"Every year after Georgia TU’s Trout Camp I look forward to the thank-you notes we receive from the kids. There are always some interesting ones. This one is probably my favorite of all time!"
Have a great holiday, folks!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
www.unicoioutfitters.com
706-878-3083
Welcome to the July 4th holiday report. While it’s still hot and dry up here, our daily air temps have moderated a bit and we’ve started receiving a few afternoon showers. Y’all should still employ your best summer drought techniques to maximize your angling success this weekend.
For trout, best bets remain the extreme headwaters, the icy tailwaters, and the smaller, colder stocked streams before lunch. GAWRD’s Friday stocking list should be a long one, so take your pick and cover some stream length for your best chance at a trout supper.
Rivers and ponds are still very good. Just check local tackle shops or the closest USGS gauge to ensure that a sudden storm hasn’t turned your river into chocolate milk. Carry some crawfish flies to bump bottom, some streamers for midcolumn, and poppers for the top and see what the bass choose each day. Small popper-dropper combos are hard to beat for bankside bream. Try a black fur ant if they get picky.
Hank says Lanier bass are pretty good, while summer carping is spotty. It’s about about water clarity for those freshwater redfish. Speaking of redfish…
We have some great fish stories from our vacationing buddies, so make sure you read our full report on our website and at the link in our bio, right here on IG. They might convince you to bite the bullet on a gas fill-up and hit a distant hotspot, too.
Good luck and be safe. The holiday crowds can be crazy on our bigger waters like Lanier, so fish early to avoid the boaters and skiers. Stop by either UO store if we can be of service.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: 409 Yeager yellow, stoneflopper, Charlie boy hopper, royal wulff.
Nymphs & Wets:
Cdc pheasant tail, green weenie, squirmy, split top, copper John.
Streamers & warm water:
Double barrel popper, amnesia bug, bugger changer, swimming frog, finesse changer.
Headwaters:
Here’s a rerun of last week’s report: Small trout streams are still low and clear and warming. We need some consistent rain! If you insist on trouting, then go very high and bring your thermometer. Check the water temperature first and aim for 66F or less. Focus on the drought refuges (pools) where adult fish will be packed in and highly competitive. If you don’t spook them with a faulty approach, your dry will be eaten. Keep the fish in the water while you unhook and release them.
Stocker Streams:
https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout
UO friend Splatek: We hit a mountain stocker stream last weekend on a catch, clean, and cook mission, finishing with some s'mores over the fire. We threw so many more fish back than we kept. The mountain trout are bigger than I remember. We caught some real good ones. The kids had a great time.”
Tailwaters:
RSquared’s TN report: “Steve W and I ventured north of the state line to Reliance Tennessee and the beautiful Hiawassee River. Fishing was good using hopper/dropper rigs. We caught several Rainbows & a few Browns. However, we were unable to catch one of the recently stocked Cutthroats! With warming summertime temps & stressed trout in most of our Georgia streams, I highly recommend fishing this awesome tailwater!”
NC:
The Smokies remain in the same tough shape as our headwater streams: low and warm. Head real high in search of colder water temperatures and willing wild trout.
Daily intel here:
https://littleriveroutfitters.com/
Private Waters:
UO manager Jake: “I stopped by the mill yesterday morning and made a couple of casts before heading to the shop. Had four striper blowups and managed to connect and land two of them. Still plenty of stripers around for anyone looking to have some early morning or late evening fun.” (See first photo)
Note: call our Helen shop to learn more details and possibly book a summer river striper trip. You’ll need at least a 7-weight rod and will be asked not to target trout on these dawn and dusk ventures.
Warmwater Streams:
UO friend Landon: I did part two of the DNR’s Chestatee bass sampling. I prospected on top early, but didn’t get a lot of action. Ended up switching to a ned rig on conventional gear and started whacking ‘em really good. Caught the big fish again today, a 20 inch shoal bass. Sorry, don’t have the pic yet.”
Flat Water:
HenryC’s Lanier report: “Bass fishing is looking pretty good on Lanier. Top water is certainly happening but is much different from the last two seasons. If you want to be effective you need to fish the south end of the lake and look in the creek mouths. Fish some points but mostly the humps with brush on it. That's where your go-to places will be. Gurglers, pole dancers and crease flies will be the ticket and having an intermediate or fast sinking line with a game changer is also worth keeping in the boat. Carp fishing has been good "when" conditions allow. With the forecast showing rain almost every day, the river gets dirty and your chances for success go way down. You have to pick your spots to have success.”
UO Helen manager Wes: “Israel and I went down to South Georgia with a few buddies last weekend for a few days of fishing. The heat and humidity was high but the fishing was excellent!
Our main target was bowfin with the occasional pickerel and warmouth as bycatch. Between the 4 of us we probably landed around 50 fish in a couple days.”
Afar:
UO owner Jimmy: “A few days ago I had an opportunity to spend a couple of days casting to Redfish in Port Aransas, Texas. Day one was hot and frustrating with very few shots at fish. I did get one to the boat but not in the boat. My friend Steven didn't hook up that day. Day 2 we had planned to fish only half a day but, as well-laid plans are wont to do, they changed. On this day we had tons of shots at Reds but only one taker for Steven and none for me as the clock ticked toward high noon. Finally, just as the buzzer was set to go off, I hooked and landed one. Success at last. Just seeing lots of fish that day had been exciting but landing a Red was more exciting. The icing on the cake was the big Jack Crevalle I tied into on our way back to the marina. Everything was going great; until it wasn't. Turns out, my left foot was inside a loop of my fly line. When the line went taught, I felt the sickening feeling of operator error. I WILL BE BACK for those guys! Talk about a wolf pack!”
UO buddy Sautee’s CO report: “Hit the stream at 12:30 after a brief shower. Winds blowing in the high teens. Water temp 46 degrees when I started. No bugs flying but with wind blowing and having seen many woods ants I figured a black ant on top was my best bet. I switched flies many times for the next 2 hours with no takers as the skies cleared and the sun came out. About 3:00, the water temp hit 50 and bugs started coming off: BWOs, PMDs, and several other mayflies of various size and color. I put on a #14 BWO and the brookies were ready to rise to it. Fished next 1.5 hours switching between BWO and Adam’s, all #14. Fighting wind, willows and sunshine I found the fish in deep water and seeking shady spots. When the wind blew in more rain clouds at 4:30, I hopped out and headed back to the lodge for a meal. Good half day on a CO mountain stream at 8600 feet.”
Our Real Distant UO friend:
“I hope all is well at UO. Here’s another dose of fodder from the old world.
Here’s a nice grayling for ya from the Ribnik River in Bosnia. He was pushing 50cm. You should’ve been there to see it. Grayling rising all day long, eating tiny bugs. Shuttlecock emergers in lt olive and pink were top flies today.
Big green drakes coming off, salmon flies, big black caddis, half dozen various mayflies small and large, and what does the grayling eat?, size 20-22 emergers.
Lost a bunch of good fish when they spit the tiny hook back at me, but brought enough to hand to call it a fantastic day.”
Have a long, fun, safe holiday weekend. Stop by either shop if we can help plan your fishing fireworks.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
The better bet is to give most trout a rest during their summer thermal stress (exceptions are our two cold tailwaters). Change flavors and aim for fish species that enjoy summer’s warm water. Lack of rain has our big rivers low, clear, and prime for resident bass and bream and even some summer vacationers from downstream reservoirs: gar and stripers. Go early, late, or hit the shade during the day as you float the Hooch, Chestatee, or Etowah. Try big streamers for the stripers and gar, and some popper/dropper rigs for the bass and bream in the bankside shade.
Pond action is still very good, too. Use the same low-light technique for your best shots at flat-water bass and bream.
It’s “road trip” time for many Georgians as summer slows our local catch rates. We have some great trip reports from afar for you to enjoy, so read our full report on our Facebook and home pages. I’ve also linked to it in our Instagram bio. Stop in either UO shop if we can help point you toward summer success. Here we go:
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: yellow humpy, stoneflopper, stimulator, parachute Adams.
Nymphs & Wets:
Cdc pheasant tail, drowned ant, green weenie,
hares ear.
Streamers & warm water:
Kreelex, double barrel bass bug, bullgill spider, Boogle Bug poppers, finnesse changer, polar changer
Headwaters:
They are low and clear and warming. We need some rain! If you insist on trouting, then go very high. Check the water temperature first and aim for 66F or less. Focus on the drought refuges (pools) where adult fish will be packed in and highly competitive. If you don’t spook them with a faulty approach, your dry will be eaten. Keep the fish in the water while you unhook and release them.
Stocker Streams:
https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout
There are just a couple more weeks left to GAWRD’s spring stocking season. The agency’s list of stocked streams is typically very long for the holiday week to serve the larger crowds. Stocking rates are then reduced after July 4, so go soon and go early in the day to catch the colder water.
UO friend and GATU Trout Camp director Rodney: “Georgia Trout Camp 2022 is a wrap and was an amazing success! For the previous eighteen out of the last nineteen years, (Trout Camp was canceled during the COVID shutdown) each of Georgia’s 12 Trout Unlimited chapters send boys and girls, ages 13-15, for six days and five nights to Rabun County, which is strategically located in our state’s most northeasterly corner. Students are taught how to cast a fly rod, tie flies, entomology, knot tying, stream etiquette, cold-water conservation, ecosystem restoration, stream structure design for habitat improvement, fishing tactics, and more! They put this knowledge and their growing skills to use by fishing for trout in various streams almost every day.”
Tailwaters
UO friend Landon: “We had a good float on the Hooch last weekend. I caught them on a small soft hackle dropper, behind a tungsten bead nymph fisher under an indicator. When I got bored with the fly rod, I also caught them on a small countdown Rapala.”
NC:
The Smokies are in the same tough shape as our headwater streams: low and warm. Head real high in search of colder water temperatures and willing wild trout. It’s definitely time to break out your small stream rod and hit the small, shaded, high-elevation tributaries with small stimmies, caddis, or trusty terrestrials.
Daily intel here:
https://littleriveroutfitters.com/
Private Waters:
We sure are proud of UO friend Becca, who landed her first striper on a fly rod. She credited Henry Cowen for the hot fly and her trusty sidekick, Sylvia, for a superb netting job. It sounds like a total team effort for Becca’s successful quest. Enjoy the photo, above!
UO owner Jimmy: “At daybreak this morning (6/23) my friend Joel Johnson (https://www.facebook.com/JoelRJohnson) and I stepped into the cool clear waters of the Chattahoochee River with the big rods in pursuit of the tug of a wiley striper. And wiley doesn't begin to describe these guys in low clear water. Once the sunlight hits the water, it's game over so we had to get there very early to have a shot at enticing one to eat. But an hour into the day, Joel was able to surprise one with an olive Clouser thrown right into the white water. We weren't sure if it was a reactionary strike or a serious feed but it didn't matter once the hook was set. A double-digit fish in 12 inches of water is exciting, to say the least. We got multiple follows for about two hours this morning but most were hesitant to make a commitment. Joel landed one more small striper during our two hours on the water. All in all, a great way to start the day. “
Note: call our Helen shop to learn more details and possibly book a summer river striper trip. You’ll need at least a 7-weight rod and will be asked not to target trout on these dawn and dusk ventures.
Warmwater Streams:
UO friend Landon: “I helped the WRD guys doing the fin-clip sampling on the Chestatee this week. I caught all Alabama bass while they caught more shoal bass. Most of mine took a. half of a trick worm fished on a 1/16th oz jig head.”
UO friend Rodney: “In my quest for the 2022 Georgia Bass Slam, I was able to check off the beautiful Chattahoochee Bass. The redish-orange fins easily distinguish this species from the other black basses. I landed several with my best being a fat and scrappy 9 inch exquisite example of the species!”
Flat Water:
UO guide Israel: “The pond bluegill bite is hot right now on Boogle bug poppers!”
UO friend Michael: “Despite the heat, local lakes around Athens have been on fire in the evenings—especially as you approach sunset. Hopper-dropper and dry-dropper set-ups with guide’s choice-style bead-head nymphs fished shallow have resulted in numerous 8+ inch bluegill, including a few topwater takes. Largemouth bass have been caught on crawfish-sized variations of the rubber-legged-dragon (RLD) retrieved on the bottom in shaded coves. Finally, big shellcracker have been all over dark brown to black RLDs on the “flats” and points. “
Afar:
UO staffer Joseph: “Here’s some pics of some redfish and seatrout I caught by stripping some clousers on a flat. We were on the Appalachicola coast during our recent trip down there.”
UO staffer Grant: “I had a great trip down to Homosassa last week. On Wednesday my dad and I went out for tarpon. We were on the water at 5:30am waiting for the tarpon to start coming out of a half-mile trench on the flat. We were hearing the tarpon roll all around us, however we could not see them. When we got a little light on the water we started to spot pods of tarpon. The first pod of fish we came up to numbered about 10-15 fish. They were daisy chaining, so I dropped my fly about 3 feet to the right of the daisy chain and stripped short and quick. I hooked into the tarpon on my second cast to the pod of fish. After getting it to the boat we released it quickly so the sharks wouldn’t bother it. Later in the day we hooked another tarpon that was about 140lbs, but unfortunately he got the best of me. We also got some snook while fishing inshore. All in all, it was a very successful trip!”
A Real Distant UO friend:
“I hope all is well at UO. Here’s a little fodder from the old world.
Yesterday PM I fished a river right in town for grayling. Some large black caddis, yellow sallies and small mayflies were coming off mid afternoon.
I didn’t see any risers but my buddy fooled a half dozen grayling on the dry in short order. I picked up a few fish euronymphing and figured I’d switch to a dry after seeing his success.
In the few minutes it took me to change out leaders and tie one on, a strong summer thunderstorm had already rolled in over the mountains and it poured on us heavily so we had to skedaddle. Never made a cast with the dry fly.
Only spent a couple hrs on the water but we were rewarded with some good eats on top and a handful of fish each. Would’ve been a great afternoon catching but for the thunderstorm. We’ll be back though!”
Hopefully this heat wave will break and we can get some regular summer storms, too. In the meantime, go where the fish are happy and hungry. Change your targets to popular summer species in these warm waters and you’ll still have a blast. Don’t forget your sunscreen, bug dope, water, and even some optimism by carrying a poncho. Stop in or give us a call if we can help you enjoy your summer vacations.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
706-878-3083
Hello Summer! It’s time to take your long, limber trout rods and aim them at some pond bream. Sunfish are great targets for new flyfishers, as ponds and lakes lack the current and tree canopy that complicate the sport for rookie flyrodders. Plus, a nice school of bream is a competitive situation and encourages those critters to grab your offering before another sibling does.
Grab a 4X or 5X leader and knot a small bluegill popper to its end. Aim for some bankside cover like weeds, docks, or downed trees, which protect the bream schools from bass. When they smarten up on your popper, add a dropper. Tie 2 feet of 5X or 6X tippet to the bend of the popper hook. Then tie a small black ant, wet fly, or nymph to the free end. Let your popper be the strike indicator as the bream inhale the dropper.
Here’s a great article on bream fishing by a true master. Thanks to Fly Fisherman magazine for this blast from the past. May it help all of our new fly anglers to perfect their skills and enhance their catching confidence this summer.
Stop by either UO shop if we can help plan your summer fun.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
www.unicoioutfitters.com
706-878-3083
Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. Welcome to “real hot and dry.” Fishing conditions are tough this week with high heat & humidity and low, clear, warm water in our trout streams. A few exceptions may happen as summer thunderstorms pop up and briefly cool off the waters, but those stormflows aren’t lasting very long after the clouds pass. A hefty front from the north is due here around 6 tonite, so check USGS gauges or call our shop tomorrow for Saturday stream conditions.
Summer best bets for our region’s trout continue to be tailwaters, extreme headwaters, and the higher elevation stocked streams in the mornings.
Warming water and lower flows really help river bass fishing, so keep those floating opportunities in mind. Don’t forget a raincoat and a river exit plan if a sudden storm aims toward you. Go early or late to avoid the midday bake.
Ponds and lakes are still good for bass and bream, especially in the morning coolness. They’re good at dusk, too, but be prepared for the high heat and humidity that linger into the darkness.
Summer is travel season for many of our clients, so we’ve included a timely report in this week’s full edition of ours. The Park flooding news from our friends at Blue Ribbon Flies, in West Yellowstone, is definitely worth the read and may give you some hope for your road trips.
Peruse our full report and Wes’ hot fly list on our Facebook and home pages. I’ve also linked to it in our Instagram bio. Stop in either UO shop or give us a call if we can help with angling intel or last minute gift ideas for Dad. Here we go:
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: yellow humpy, stoneflopper, stimulator, parachute Adams.
Nymphs & Wets:
Cdc pheasant tail, drowned ant, green weenie, mop fly, hares ear.
Streamers & warm water:
Kreelex, double barrel bass bug, bullgill spider, finnesse changer, polar changer
Headwaters:
UO guide Israel: “The water in our bluelines is Looooowwww!!! Stealth over fly pattern will be the key for the smaller tribs and their wild trout. Consider downsizing flies and tippet, too, for softer landings in these calm waters with very spooky residents.”
Stocker Streams:
Stocker streams are still a good bet if you get out early in the day, when headwater streams are coolest. The more shade the better, so avoid the larger stocked waters with an open canopy and lots of sunshine that warm the water quickly. Watch the weekly trout stocking reports on the GAWRD trout web page. This is the home stretch for the agency’s spring stocking season, so get the kids outside soon, before stocking subsides in July.
https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout
UO friend Landon:
“We struck out trying for chatahoochee bass this AM in our quest for the GA Bass Slam but found a couple redbreast and trout throwing rooster tails.”
Helen Happenings:
UO owner Jimmy:
“I’ve got you a great picture for the fishing report. This group of Tennessee anglers stopped by the shop Saturday. There were 7 in the group; all riding these scooters that were tricked out to haul all their fishing gear. The scooters get 100 mpg. In these days of high gas prices, if you want to go badly enough, you can find a way!”
NC:
Higher elevations provide slightly cooler water and better chances at some wild trout. Be prepared for two things up here: severe summer storms and the possibility of flash floods. A storm high in the mountains, miles above you, can send a wall of water at you just a hour or two later. (Trust me on this one, as I’ve experienced two Smokies flash floods myself. ) Be careful and plan a quick exit route, on the same side of the stream where your car is parked! Daily intel here:
https://littleriveroutfitters.com/
Private Waters:
UO Helen manager Wes: “I ran few trips this week, early in the mornings. The fish were sluggish due to the rising water temps. Getting out early is key. I found that the fish were holding deeper in the water column and nymphs like cdc pheasant tails, hares ears, and sunken ant patterns worked best.
I would recommend anglers who are catch/release fishing in bigger waterways to bump up to heavier tippet like 4X. That way you limit the time you are fighting fish. I would also make sure to keep fish in the water as much as possible after you land them.
Given the high water temperatures, we are discontinuing our trips at Nacoochee Bend in Helen. Hopefully these storms will help our river fish to get through the summer and we can have a great reopening next fall.”
Warmwaters:
UO friend Splatek: “Big and little brothers have been micro-fishing local small streams for panfish and chubs. Tiny flies like nymphs and midges have been deadly. The boys couldn't keep the fish off the hook. At their ages, it’s all about the action, and numbers trump size.
Also if anyone wants to help boost an 11-year old’s ego, give Spencer's YouTube backpack review a look and maybe a like. It was his first try.”
UO friend Landon:
“A Lanier river was very good one evening after work. I had good numbers of shoalies but went 0/3 on the big ones. A Clouser around ledges worked early. Then I caught a couple on top as the evening shadows fell, but most ate a weightless black woolly bugger under my popper.”
UO friend Athens Jay: “ Floated two Georgia rivers in search of the noble Shoal Bass. River levels were low and water clear. Two methods worked well. Big “blurple” streamers with dumbbell eyes, cast upstream to get a drag free drift, bumping along the bottom brought the biggest fish to hand. Using a clear sink-tip line to cast an unweighted game changer and “swimming” it over deeper water with a jerk/pause motion did cause many good fish to rise and eat aggressively.”
Flat Water:
HenryC: “Lanier is fishing okay for fly anglers. It’s a little less active than last mid-June which had top water fishing starting to peak this week. We are still able to find some schooling spotted bass that'll eat flies off the surface but not at the level we saw last year. The key this past week to finding fish is to fish over brush piles on humps that are 15'-25' deep. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use your GPS combo fish finder to guide you to those spots. Mornings or afternoons are both working but sunny days are best to get the bass feeding on the surface. My best flies are still gurglers, crease flies and stealth bombers.”
Afar:
Like us, many of our customers travel west each summer and are always interested in distant fishing conditions. By now, we’ve all heard of the historic flooding at Yellowstone Park. Here’s an excerpt from the latest newsletter by Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. It’s our favorite shop and we visit with those guys and gals during each of our summer fishing trips to the park. Consider subscribing to their newsletter:
https://www.blueribbonflies.com/
Excerpt:
“It's been quite the week! Perhaps this is a lesson in, "be careful what you wish for." All spring long we've been hoping for precipitation to help fill up the areas rivers and lakes and we sure got it! As many of you already know Yellowstone has had severe flooding this past week and the hardest hit was the Yellowstone drainage. Heavy rain combined with runoff unleashed unprecedented levels of high water that took out roadways, bridges and houses. Park officials closed all park entrances and evacuated all visitors. Water levels on the Yellowstone have dropped significantly since Monday. The hardest hit communities were Gardiner and Red Lodge Montana, our thoughts and prayers are with them as they start to rebuild for a unpredictable future.
On our side of Yellowstone Park the situation was not even close to that of the North and Northeast portions. Water levels certainly became very high but up to this point, and that we know of , there was no major damage. Water levels coming out of the park have come down to half of what they were on Monday on the Madison and Gallatin.
It is still unclear when Yellowstone will once again open entrances to Yellowstone it could be as early as next week but we are not counting on that due to several assessments that still need to be conducted. We will try to keep you updated as best we can over the next week as we are talking with park officials daily. Below is the latest press release from Yellowstone Park officials which we received yesterday, this should help to give you an idea of what's happening.
We are starting to run guide trips on the Madison again as of today and look forward to getting back out on the river with you!
As always feel free to give us a call with any questions.
Current information for Yellowstone National Park
Updates
Known damage and issues
Stay Informed
That’s the latest scoop, near and far, as we all try to get past this heat wave. Aim for the cool mornings and then enjoy a streamside lunch in the shade. Have a great time with Dad, too. We’re here to help with your summer plans, so feel free to call or stop in.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
706-878-3083
