Saturday, September 28, 2024

Helen After Helene



Area highways are clear, the power is back on, and we’ve reopened for business today in both Helen and Clarkesville.  We are so thankful that Tropical Storm Helene veered right and spared our region from the worst of its wind and water. We do pray for everyone south of us in GA and FL and north in SC, NC, and TN who indeed suffered loss of property and even life.


https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2024/09/27/tennessee-flood-people-stranded-roof-ballad-health-hospital-erwin-unicoi-county/75414357007


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=coDkfDBNhg8


After counting my own blessings, I did a brief recon this morning through northern White and Lumpkin counties. The bottom line is that streamflows are dropping quickly, but safe road access will limit our trouting treks to the Helen area this weekend.  Several smaller county roads and many USFS roads remain closed, mainly due to downed trees.  Stay home, save your gas money, and enjoy a fine football weekend with your favorite fans until the roads reopen.  Here’s what this morning’s trout route found.


The Hooch in Helen has nearly cleared, but is still high and would be very difficult wading for most anglers. Give it another day or two to recede. Monitor flows here:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/uv?site_no=02330450



Smith (above the lake) on the state park and Spoilcane along Highway 75 were high, clear, and 62 degrees at mid-morning.  Desperate trouters with excellent wading skills could give them a try with dry/dropper rigs.  The USFS Anna Ruby Falls area remains closed.





The Hooch on the WMA was high and clear, but Chattahoochee River Road is closed on both ends, apparently due to downed trees. The power line on the lower end of the WMA hung low, too. The upper end intel was provided by two nice mountain bikers. 



RB Russell Highway was still closed.


I made it to Dicks Creek via Hwy 129 to Turners Corner, after turning around at barriers on two county roads.  The stream was high and clearing, but the WMA road along Dicks was gated just above the falls at Waters Creek.








 I found DNR game warden Matt Johnson, who was checking in a successful bear hunter. Matt said he ran into a USFS staffer who was assessing storm damage. That staffer believed most area USFS roads couldn’t be cleared before Monday at the very earliest.  There are many closed forest roads and facilities across this region, per the USFS pre-storm notice:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/conf/alerts-notices/?aid=90885


So your access to many headwater creeks will be limited until roads are cleared and these areas are deemed safe for the public again.


That’s the latest from our Helen home base.  I hope this brief bit of intel is helpful.  The bottom line: stock up on snacks, invite some fishing buddies over, and tie some flies while you wait for your favorite teams to kick off this weekend.  (I hear there’s a big one in Tuscaloosa tonite.)  Or…come by our Helen shop to cast some rods and treat yourself to a new stick for fall fishing!  We’ll see y’all on our streams next week as the flows drop, our forest roads reopen, and eager trout inhale your freshly tied flies. Have a good weekend, everyone, and Go Dawgs!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

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