Your weekend theme is “watch those gauges!” Right now our region has received only a quarter-inch of rain and our streams remain low and clear. That can change instantly with one strong storm cell, so tune into the USGS river gauges (and the radar track on your weather app) for streamflows and sometimes water temps, too, before pointing your vehicle north.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02330450&legacy=1
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02178400&legacy=1
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02176930&legacy=1
We sure need the rain to recharge our rivers. They are super-low and clear this morning.
A little rain and stain will help the trout and bass bite. A lot of rain and muddy water will kill the river bass bite, but chocolate trout streams could kick off the squirmy worm bite, so be ready to match that storm hatch (earthworms). Higher, stained water can also awaken river stripers from their summer siestas.
Stockers are scarcer due to harvest since the Labor Day stockings, but you can still find a decent bunch of trout by covering a longer stretch of stream. Our shop visitors have done fairly well this week on nymphs, Powerbait, and worms.
The latest fish fibs from our staff, guides, and fishing buddies are in our full fishing report, so click here to cash in:
http://blog.angler.management/
(Link in bio)
May you have good luck today, despite the date, and more fishing fun over this dreary, overcast weekend that will make game fish happier in the shadows and y’all, too. Just remember that raincoat. And those priceless stream gauges!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: micro chubby Chernobyl, yellow stimulator, parachite Adana, parachute black ant, tan elk hair caddis.
Nymphs & Wets:
Best bets for off color higher flows. Squirmy worm, girdle bugs, Slush egg.
Best bets for clear flows. Hares ear, pheasant tail, drowned ant, copper John, zebra midge.
Streamers:
Sparkle minnow, buggers & leeches, micro dungeon.
(Bass) jerk changer, Con man, wiggle minnow, boogle bug popper, Kent’s stealth bomber.
(Panfish) amnesia bug, small chubby Chernobyl, bluegill spider, dry and wet ants
(Carp) headstand, squirmy hybrid.
Headwaters:
They’re low and clear and cool right now, as only a quarter inch of rain has fallen so far. They’re not cold because our overnight temperatures haven’t dipped because of the warm storm front. Spoilcane was 64F at 730 this morning.
Be stealthy and give the bluelines a shot. Downsize your tippet (5 or 6x) and flies (#16 or even 18) and soften your casts and fly landings. I’m a big believer in #16 caddis and stimmy dries and tiny wet ant droppers when the dry bite is slow or the pool is deep. Residents are spooky but hungry! (See my Smokies report, below)
UO buddy Spangler is learning our bluelines: “I fished a headwater trib of the Hooch high above Helen for about 3 hours yesterday morning. Temps were 62-64, oddly they were lower later in the day but I think it was the intermittent rain. Despite the rain, the stream ran pretty clear. As far as actual fishing…egos were humbled and lessons learned. I had at least 25 fish come up to either swipe at my dry fly or just get a look at it and dive back to hide. I did get 2 on with a wet ant dropped about a foot off of my caddis but neither ever got to the net or out of the water actually! I cycled through several flies – dries, wets, nymphs, streamers, which actually all got attention. I did go down from 4X nylon to 5X floro and a little longer but I think in hindsight I should have gone even longer.
Back to the rain though – though the rain was light and intermittent, it was so overcast you’d think it was dusk, so I had a hard time seeing anything. I had to use larger flies than I wanted to be able to even see them, so that caused many of the misses I’m sure, plus the smaller ones that could have gotten a take I probably didn’t see the sip quick enough to react. I left my headlamp in the car with no thought but from now on, I’ll keep it in my pack for sure. It was humbling, but still a great learning experience. I’ll be back!”
Stocked Waters:
The last stockings were the week before Labor Day, so stream stocker populations are dwindling. But there are still plenty of leftovers, mainly browns, in bigger streams (Tallulah, West Fork, Hooch, Cooper, Toccoa, etc) for waders willing to cover a lot of ground. Take two casts into each small pocket or pool and, if no strikes, keep moving upstream. You’ll end the day with sore legs, but with a decent haul for supper.
Tailwaters:
New UO buddy and UGA Fisheries grad Josh: “ Trout: green water + visible flies = plenty of fish! We’re starting to see some early signs of heavy fall lake stratification in the Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam, which can darken (not muddy) up the waters providing for some excellent fishing opportunities.
Try some flies that stand out in the water, whether that’s from bright colors, flash, or bigger size! Girdle bugs, rainbow warriors, hare’s ears with orange hot spot collars, and eggs are all great choices for flies. Now is also the time to dust off those 7 and 8 weight rods and tie on some articulated streamers to “swing for the fences” for our trophy brown trout as they begin to fatten up for spawning. Have fun and remember to stay safe as navigating our slick rocks can be tougher in these reduced visibility conditions.”
Private Waters:
Just about all waters managed by GA’s private operators remain closed for the summer to protect their heat-stressed trout. Same goes for Dukes at Smithgall Woods. But everyone, including Smithgall, is now taking reservations for fall fishing trips. We are at 706-878-3083. Art at Smithgall (706-878-3087) said Dukes will open angling to reservation holders on 10/2. Call soon to reserve your slots for prime fall dates.
Warm Rivers:
They’re still low and clear due to a lack of rain. Just watch the river gauges before coming to make sure a stray storm hasn’t blown that river out.
The rivers are also a bit cooler since we ditched our 90 degree days, which should enhance the bass bite. Throw your streamers and poppers into heavy cover, where residents are hiding from the herons and otters. Have a stealthy approach and make longer casts so you don’t spook them and you should be rewarded.
UO owner Jimmy:
“Low, clear water and cooler temperatures find me getting out most evenings after work. No topwater action yet but it’s coming!”
New UO buddies Ethan Dodson & Alex Gillies stopped in our Helen shop for bass bugs and intel last Saturday, then went fishing. They reported : “Chattahoochee Bass on the upper river were not picky this past Saturday (9/8), readily taking both boogle bugs and small clousers, but stealth was required to keep from spooking them in the slow, clear water. Long casts to deep pools and shaded structure were most productive.”
Drought flows continued in NC, too, so Dredger ran back up there for yet another Smallie fix before chilly fall nights shut down the topwater bite. Wading a long, deep outside bend at dusk, he landed a nice handful of bronzebacks up to 11 inches on his favorite sunset bass bug, a #4 white stealth bomber.
Ponds:
No reports. They should continue to fish well with this cooler weather.
Reservoirs:
GAWRD has some great fish attractor and bass stocking info in this week’s report:
https://georgiawildlife.blog/2024/09/13/georgia-fishing-report-september-13-2024/
Afar:
Dredger ran back up to the Smokies early on Monday for another trout fix. The air was a brisk 52F and he needed a sweatshirt and waders to start the day! The water was 58F at his 8AM start and 65 at his 3PM end. A bunch of little bows and browns split their strikes between his tan caddis dry and sunken ant dropper.
He might have caught 1/3 or half of them, which was still plenty of fish fondled to declare it a fine dry/dropper day. The turkey flock and elk herds made his $5 parking pass a real bargain.
UO buddy AJ:
“Attached are a couple more pics, first is a nice wild brown on the Uncompahgre River below Ridgway reservoir, second is my best fish, a 20+” brown I caught on an articulated streamer (guide coached me up on streamer fishing) on the Lower Gunnison. Caught fish on nymphs, hoppers, and streamers during float trip. Was a good float. Lots of potential water to fish in that area of Colorado that we didn’t get a chance to hit (some were blown out from rain). We must return!”
UO staffers israel and Joseph:
“Been a great week in Honduras. One grand slam 3 permit and one 80lb tarpon. Permit on the flats can be tough to find at times but they have been feeding readily. Captain crabby and the strong arm Flexo have been producing the most. Bonefishing has also been good. Wei've landed two bones over five pounds in the past week. Spawning shrimp seem to produce the most for the ghosts.”
Kudos:
There’s a lot of good news coming from Athens and Atlanta. If you need some fishing buddies or want to learn how to fly fish, then check out:
- the Athens co-op:
(Jay said, “ORCTU and UGA 5 Rivers joined forces at the Athens Water Festival”)
- the Tech Team downtown:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vTBjUOpJ7/?igsh=MXg5bWQ2OGhpbHVkMA==
- and my fine Wednesday hosts, AFFC:
https://atlantaflyfishingclub.org/
There’s your weekly report, early today since it’s slow here in the Helen shop. Let those USGS stream gauges and our incomparable UO intel guide you to success this weekend, just like your beloved Dawgs and Jackets. Good luck!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
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