Friday, July 28, 2023

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report 7/28/23

 



Too. Darn. Hot.


That summarizes last week’s results and this week’s prospects. Scarce rainfall and steamy nights have shut down the bite on our wild trout waters, but trouters can still chase lethargic mountain stockers and spunky tailwater residents in their winter water.  The bass bite is still good in rivers when they’re clear between showers and on Lanier’s offshore humps.  It’s prime time out west, and we have some great reports and pics from our Rockies vacationers. 



Just like the dead of winter, the heat of summer is a mighty fine time to tie, so look ahead to your cool season fly needs and start tying now to restock your trout boxes. We can never have too many caddis, pheasant tails, and squirmies, right?


Here’s what we scrounged up from our few reporters who braved our heat wave or flew past it to Montana. Enjoy our full report at blog.angler.management.



Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: Parachute ant, yellow or orange stimulator, micro chubby, foam beetle.


Nymphs & Wets:

Hard body ant, green weenie, prince, hares ear, squirmy worm (for stockers). 


Streamers & warm water:

Double barrel popper, jiggy craw, mr wiggly, low fat minnow, finesse changer.


 Headwaters:

Our state’s  bluelines are real low and just too darn hot to fish for wild trout.  The three high Hooch tribs that I checked at 9AM today ran 67, 68, and 69F.  Give their little wild residents a break until this weather breaks with cooler nights and some recharging rains. Chase our resident warmwater species or harvest a few WRD stockers during a morning trout trip with your kids. Check the latest stocking list here:

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout




Smokies streamflows are a bit better than ours. Waters are warm at lower park elevations, but better up high for any blueline fans hankering for a road trip. Check out Byron’s daily park reports here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/


New UO friend CooperH said his duo fished two White County streams one morning this week and caught a handful of stocked and wild bows on dries.


Dredger visited one of his favorite bluelines this week, but the water was too warm for trout survival after their release. Instead of fishing there, he detoured to Unicoi Lake and got a brief flyfishing fix via a handful of small redbreast sunfish that ate his orange stimulator.


Stocker Streams:

Hit them early in the morning.  Stockers are domesticated strains and don’t survive well in the wild. By program design, they’re meant to be harvested, so take some home for supper. Light lines, small hooks (#10 or #12), and small baits usually work better for warm summer stockers with limited appetites. The same goes for your flies, so try swinging small (#16-18) soft hackles on 5X or 6X tippet.


Tailwaters:

They are a best (only?) bet for this state’s late summer trout, thanks to their stored winter waters. Squirmies and buggers work well on recent stockers, while hatch-matching midges and small nymphs or soft hackles, dropped off the back of your favorite, fluffy  dry fly, work well on wild fish and holdovers. Always check the generation schedules before you go and have an exit strategy if you detect a sudden, unexpected rise in flow. A PFD is a great idea, too.


UO friend Mo:  “Our trio fished the dam last Saturday. It was windy, the water has definitely started losing its clarity and fish were snooty. We all managed at least a dozen each to hand, however - a mix of scrappy browns and rainbows - but we LDR’d or lost just as many at our feet due to subtle takes and tiny flies. 



Still, a great day on the river and great catch rate for about five hours we spent on the water. Had some takes on the dry but most of the action was subsurface. Tiny midge imitations in #20-22 worked very well. Had to be on or very near the bottom to get a bite. A Size 16 dyret was responsible for the takes up top.”





Private Waters:  No reports. Larger streams are shut down for the summer to give their trophy trout a break. 


Warmwater Streams: 

New daddy Landon snuck away for a few hours and found a handful of small shoalies that took a liking to his stealth bomber.



UO owner Jimmy: “We were off the new moon by a few days and the fishing really showed it. Topwater and streamers were slow to produce as we started our evening trip fishing through a torrential downpour for about 20 minutes.  It was fun as Devin wanted to know more about where and how to fish for Shoal Bass. You go when you can!”






Dredger ran north of the border on Monday afternoon in search of some summer smallies. Before departing, he saw that the  online gage showed a flow spike and tempered his enthusiasm, but he went anyway. He packed his Plan B trout stuff in case of a muddy water detour.



But he found three feet of visibility and a few river fish with good eyesight in dingy water. Only one dink ate his topwater bug, but he managed a half dozen dredged bronzebacks up to 16 inches on either a woolly bomber or a chartreuse bunny clouser.







Reservoirs:

HenryC: “Bass fishing on Lanier is still going strong with fish being taken on topwater flies and lures (lures are more effective). Fish have moved off onto the deeper side of the humps and points with 25-35' being the magic depth. Throw over the brush and you will get the strikes. Fish can be caught throughout the day and if you fish when COE is generating the bite further south is even better. Walk the dog baits are still best.”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com



Afar:

UO buddy CDB: “Spent the last week high in the Colorado mountains. Staying at 9,100 feet made the warm weather quite pleasant, actually. Highs in the low 80s on the warmest days. 



Wet wading was at times breathtaking. And not just because of the fish! In the canyon below Cheeseman dam, the water was shockingly cold. A long hike in, but well worth it. As seems to be the case with most western Tailwaters, the fish were really focused on the smaller stuff. No luck on streamers.  The Trico hatch was a near spiritual experience. Size 22 trico. Don’t ever look at these in your home water either.  They are small, but they can be quite productive, sometimes on the largest trout.   PMDs were also good. In the canyon proper, things really haven’t changed in 20 years. RS2 flies were a consistent producer again size 20-24. They always have small RS2, WD-40’s, and Tiny Tailwaters with me. They’re consistent producers on all of my favorite western streams. The fish here, as in many of our western waters are stunningly gorgeous.   



As a note, if you head out, please make sure you thoroughly clean your waders and boots before going.   And if you fish multiple streams, takes a couple minutes to scrape off the gravel, and clean them. Some basic 409 cleaning solution, and a spray bottle goes a long way if you’re in a remote camp. Let’s protect these gorgeous beauties!”


I stopped by Armuchee yesterday to visit with some of my old work buddies. WRD’s John “Deadly” Damer had another great summer fishing vacation with his father and brother. Their Montana streams produced some really nice bows and browns on caddis and mayfly dries, as well as ants and beetles. Thanks to heavy snows last winter, regional streamflows were excellent.



AWOL UO’er Joseph is still rubbing it in with his Alaska pics and videos. Looks like he’s enjoying his summer gig while we enjoy his photos.



That’s the latest from the steamy northeast Georgia mountains. Take advantage of low, clear river flows for resident bass while you await a cool summer storm and hot trout bite during the brief storm surge.  Don’t forget to restock those fly boxes, too. Stop in either UO store for a shot of air conditioning and some flies or tying supplies to prepare you for fall.


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Friday, July 21, 2023

UO Fishing Report 7/21/23



We are back with the UO fishing report after our own week of playing hooky amongst the bison and pronghorns. It’s still hot and humid here and the fishing reflects the summer weather. Headwater trout are still possible real early, while tailwater trout keep rockin’ along. River bass have been good, but yesterday’s storms just muddied up our local waters and you may have to wait a few days for them to clear. Ponds are still great and reservoirs, esp Lanier, have settled into their hot summer patterns.  The latest trip reports and tips from UO’s fine stable of reporters is on our blog. Notice the very long list of reports and pics from afar!



Good luck surviving the summer heat.  Submerge yourself in your favorite fishing hole soon. I sure miss my bed quilt and those forty degree mornings in Yellowstone last week!


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: Stimulator, parachute ant, humpy, elk hair caddis.


Nymphs & Wets:

improved yallarhammer, green weenie, drowned ant, prince nymph.


Streamers & warm water:

Amnesia bug popper (for bream), double barrel bass bug, clouser minnow, finesse changer, micro bugger.


Headwaters:

They’re low and warm. Fish will be in full fright mode, packed into pools and under logjams. They’re starving, as usual, during summer’s  low flows and will compete for your bug - if you haven’t spooked the hole.



Hooch headwater tribs have been running 64-68F by midmorning this week , due to our steamy nights. If you wanna blueline, then go early, hit north slope streams, or drive up to the Smokies once their current stormflows subside.  Check out Byron’s daily park reports here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/


UO guide Caleb: “I had a public water trip late last week. Fishing was effective both on top and subsurface. Our most productive fly was the green weenie dropped underneath a yellow stubby chubby. Fish the pools when you find them!”


Stocker Streams: WRD just released another long list of stocked waters. Hit them in the cool mornings for the best bite. 


https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout





Tailwaters: No reports to us. Web reports show both the Toccoa and Hooch tailwaters still fishing well.


Private Waters:  No reports. Larger streams are shut down for the summer to give their trophy trout a break. 


Warmwater Streams: 

UO company manager Jake had some recent float trips: “River bass fishing has been productive with recent low flows. We had a really good week, including some quality fish finding their way into the boat. Topwater and various swim flies accounted for nearly all of the action this week, with only a few fish coming on bottom bouncing crayfish patterns.”

https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/warm-water/





Athens Jay said Piedmont rivers were low and warm, but resident shoalies were fairly cooperative when he finally dialed them in. The low water allowed him to float between shoals and wade in them for his best stalks.  He said the residents ignored both his topwater bugs and his dark, bottom-bounced streamers. The winning recipe was large, light-colored streamers on a strip-and-pause retrieve just a foot or two under the surface. The bass would then inhale his streamer on the pause.




Small Lakes:

UO regular reporter Athens MD: “Fished a local lake on Sunday after about 4pm. Very little action on the 3wt with a hopper-dropper set up, so I rigged up my 5wt with a yellow and black foam popper and a size 6 brown rubber-legged dragon dropper. Fished the edges of beds of vegetation teeming with dragonflies in 4-5 feet of water and pulled in 5 largemouth bass between 7:30 and 8:30pm--two on the popper and three on the dropper. Last one was a 20-incher that ran maybe 4.5lbs. Warm water fly-fishing at its best!”




UO buddy RSquared: “Lately, my son Matt & I have been hitting the farm ponds during the final two hours before dark. ( not sunset, but dark). During the dog days of summer, largemouth bass begin moving into the shallows to feed before nightfall and will continue to feed until sunup. This pattern should continue through August. I like to use Stealth Bombers, Boogle Bugs, Streamers, and crawfish imitations. “




Reservoirs:

RSquared again: “My son Matt & I were able to fish with the "Lanier Legend", Henry Cowen this week. The top-water bite for spots was consistent all morning!  Poppers were working on the 8wt fly rod while walking the dawg with Zara Spooks was very effective on spinning gear. We had a blast!”




UO young gun Ben: “Jacob and I have had a really good week.  Fish are in their true summer areas, so look for cooler water, whether that be shallow in some shade or out deep.”







HenryC: “Lake Lanier is fishing really well the past week plus! The warmer surface water temps have fired up the topwater spotted bass fishing. While fishing the fly is okay and fish will be caught, fishing a topwater walk-the-dog bait will really get the spotted bass' attention. We had days where we raised 2dz plus fish on topwater. Fish are all over the lake. South lake has the biggest spots while north lake is fishing well with less pressure. We've even caught a few stripers and largemouth mixed into the catches on topwater and on sinking fly lines when the opportunity presents itself. While I look forward to the fall surface striper activity in early October, it's hard to beat the aggressiveness of Alabama spotted bass eating off the surface. It's some of the most exhilarating fishing Lanier offers!”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com



Afar:

UO buddy Ryan: “Destin inshore mangrove snapper & a redfish caught jigging a sz 14 frenchie PT jig, no kidding!  A rainy week had the surf slow, but shallow action was hot with big reds and trout visible.”




UO friend Andres: “Hey Jeff! Hope all is well! Caroline and I hit her home waters of Michigan last week. Had a great time catching smallmouth and rock bass. Managed to land a few browns as well.”







UO guide Caleb: Creek fishing “out west” was outstanding during our early July vacation. A Hopper/dropper using a local fly shop’s stonefly pattern,  has produced the most success. The runoff is finally over and the water is staying cold all day long. Go fish all day up to sundown!”




UO young gun Joseph, the Alaska guide: “Fishing has been great so far this summer. Chelatna lake has been great for lakers and occasional rainbows on game changers, leeches, and sparkle minnows. Pike fishing depends on the water levels but when the water is high we are sure to find them in shallow grassy areas. The pike are very opportunistic but I’ve caught a lot of fish on a bright red deceiver pattern. The rivers and creeks in the surrounding areas have been great also. Some hot flies for grayling and bows in the river have been prince nymphs, hares ears, stoneflies and sparkle minnows. No sign of salmon yet but we are expecting them by the end of the month.  As the month goes on we are expecting to hit a lull in the fishing on the river as a number of fish will go downstream to find the salmon and then chase them back up. Overall fishing has been great and it’s only going to get better from here! “



We’d also like to wish UO buddy Landon well in his semi-retirement from our fishing reporter pool. He and wife Andrea are the proud new parents of twins, one girl and one boy. Congrats!!!!



That’s the latest from a continuing steamy north Georgia. Pick your fishing times carefully and have fun under the clouds and stars. Stop in either UO shop for the latest intel and hot summer bugs. And maybe a little advice on taking a trip “out yonder.”








Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com