant tails and hares ears (both soft hackles and nymphs) slush egg, RS2, root beer and zebra midges.


Mountain streams: Pheasant tails, micro girdle bugs, prince nymphs,  root beer midge.


Streamers:

Olive and black buggers, sparkle minnows, CDC squirrel leech, bank robber sculpin.


(Bass & stripers) Somethin’ else, Clouser minnow, micro changer, jerk changer.


Headwaters: 

Low, cold, and clear, but they’ll be warming up quickly. Try dry/dropper rigs.  For forest road closure updates, try the Chatt Forest Ranger District offices: Example: Tallulah Falls RD:  706-754-6221. 


UO guide Sydney slipped out to a headwater stream on a warmer afternoon this week and was treated to several little wild rainbows that inhaled her caddis dry fly.



UO buddy RSquared: “A couple of my former students & I fished one of Georgia's best known wild trout streams last Sunday. The fishing & camaraderie were great but the catching was nonexistent. The water temp was in the mid-30's and ice still clung to the shoreline & exposed rocks. We tried multiple tactics but nothing we cast at them could coax a trout out of their lairs. With warming water & air temperatures this week, catching should be much better.”





Delayed Harvest Streams:

They’re super-clear and cold and flowing at normal winter levels. Smith is fishing well and the Chattooga isn’t. The Toccoa should fish better with the coming warm spell. Same with Ami. Just bottom-bump the deep pools with real long, light tippets to find the hibernating rainbows. Save the riffle fishing for April.


New flyfisher Tanner shared this note: “I caught a really nice rainbow on a hares ear nymph at Smith Creek this week. I would not have been able to get him without all the flies, advice and tips from your Helen staff. Thank you UO!”



UO staffer Dredger hit the Chattooga DH last Monday afternoon. Water temp was a chilly 41F and never rose. The river was low and clear, with sand covering half the stream bottom due to the lack of flushing rains. He had zero hits and zero fish to hand for several hours. He finally broke the ice with some recently stocked browns, found in a few tight pods on the upper end via an egg/bugger combo.  The river will fish better with warming water temps and another dose of Walhalla stockers. Until then, he suggests heading somewhere else.







Private Waters:

Client trips were few and far between this week. UO buddy JS: “I have fished for 7 straight weeks. Last week was really cold but I decided to go to my son’s property on the Hooch so I could get back out of the water quickly.  I couldn’t get a hit on any nymph I tried. I switched to a green bugger with a copper tail, let it swing through the hole deeply with two split shot,  and it was on! They wouldn’t touch the fly if I stripped it, but would kill it on a swing. My feet were so cold that I quit after just an hour.’



Tailwaters:

UO buddy Myles: “ Last Saturday in Helen, Myles managed to catch 8 and Ryan caught 3. This evening we fished the Hooch tailwaters. Myles caught 5 browns and Ryan caught 4 browns. Pheasant tails, Hares ears, and stonefly patterns have been the ticket this week.”




Lakes:

UO guide Joseph: “ I got out on the pond for a short afternoon session earlier this week. Water temp in the river channel was 43 degrees and in the back of creeks it was 45-46 degrees. Saw lots of bird activity but they were mostly scattered, feeding on bait just under the surface. Wasn’t able to find the big groups like the previous week but I was able to find a few stripers. Most fish I marked were about 15-30 feet down. Evening I was able to run into a fish on a sinking like down deep. The fish ate a somethin else on a dead fall. It seems over the past few weeks, as the water temps have plummeted, moving the fly very slowly is the key to success. With some warmer days on the way hopefully we should see a little more activity near the surface. If you’d like to book a trip call the shop at (706)-878-3083!”



Learn more about Joseph here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19pR2Xyk72/?


Afar:

UO buddy Steve shared his Ireland angling tale with us. Enjoy:

http://flylifemagazine.com/part-i-trout-fishing-ireland-style-with-steve-hudson/


Events:

THE FLY SHOW - NOW!


Jan 31 to Feb 2 : Atlanta Fly Fishing Show at Gas South Convention Center in Duluth. Stop by our UO booth and swap fish stories.  We are back at booth #436, next to Pond A, once again.

https://flyfishingshow.com/atlanta/


Feb 20: Soque River Watershed “fly fishing trip auction” and prime rib dinner in Clarkesville. Details:

https://soque.org/


Ongoing: Dream Trip ticket sales. Win a week of fishing in Yellowstone for just ten bucks, or one of a dozen great runnerup prizes.  Drawing on March 22.  Details here:

https://georgiatu.org/


March 22 : Hoot on the Hooch. Georgia Foothills TU’s annual fundraiser on the banks of the Chattahoochee River at the Helendorf Inn in Helen. All Dream Trip raffle winners announced.


Enjoy the coming thaw and take advantage of rising stream temps and renewed trout appetites. It won’t be as good as April, but the catching will be a heckuva lot better that it’s been the last two frozen weeks. Got a thermometer? Fish the midday sun! See y’all at the Fly Show this weekend!


BOOTH 436!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com