Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 9/21/23

 

Our fishing fall has indeed kicked off!  From our free fly shop programs  to trout waters and even to area lakes, the news is great. We have two newsworthy events on Saturday, and area waters are fishing much better after the past week of cooler nights. Here’s the short version, below, while details can be netted in our full report at:

http://blog.angler.management/

Don’t miss our Unicoi Outfitters Fall Kickoff on Saturday at our Helen fly shop. Sign up for one or more of our free programs. Details here:

http://blog.angler.management/2023/09/september-23-fall-kickoff.html

The other big news is that September 23 is National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD). Georgia residents can fish without a license that day. It’s a great way to introduce your friends to the sport. GAWRD details here:

https://georgiawildlife.com/connect-conservation-national-hunting-and-fishing-day-celebration-event

Cooler water has heated up area fishing. NC streams are still fishing well, while our skinny GA trout waters have finally cooled down.  We anticipate a decent stocking list from WRD tomorrow in celebration of NHFD. Pond and lake fish are waking up from their summer slumber. Check out Henry C’s hot topwater intel in our full report.

C’mon up to White County on Saturday and combine some free UO seminars with an afternoon of fishing. You’ll enjoy the best of both worlds. Good luck!

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries:  Elk hair caddis (#14-16 tan, #14 orange), orange stimmy, micro chubby, parachute black ant.

Nymphs & Wets: Drowned ant, pheasant tail, sexy Walt’s worm, green weenie, small black bugger and red  squirmy worm for stockers. 

Streamers & warmwater: Double barrel popper, sweet baby cray, jerk changer, polar changer, chartreuse over white clouser, black mohair leech, and black pats rubberlegs as a dropper under your bass popper.

Reminder:

Don’t forget about UO’s two free events at our Helen shop this week:  We start our Third Thursday Tying nite tonite at 6PM, then welcome a big crowd of y’all for our Fall Kickoff on Saturday.

Headwaters:

Our local trout waters are still skinny, but they’ve cooled off significantly in response to our fifty-degree nights and seventy-degree days.  Both Spoilcane and the Hooch on the lower end of the WMA ran a cool 61F at noon today. Fish will still be real spooky in the thin, crystal-clear water, but they’ll have much better appetites in comfortable thermal surroundings.

 Dries are a best bet, while dropper nymphs will dredge up bigger fish in the few deep pools you’ll wander across. Cover a lot of ground to fish a decent number of drought refuges. NC forest streams have better flows and even cooler temps for Nantahala and Pisgah forest fans. Grab one of our Nat Geo maps on Saturday to navigate those distant forest roads and headwaters.

I saw some good web reports on fishing in the park, where nighttime air temps are already downright chilly. A road trip up to the Smokies now for wild bows and browns, and bugling elk at dusk, is definitely worth the drive. Try an orange caddis or stimmy as your buoyant dry to float your drowned ant or tiny Sexy Walt’s dropper.

Check out Byron’s daily park intel here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

Stocker Streams:

Note that September 23 is National Hunting and Fishing Day and GAWRD has traditionally stocked some trout to celebrate the date.  Stop by our Helen open house in the morning and then hit a trout stream that afternoon. Watch for an updated stocking list posted tomorrow, here:

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout

Tailwaters: 

Web reports show both the Toccoa and Hooch fishing well. Experienced floaters strip streamers for high-water trophies, while low-flow waders are still doing good on small, dark nymphs and midges, and occasionally on their dries above the nymph droppers.

Private Waters:  We reopen our private waters on October 4. Call 706-878-3083 soon for info and reservations, as our prime weekend dates are going fast.

Warmwater Streams: 

They’re clear in response to a lack of rain this week. They’re also cooling off, so your sunken streamer and crawdad bite will probably be better than the topwater bite. Go soon, as that river bass bite will slow down with cooling water temps  - and our attention will then turn to stream trout and reservoir stripers.

Small Lakes: 

No recent reports. Catch rates should improve with cooling surface waters.

Reservoirs:

Hank’s hot news: “The cooler weather has definitely changed the temperament on Lake Lanier. We are starting to see a little bit of schooling now but it's not really a fly angler’s time just yet. Tossing conventional gear with a magic swimmer or soft plastic will get you most bites.

 Fly rods can be used, but you'll need to toss a 3 1/2" to 5" long fly to mimic the herring that the fish are feeding on. You'll get way more shots if you see fish on top using conventional tackle. The fish are up and down so quickly that flyrodders are at a clear disadvantage. That will change in 2-3 weeks as the water cools further and the fish stay up longer. The previous new moon that we just had helped trigger this change. By mid October whippystickers will be able to take full advantage of the start of topwater season. We are now booking trips for Oct-Jan and choice dates are starting to get booked up...”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

Afar:

Wandering UO buddy CDB: “Apologize for recent absences, but I wandered out west yet again this month to explore new water. While there’s an abundance of trees, there is a shortage of the kind that carry phone signals. I have already written to somebody about that.

The trip was worth it for the scenery alone.  Due to some of the inclement weather the fishing was solid, but unspectacular. 

Topwater offerings produced best, and it’s hard to beat the fun of casting a dry and seeing the top water take.  When surface action slowed or stopped, very small streamers continued to produce. 

I’m delighted to Ursus Horribillis did not make a showing other than some magnum piles of scat to keep us on our toes. The fluffy cows out here seem to think they own the place and have no respect for one’s fishing hole or personal space!”

Come see us for fly-tying tonite in Helen and on Saturday for our big Fall Kickoff. Snag several free seminars from some of the best in the business of north Georgia fly fishing. After all, for 28 years, we remain:

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report 9/15/23

It’s slowly cooling off up here in Helen. Headwaters are still very low and clear, with south slopes still too warm in the afternoons.  Better bets for wild trout remain the north slopes and Smokies streams. Tailwaters are still fishing well, while our bass rivers are good when clear between the rain showers.  Pond action is picking up with shorter days, cooler nights, and resulting colder waters. Lanier is still spotty for topwater fans, but good for dredgers. And permit, bones, and tarpon cooperated for our vacationing UO duo. Check out our complete intel in UO’s full report at :

http://blog.angler.management/

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

(He said last week’s best bets are still good)

Dries:  Elk hair caddis, micro chubby, Royal Wulff.  

Nymphs & Wets: Drowned ant, pheasant tail, Ruby midge, plus one.

Streamers & warmwater: Double barrel popper, sweet baby cray, low fat minnow, jerk changer, polar changer.

Headwaters:

Our bluelines are still very low and clear. Stormflows from occasional showers pass within hours, so come up here armed with your drought- stealth game. South slope streams are still a bit warm (66F at 9AM today), so continue to aim for north slope and NC streams til some colder nights hit our mountains next week.

UO manager Jake: “Small stream fishing was great this week with the cooler morning temps we have had recently. The streams are still very low and clear, but the fish seem to be very active in the mornings. Long time UO customer Dave and I had two great mornings flinging a dry/dropper around. We brought about 30 fish to hand in two mornings, and even had double rainbows, which was a first for Dave. Stop by the shop for some fresh intel and flies to help you have a great adventure on the water this weekend!”

UO Helen manager Wes just got back from his trip: “I went up to the Smokies this week for a short backpacking and fishing trip. The morning air is starting to get a little cooler up at higher elevations, which made for very comfortable camping conditions. The fishing on the headwater creek I stayed on was very productive. I caught lots of rainbows & brookies. While I was able to fool some fish on dries, a drowned ant or small stonefly nymph produced the best for me.”

Check out Byron’s daily park intel here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

Stocker Streams:

It’s been two weeks since the widespread holiday stockings, so pickings are slimming down. You can still find some leftovers, especially in the bigger waters, by covering a lot of ground and hitting the pockets. Put 2-3 casts into each likely lie and then move upstream to the next fishy niche.

Remember, don’t give up on stockers for the year.  There is a good possibility of some stockings later this fall. Just sign up for the WRD trout stocking lists and keep an eye out for them in the months to come. Note that September 23 is National Hunting and Fishing Day and GAWRD has traditionally stocked some trout to celebrate the date.  Stop by our Helen open house in the morning and then hit a trout stream that afternoon.

Tailwaters: 

UO buddy Spangler: “Evening Dredger! If you need a little tailwater intel, I spent a couple hours on the Hooch this morning. Close to the dam, seems things have slowed a bit. Where I was managing double digit days consistently, I’m now having to really work to get enough bites to count on one hand. Good chance to work on honing skills though! This is why it’s not called “catching,” right? The wild browns are always the draw,  but I managed a couple beautiful rainbows that had to have given up their hatchery diet some time ago! Small midge imitations still work for the browns, while the bows liked a micro bugger I spun up this week (size 16, fished on a tight line). Note: don’t forget your wading staff in that murkiness!”

Private Waters:  No reports. Larger streams are still shut down for the summer to give their trophy trout a break. We reopen our private waters on October 4. Call 706-878-3083 soon for info and reservations, as our prime weekend dates are going fast.

Warmwater Streams: 

You’ve gotta hit our local rivers when they’ve cleared from these periodic showers. Right now the upper Hooch is fishable, with 3+ feet of visibility and temp of 71F at noon today at Highway 115. 

It’s Hooch YooHoo below the Soque, however. Watch the closest USGS river gauges and wait 2-3 days after each flow spike to find bass-friendly water clarity. This is a shot at Duncan Bridge yesterday afternoon:

New Jacket buddy Will: “

Last Friday, I met with some other 5 Rivers leaders from a trip out west to discuss collaborations between the UGA and Georgia Tech clubs in the near future. Of course, there was some fishing involved. We targeted some shoal bass, and they were readily eating patterns stripped faster. I had action for most of the evening on my white clouser, but the theme was that presentation was more important than pattern that night. Overall, it was a fun time sharing some time on the water with both old and new friends. PS: Go Yellow Jackets!”

UO buddy RSquared: “A bunch of our Cohutta TU chapter members spent 3 days on the Flint River this past weekend. The river was was low & had a little color to it. The endemic Shoal Bass were willing to take our flies. We had some topwater success with poppers and stealth bombers  and caught a few on streamers. However, most fish were caught on hellgrammite & crawfish patterns.  Join our TU chapter and join in our monthly fishing outings.”

https://www.tucohutta.org/

Small Lakes: 

Athens Jay: “Pond bass report:

Bass are feeding aggressively in the shallows late in the day. Look for them busting forage like shad and bluegill against the bank. They will hit topwater or shallow swimming streamers in whatever size matches the local hatch. I had good luck with a 2.5” Crease Fly and a white Stealth Bomber.  PS: Go Dawgs!”

Reservoirs:

UO staffer Ben: Reservoir bass are starting to make their fall transition, so you definitely have to keep on the move. Soft body jerk baits and jigs have been top producers for me.  Keep your eye out for channel swings, either in a creek bed or main river channel. Those channel bends, where they get close to shallower points and humps, are worth prospecting.”

Hank sez: “Nothing new to report... Lanier should fire up in 3-4 weeks as we await the upcoming fall striper season. Now’s the time to book choice dates with me between Oct and Jan. 

Bass fishing is just okay as topwater season starts to slow down some. It’s time to start thinking about tossing a jerk bait on conventional tackle, or game changers on intermediate lines. Key in on herring type baits for fly and light tackle. It will only get better with the cooler days ahead. Lastly, I want to wish all fellow members of the tribe a happy and healthy New Year...”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

Afar:

UO staffers Iz and Joseph honored Jimmy Buffet by trekking far to the south.  Iz reports: “The flats have been fun, as we’re getting 3-4 solid shots at tailing permit a day. Finally got my permit, and picked up some bones. Joseph has been killing it. He got a tarpon the first night, a bunch of bones, and his first permit!  Permit seem to prefer the tequila twister, while bones are liking a spawning shrimp. We’re hanging out in Honduras.”

Misc:

UO buddy CDB provides a timely reminder to check our waders for leaks now, instead of discovering them in icy streams this fall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLw1U-pf-t/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Tech buddy Will: “On Sunday, our GT 5Rivers club held a “Learn to Fly Fish” event for its new members near campus in Atlanta. After a casting demo taught by a few experienced members, the new fly anglers had a blast catching bluegill and crappie on small minnow imitations and dry flies.   Many fish were caught, including most peoples’ first on the fly, and a fun time was had by all.”

Reminder:

Don’t forget about the two free events at our Helen shop next week. We start our Third Thursday Tying nite at 6PM on the 21st,

http://blog.angler.management/2023/08/third-thursday-tying-nites.html

 then welcome a big crowd of y’all for our Fall Kickoff on Saturday.

http://blog.angler.management/2023/09/september-23-fall-kickoff.html

Go wet a line early this weekend, before your favorite football games. Then come see us in Helen next week. From trout to bass and from bones to permit, UO staff has got the intel to up your own fishing scores this season. It’s a great time to kick off your fall fishing fun!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com