TIE 1 ON

Well, it's Sat. afternoon, and I'm watching the Ga.-Fla. game. If the dawgs go for 1 more field goal, I think I'll be about ready to "tie 1 on". Well enough of that--let's get back to something that's more relaxing and easier on my nerves--fly fishing and fly tying.

I'm really looking forward to our fly tying session Tues., Nov. 1. We will be meeting at 6:00 PM at Nacoochee Methodist Church located off Highway 17 in Sautee. Three of our fellow tyers will show us how to tie one of their favorites. Anyone interested in tying their own flies is welcome.

If you're wanting to learn how, this is a good place to start. All material and equipment will be supplied, along with some great coffee and a good time talking fishing. At this meeting, we'll also be planning a fishing trip or 2.

I would also like to remind all veterans and active military personnel not to forget to sign up for a free guided fishing trip with Unicoi. Just go by the shop and drop your name in the minnow bucket--the drawing for the trip will be on Vet. Day--Nov. 11. Thanks Unicoi for recognizing all our service

men and women--past and present. What a blessing they are to our country and to each of us--thank all of you for your sacrifices.

See you in church.

Thanks,

Ron

Mountaintown Creek

Unicoi Outfitters guide James Bradley had a nice trip yesterday on Mountaintown Creek with Randy and Wynn Jones:

Randy just had bypass surgery 8 weeks ago!  Time for a couple of brothers to get out and have some fun.  Decided on Mountaintown Creek for some great fall scenery, especially along this mountain stream...not to mention the "hot bite" going on!  Too many fish to count.

Nacoochee Bend

The fishing is great at Nacoochee Bend - here's a report from Rex Gudgel:

This past Saturday Louis Sawyer and Joe Mayfield fished with me at Nacoochee Bend. The weather was wonderful, the scenery was sensational, the comraderie was comical, and the fishing was fabulous! How's that for adjectives and alliteration? These are just some of the reasons you need to come out and fish with us.

A Beautiful Golden "Brown" Day at NCF

I was really looking forward to this fishing trip.

I had not fished Noontootla Creek Farms for quite a while and it is definitely one of my favorite streams to fish. I met Larnx Allebrink at the shop in Blue Ridge and we were in the water after a short drive. Larnx now lives in Tampa, but was born and raised in Sweden.

After just a short time in the water, Larnx hooked and landed a nice red-sided rainbow--what a gorgeous fish--I could tell it was going to be a special day. In between hooking fish, we talked about fishing in Sweden--which was really interesting to me. I guess fishing in it's own way is an international language to all those who enjoy it, although Larnx did ask me to repeat myself a couple of times--that North Ga. "redneck" accent I guess.

We had a great time. We hooked several large fish that got off, but Larnx was never discouraged. I think we both knew that it was just a matter of time. He hooked and landed this beautiful brown on a rl stonefly--what else. He told me that it was larger and maybe even more stunning than any brown he had caught in Sweden.

Thanks, Larnx, for a great day and thanks for fishing with Unicoi.

I believe there's no better place than North Ga in the fall, especially if you're knee deep in a trout stream.

Thanks,

Ron

Blue Ridge Fly Tying Night Oct. 20th!!!

Hey folks we are having the second fly tiers night this Thursday Oct.20th at Unicoi Outfitters in Blue Ridge! The festivities will begin at 6:30pm and the fly of the night is the good old Hares Ear Nymph. Both a beaded version and a non beaded version will be on the agenda. Or we'll work on anything you want to.
Bring your own stuff or we'll have plenty of tools and materials for you to use at no charge. Drop by even if you don't tie and just shoot the bull a while. Art and Larry will be there to head it up so giving them a hard time will be greatly appreciated. Normally we'll end up in a couple of hours. See ya'll there!!

Are You Sharp Enough?

Man, this weather has got me frisky as a newborn colt.  I can't wait to get off work and hit the river for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  Yesterday I grabbed Kathy's kayak and headed to the Chattahoochee for some topwater shoal bass fishing.  What a great crisp afternoon it was, just cool enough to warrant waders at dark.  I paddled upstream for about a quarter mile and beached the kayak below a beautiful set of shoals.  I was determined to fish on top with my old standby, a white Stealth Bomber, and nothing else.  Twenty minutes later I had long distance released 4 nice shoalies and was trying to figure out why.  I recalled that this same fly had resulted in a couple of similar disengagements Sunday afternoon when the old Edison incandescent went off in my little pea brain and suggested I check my hook for sharpness.  Sure enough, the only Stealth Bomber I had with me was dull as a hammer and I had nothing to sharpen it with.  To add insult to injury, the first fish I lost was probably the largest shoal bass I have tied into this year.  I had thrown my fly right into a turbulent frothy mix of currents coming over a ledge.  The fly floated maybe two feet when this guy exploded on it from beneath the whitewater.  Chalking it up to bad luck, I kept fishing and proceded to lose three more nice fish in the next twenty yards.  The bite was definitely on but I was ignorantly unprepared.  Checked the hook on my thumbnail and it slid right off.  A big no-no!  When I'm trout fishing, I always have some kind of sharpener on me but not last night going for bass.  And it cost me big time.  Make yourself a note and tape it to your fly rod; "Check Hooks for Sharpness, Dummy!"

I did manage to land at least as many as I lost before dark-thirty set in and I floated back downstream to my truck.  Largest one was probably 12 inches; nothing like the first brute that threw my fly back in my face.  I'm already planning a rematch.

Do You Know the Difference?

These two river bass were caught this past weekend by the Dredger; one dredging and one on top.  Can you identify the species?  The topwater fly that you can see in the photo on the left was the trusty White Stealth Bomber.  The subsurface fly in the other photo was a Hipps Hell Craw.  Both flies are excellent bass catchers and should be in your arsenal when wading into the warmer waters of the region.

Tie 1 On

The Outdoor Adventure Day at Unicoi was great. All the remarks about the event that I have heard are very good. The fly tying tent was the busiest I have seen it--kids everywhere. It looked like the fly casters stayed busy and the stream was really crowded with fisherman--what a great time. Thanks to all the folks at Ga. DNR--you did an outstanding job. Thanks also to all those from TU and "Tie 1 On" that helped out.

We will meet this Tues--Oct 4--at 6:00 PM at Nacoochee Methodist Church for our monthly fly tying session. We will be tying some mayfly nymphs this month. Everyone--experts and beginners--are all invited. For those who don't own vises, we will provide them, and all the material for tying the flies.

Sorry about the late notice--see you in church!

Thanks,

Ron