I just got a phone call from Jay Reed of Mt. Airy, GA. Jay reports that he's been spending a bit of time fishing the Tallulah lately and that the fishing's been great. His most recent trip was Sunday, and while the numbers weren't off the chart (not surprising after a weekend of pressure), he caught everything on dries and had a blast. Earlier in the month he had taken 7-year-old Jackson by the Burton hatchery, where they watched 4" trout chasing after flying dragonflies - great to know the instinct hasn't been bred out of the stockers!And speaking of Jackson: he's not quite ready for the fly rod, but has discovered that the Tallulah is a great place to learn about trout fishing....hey, that's where I got my start!
Indeed, many folks don't think of the Tallulah when considering a spot to go fly fishing, but it's got tons going for it. They think it's either too crowded, or it's too small, not a DH stream, or just not "cool".
The truth is, the Tallulah is an awesome river to fish, and learn a lot about southern Appalachain trout fishing. It's not a DH stream because the water temps stay so low during the summer it is a true year-round trout fishery. So low in fact, it is one of the few streams in the state that get extra stockings in the summer when the other streams have gotten too hot to hold fish. Access is great, and while the stream does get a bit of bait-fishing pressure, there is plenty of stream to spread out on. The water is varied, from typical mountain stream pockets to long, slow glides. And there are a lot of truly large stream-raised holdover fish resident on the Tallulah...but they're not easy to catch.
Give it a try!
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