Thursday, August 31, 2023

Third Thursday Tying Nites!

Please join us in Helen for T3!  That’s “Third Thursday Tying” night. UO young guns Caleb and Ben welcome you to our Helen store at 6PM on the third Thursday of each month for free fly tying lessons and fish stories. We’ll kick off this program on September 21st.  Here’s more from Caleb:



“We will provide all necessary tools and materials and will aim to tie 2 patterns per night. We also welcome all local tiers who want to hone their skills or simply get out of the house for a night.


We’ll start at 6PM in Helen, with no set end time if some folks want to stay later.  For our first session,  we will start with a San Juan worm and an egg fly, two hot patterns for early season Delayed Harvest trout.  Guests are more than welcome to bring their own tying equipment and tie other patterns. They’re also welcome to show up just to socialize or snag some “expert” advice. It will be a fun evening together.”



Mark your calendars and join the UO duo for Third Thursday Tying nites this fall. Hone your tying skills and swap stories with some new fishing friends. We look forward to seeing you on the 21st!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Friday, August 25, 2023

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report 8/25/23



It looks like we’ve got to bear this summer heat just a bit longer until some cooler nights arrive next week. Hopefully some rain will accompany the break in the heat wave, too.


Currently streams and rivers remain warm, clear, and low!  Given those conditions, avoid headwater trout streams unless they’re on north slopes or across our northern border.  Hit those streams during cooler mornings.


https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/02330450/


Best bets right now are 1) river bass and bream and 2) stockers and tailwater trout when the sun isn’t baking you, and 3) tying fall flies in your air-conditioned dens. The river bass bites have been good. Just aim for the low light of dawn, dusk, and tree -lined banks.


Check out our complete intel in UO’s full report at 


http://blog.angler.management/


Caleb’s Hot Fly List:  

(He pinch-hit for Wes this week)



Dries: 

tan ek hair caddis, parachute ant, 409 Yeager


Nymphs & Wets:

Black zebra midge, drowned ant, Squirmy worm, Walt’s worm


Streamers & warm water:

Sculpin sparkle minnow, amnesia bug, shad finesse changer, black mohair leech


Headwaters:

Forget most GA streams, unless they are real high and facing north. Two tribs high above Helen today were already 68 and 70F at 9AM!  



That’s too hot to fish them. My WRD friend, Burton Hatchery manager Colt, said Moccasin is topping out at 70 as it enters his hatchery. 


NC’s 5,000 ft-high mountains and more abundant rainfall make their higher trout streams a better bet if you need a wild trout fix. I did some recons this week and found afternoon water temps of 62 in the headwaters and 66 a few miles downstream in the high elevation streams of the Nan National Forest and the Smokies. Their flows have dropped and the water is crystal clear, so fish are super spooky. Lower elevations are heating up, so go high.  Go early if you can for the colder water and lower light. Stay til 6PM for the park elkjams near Cherokee. Check Byron’s daily angling intel here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/



Stocker Streams:

Just hit them early and keep what you catch, up to your legal limit. Given the combined stressors of hot water and angling stress, they’ll soon be good for either raccoons or y’all.


Stay current with WRD’s Friday  stocker reports here: 

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout





Tailwaters:

No reports this week. On the Hooch, affected by Lanier stratification, the dissolved oxygen will be better below Highway 20. On both the Hooch and Toccoa, the lower ends of trout water may be heating up, so use your thermometers and aim for upstream, cooler sites. There’s a good Toccoa overview in today’s WRD weekly blog:


https://georgiawildlife.blog/2023/08/25/georgia-fishing-report-august-25-2023/


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


Warmwater Streams: 

It’s still a great time to hit them with a medium fly outfit (5-7weight), some poppers and streamers, and long casts, thanks to a wide river channel and no trees to snag those backcasts. Low, clear water will bunch up the predators as they try to avoid being eaten themselves. Don’t let this low-water window of opportunity pass y’all by.  Despite some local storms last nite, both the Hooch and Chestatee were clear when I drove over them today.




Ole reliable RSquared checked in:

“This past week I was able to fish in the Helen area of White County for the rare & beautiful Chattahoochee Bass. I was blessed to land several fish, two of which were long enough to qualify for the 2023 Ga. Bass Slam. The bass were hitting Boogle bug poppers on top and squirmy worms sub-surface.” 




 UO manager Jake had a good week. His best shoalie stretched to 22.25 inches. He says: “River bass fishing has remained consistent this week. With the low flows and clear water, anglers should downsize their offerings and be stealthy in their approach. The mornings and late evenings have been the best producing times, as the temps are skyrocketing once the sun gets high. Pick up some small topwater bugs and cool off wading your favorite warm water stream this weekend.”



Dredger made several trips north of the border this week and did okay on smallies. Nothing big (best was 12 inches), but all were fun.  Some took a black stealth bomber tossed under the late afternoon shade of tree branches. A few more took the black RLD dropper under the bug. And the best bunch ate a white stealth bomber, dead drifted during the last hour before dark. Fish these bass like wild browns and you’ll do okay. And you might spot a bald eagle, too.




Athens MD reports: “ I’m in Charlottesville, VA for the month of August, and despite being really busy, I was able to get out on a local river on a recent Sunday evening to wet-wade for smallmouth bass. Water was low and clear, and taking a moment to stand and observe revealed a number of fish in the deeper pools. They nipped at my Barr’s Meat Whistles in various colors, but really responded to small gray feather gamechangers on a sink tip line. The fish landed weren’t huge, but a couple of misses by larger fish in the really deep pools have me planning a trip back one evening soon!”



UO guide Devin found his first smallies far to the north and said he had a blast with this new species. He fished the upper peninsula of Michigan with Superior Outfitters in Marquette, Michigan.  The Dead Ned crayfish pattern did the trick.



Small Lakes: No reports. Try them at low light, especially when the water is a bit cooler at dawn. A lot of fish will pack under overhanging tree limbs for ant and beetle snacks.


Reservoirs:

Hank sez: “Lake fishing for spots is still going on fairly consistently. There are days where topwater is slower than other days but overall it's worth going and tossing topwater flies and lures on points and humps with brush on it. Some schooling is taking place and if they aren't seen on top then tossing a fluke on spinning tackle is a great searching pattern. We are now on the August blue moon so fishing over the next week should be good. 

Carp are still fishable when the conditions exist.  Enjoy the pic of a great father & son duo, our favorite Falcon, LB Nate Landman and his dad. We had a nice trip this week.”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com



Misc:

UO buddy Athens Jay took time off from the river to welcome a new litter of pups. He excitedly reports that the first meeting of the year for the UGA Five Rivers Club drew 42 students! That’s a lot of prospective fly anglers and conservationists!



That’s the latest news in our dog day report. It’s a really hot home stretch, but I’m seeing some 60/80 degree forecasts for next week. Here’s to river bassin’ while we await the cool-down. Stop by either UO store for some air conditioning while you stock up for fall and swap fish stories. 


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Friday, August 18, 2023

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report 8/18/23



This week’s report is about “windows.” Your fishing windows are created by rainfall and air temps.  We’ve had little rain in the last week and none is projected for the week ahead, which shows some brutally hot days just around the corner. So here are your best fishing windows.  First, y’all have a very brief headwater wild trout window tomorrow morning, then it will close quickly with subsequent hot nights and warming waters.  


https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/02330450/



In contrast, low, clear water will provide a long, wide window for river bass and bream trips.  And the lack of rain should ensure trout tailwater flows remain clear (and cold with winter-stored waters), so Hooch and Blue Ridge fishing should remain good. Just note Hooch low DO above Highway 20.


The flat water window is also pretty good. Pond and lake fish won’t be as spunky as they were in spring due to warmer water, but they’ll still eat, especially in the shade and the shadows of dawn and dusk. 


I just got back from taking stream temps, and several of us fished as recently as yesterday. In fact, Jake and HenryC are on the water now.  Check out all of this recent and breaking intel in UO’s full report at 


http://blog.angler.management/


Good luck this week. Try to get out tonite or tomorrow morning before the next big heat wave crushes us again. Stop in or call either UO shop (Helen, Clarkesville) for the latest intel and supplies for your August adventures.


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: 

Parachute ant, foam beetle, olive stimulator, elk hair caddis.


Nymphs & Wets:

Drowned ant, prince nymph, soft hackle partridge, plus one.


Streamers & warm water:

Double barrel popper, sweet baby cray, low fat minnow, jerk changer, polar changer, bluegill spider.



Headwaters:

It’s all about water temps and “cover” on our bluelines. First, the water’s gotta be cold enough for trout survival. My two Hooch tribs were 65 and 67F at 11 today, showing that yesterday’s cooler weather gave us a morning window today. I’d expect the same tomorrow morning for high, south slope streams. Otherwise, go to north slopes or on to NC.


Second, it’s about cover, which is seriously lacking at these low flows.  If you can find cover in the form of deep pools, wave-topped runs, and deeper riffles with overhanging vegetation, you’ll find wild fish hangouts. They’ve vacated 80% of the stream area to bunch up in these drought addresses with lower predation potential. They’re praying for rain harder than we are.



Casting isn’t easy here, but results are rewarding once you sneak your bug into those coverts. Be patient with tangles and try nothing lighter than 5X to fetch more flies back from rhodo limbs. That recipe worked for our duo yesterday:


Dredger and Athens Jay took advantage of this cool spell and hit a blueline yesterday. Plenty of little wild rainbows rose, and half ate the dry fly. They were a bit skittish toward the bigger stimmy, but were suckers for the slightly smaller #16 tan caddis when it rode high after dessicant shakes.




UO buddy RSquared: “Sunday, I took one of my former high school students to a small, remote, high elevation stream that had 63 degree water. We were blessed to catch several Southern Appalachian Brook Trout on dry flies.  I had my best success with a tan “Never-sink Caddis in size 14.”



UO guide Caleb: “Wild trout fishing was good yesterday morning. Effective patterns were a ruby midge and a small pheasant tail. They key was getting on the water early. As we approached midday, the fishing declined a bit due to water temps.”



NC’s higher mountains and more abundant rainfall make their higher trout streams a better bet. Just check local fishing reports and appro USGS flow gauges before you go. Rabunite buddy Nanette said she and hubby managed just one nice brown on a hopper in a NC stream that was high and muddy from a recent rain.  Remember  your best daily park strike indicator, Byron’s daily reports. And a daily Smokies parking pass.

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/


Stocker Streams:

Higher, cooler waters are still fishing well. Smith ran 67 when I checked it today and  harvesters were having a big time at a honey hole. New UO buddy DJ said he landed four nice browns on his spinning rod yesterday afternoon on a stocked stream near Helen.



Stay current with WRD’s Friday  stocker reports here: 

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout



Tailwaters:

They’re still fishing well, based on web reports I’ve seen and the hot intel in today’s WRD fishing report.


https://georgiawildlife.blog/2023/08/18/georgia-fishing-report-august-18-2023/


UO friend JS also checked in: “Howdy Dredger. Hope you’re staying cool! If you’d like some intel on the Lanier Tailwater for the weekly report I’ve got a small contribution you’re welcome to use: 

Fished about 4 hours below Buford Dam early this week and though the bite was slow, I was able to put double digits in the net and hook up with a few bonus fish that just didn’t want to get in the net (and the angler may have let them have too much slack). Water is murky thanks to reservoir stratification  and low Tailwater DO. Due to that last fact, I found most fish bunched up close to riffles in shoals where the water gets churned up. The browns liked the usual, an 18 zebra midge-style perdigon.  A couple browns and the stocker rainbows liked a generic #14 jig nymph I made out of black ice dubbing and purple thread, coated in UV resin as a rib.”




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


Warmwater Streams: 

It’s a great time to hit them. Low, clear water will bunch up the predators as they try to avoid being eaten themselves. I’m heading to a bass river as soon as I get today’s report posted.


Practice  good stealth and drift those poppers and stealth bombers along with no pops. An occasional twitch is all that’s needed. More on summer bassin’ tips in my June and Sept ‘21 columns in here:


https://issuu.com/coastalanglermagazine/docs/atl_d39e4812cd0d90


If the topwater bass bite under the shady limbs is slow, add a dropper of a black bugger, mohair leech, or Pat’s rubberlegs.  And if the bass are moody, downsize to a bream popper or rubber spider and enjoy those colorful, resident redbreasts!


UO Helen manager Wes: “I got out on a stream in Savannah watershed one evening recently to target Bartram’s bass. The fish were fired up. In 2 hours I probably caught 20 bass, all on a stealth bomber. “




RSquared politely declined our blueline invite yesterday. Instead, he added a 6th bass species to his 2023 GA Bass Slam application yesterday. He said he’ll add a Chatt Bass trip report to next week’s UO blog.



UO guide Como and his partner managed to fool a couple of Hooch stripers in Helen this week.



UO manager Jake is on the water now. I’ll update this report when he checks in later today.


8/19 update, courtesy of Henry C: 

“Fishing this week had a twist to it... while Lanier is still catching some topwater spots,  the stripers are on rare occasion making a quick showing. Nothing to count on as we are still 6 weeks away from the start of the season. However, the shoal bass were making a good showing this week on the moon. I had an invite to float a secret river yesterday with Unicoi's Jake Darling and Jimmy Harris. Fish were caught, filleted and eaten sashimi on the river! Nah, all fish released...”



Small Lakes: No reports. Try them at low light, especially when the water is a bit cooler at dawn. A lot of fish will pack under overhanging tree limbs for ant and beetle snacks.


Reservoirs:

UO Helen manager Wes:

“Jackson and I got out over the weekend and decided to do some Georgia style flats fishing for carp. Plenty of fish were spotted and spooked. However, we were able to stalk and catch a few.




The fish we caught fell victim to my personal favorite Carp pattern,  “the hybrid worm”.


Hank the Yank’s report is in the river section this week.

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com


Afar:


UO guide Israel (who previously guided in CO for 7 yrs) took a break to visit some of his old CO fishing buddies and take in a concert at Red Rocks. He said it was a great break from our GA weather. If y’all ever need a few tips on Rockies fishing, Iz is your man!



UO shop escapee Joseph keeps rubbing salt into our hot, humid GA wounds. Here’s his latest Alaska installment: “Bead fishing for wild bows is in full swing! Lake creek has been very productive with fish ranging across all sizes. We have had many 30-fish days lately. As long as you get a good drift in some good holding water you are sure to get a bite. It’s getting better as each day passes! “



That’s the news from northeast Georgia. We’re thankful for the brief dose of cool days and look forward to more next month. In the meantime, chase some stockers, hit the trout tailwaters, try some bluelines on mornings after 60-degree nights, and have a lot of fun with skinny-river bass, bream, and carp.  Stop in or call us at either UO store for the most timely tips you could ever have. Good luck!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com