It has remained very hot and dry here in northeast Georgia, so this week’s prospects are basically a repeat of last week’s top picks. Your best bets will be river bass in the shade, pond bass and bream at dawn and dusk, icy tailwater trout, stockers in the mornings at higher elevations, and wild trout before lunch, but only if you travel to north slope or NC streams. River bassin’ has been a blast, so give it a shot while those streams are skinny and clear.
All details and some great, far-away fish stories are in today’s full fishing report here:
http://blog.angler.management/
(Link in bio)
Good luck this week as we slowly creep toward fall, and maybe a little more rain. Toss those rubber-legged terrestrials and have some summer fun while we await the return of summer showers.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: micro chubby Chernobyl, olive stimulator, parachute black ant, tan elk hair caddis.
Nymphs & Wets:
Hard body ant, gold ribbed hares ear, Quasimodo pheasant tail, zebra midge, lightning bug.
Streamers:
Squirrely bugger, and mini shimmer buggers for stockers.
(Bass) jerk changer, Con man, boogle bug popper, Kent’s stealth bomber.
(Panfish) amnesia bug, small chubby Chernobyl, bluegill spider, dry and wet ants
(Carp) headstand, squirmy hybrid.
Headwaters:
Wild trout success around here has followed the same flat line as our local rainfall.
It’s just too hot to pursue them on many of our headwaters if you want them to survive after release. At 9AM today upper Smith was 68F, Spoilcane was 69,
and the Hooch at the WMA boundary was already 70 degrees.
You’ll need to cross the ridge and hit north slope bluelines in Rabun, Towns, or Union Counties. Better yet, trek into NC if you must have a wild fish fix.
UO-Helen manager Wes: “I went north late last week on backpacking trip. The higher elevation mountains and creeks made for comfortable summer camping conditions and good brookie fishing.”
Here’s a fresh Smokies report from our friend Ian at R and R Flyfishing in Townsend, TN:
https://randrflyfishing.com/2024/08/09/late-summer-adventures-before-autumn-arrives/
Athens Jay: “Kudos to the Boy Scouts and the UGA 5Rivers club members who enhanced trout habitat in a Rabun County stream on Saturday, under the direction of DNR and Forest Service professionals.”
Stocked Waters:
GAWRD has another decent list this week. Stockers are meant to be caught and harvested, so hit those waters in the mornings while their temps might be under 70F and keep your catch (up to the legal limit) instead of releasing those stressed fish back into warm water, where they’ll likely expire. Light line and small baits or flies will bring more strikes from lethargic fish.
Tailwaters:
Athens Jay: “Student Becomes Teacher: Former UGA Fisheries student, and 5 Rivers club member, Josh Kim invited me to fish the water he grew up on yesterday. Josh used to guide on the Soque, and fished competitively. We had a great day catching wild browns and stocked fish in 55-degree water on the Hooch below Lanier. Tight-line nymphing and bobber fishing both worked well with a double nymph rig.”
UO friend Hillis: “As has been the case for the last four weeks, I fished the Hooch below Buford Dam.The oxygen level is low at the dam, water is turning green, it is hard to see the bottom, and the bite is slow. Regardless, I was lucky and caught a few drifting, swinging, and stripping a a #8 or 10 beaded black wooly. Also I tried a beaded olive wooly and had several hits on it, but only landed one of them. Most if not all were caught on the swing.
Today may have been my last day this year fishing below the dam, because as I said above, the water is green, stocking will stop soon if not already at the dam, oxygen level is low, and the bite is slow. Also it’s hard to see the bottom. I do not like fishing that section of the Hooch when I can’t see the bottom. I fish the Hooch from a float tube, mainly for balance, wading, very little floating, and it’s hard to avoid the slippery boulder size rocks when you can’t see the bottom. Then again I may decide to brave the poor visibility and fish it with my fishing buddy who does pretty good catching browns there in the fall. I do not know if he is spinning or fly fishing. If he is spinning I may have to buy a spinning outfit. Ha, “LOL!
Private Waters:
Just about all waters managed by GA’s private operators are shut down for the summer to protect their heat-stressed trout.
Warm Rivers:
Region rivers are a best bet due to better water clarity and low flows. Fish are packing into drought refuges and looking up along shady banks for terrestrial bugs dropping into the water. The Hooch at Highway 115 was low and pretty clear this afternoon, with at least four feet of visibility.
UO manager Jake: “River bass fishing this week was very consistent now that flows have returned to normal and the water clarity is good. No particular technique was king this week, with fish coming on a variety of presentations from topwater to bottom-bounced offerings.”
UO-Helen manager Wes: “The late summer low flows make for excellent fishing for native redeye bass. I got out this week on a Savannah River tributary and was able to catch around 10 beautiful Bartam’s bass all on topwater flies. They sure do pull hard on a fiberglass 4wt!”
Dredger went north of the border on Monday evening for a brief smallie fix. He got two shorts and a rock bass on a woolly bomber while the sun was up, and then hooked three 11-inchers on top (black stealth bomber) as the sun set.
Ponds:
No recent reports. Dawn and dusk should still produce bass and bream along shaded banks.
Reservoirs:
They’re still warm and full of boaters and skiers. No recent fish reports came to us.
Afar:
UO buddy CDB: “Went north to Ohio and fished Rockwell Springs this week. Crystal clear water, slow pools and picky fish. But good size. Skittered beetles, ants and grasshoppers worked. Dead drifted patterns- not so much. Small white zonkers and wooly bugger patterns worked well in the morning and evening. Size 20 and 22 blood midges as well as #18 Halo points did well as nymphs. “
UO buddy RSquared: “I recently returned from Northern Saskatchewan where I, along with five other Trout Unlimited members, spent eight days fly fishing for Lake Trout & Northern Pike! The water was high but clear, which made for perfect visual conditions for the Pike. The Lakers were much deeper. It was truly a bucket list trip for me!”
UO friend Mo: “I traveled to the Old World again this summer and spent a few days on the Ribnik river chasing the Adriatic grayling. I’m here to report they remain very picky and tough to fool, esp during the dog days of summer. The low water and their delicate taste for tiny flies made for a few very sporting days on the river. Sight fishing with a tiny nymph, a tiny dry or emerger stuck in the film was the most effective approach. One thing that stands out the most was fishing a great BWO hatch early one morning. Clouds of BWOs flitting about and grayling feasting on them on top. Risers everywhere. Lasted only about 30-40 minutes but it was a sight to see. Here are a few fish and river pics.”
That’s the latest news from both sides of the Atlantic, courtesy of our fine roster of reporters. Have fun tossing some rubber-legged bugs at willing river bass while that water is skinny and clear. Stop in either UO shop if we can help you out before it possibly rains late next week.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
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