Unicoi Outfitters is north Georgia's premier guide service and fly fishing outfitter, located on the Chattahoochee River near alpine Helen. Look for fishing reports, gear and book reviews, and general musings here from our staff and guides.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 6/27/25



The heat continues and it’s driven a lot of folks indoors. Brave anglers can still find some nice opportunities early, late, and in the shade along mountain streams. Headwaters are low, clear, and warm. Blueline trout are a best bet for early risers here in GA and in the higher mountains just north of our border. Stockers are still going strong; just check water temps and hit those streams before the midday sun cooks them. Less rainfall means that bass rivers are finally falling into shape for float fishers. Ponds are still good early and late, when the shadows are on them. Reservoirs are challenging with summer boat traffic, but the shallow spotted bass bite is good when the wind puts a chop on the water. 


Check out all of our detailed intel at our blog. It’s new every Friday and will help you boost your own catch rates. 

http://blog.angler.management/

(Link in bio)


Stop in either one of our two UO shops for some flies, supplies, and advice. Have fun this summer!


Helen: 706-878-3083. Open 8-5 daily.


Clarkesville: 706-754-0203. Open 8-5 from Monday thru Saturday.


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries:  purple haze, tan elk hair caddis, parachute and hard body ants, micro chubby Chernobyl, yellow humpy.


Nymphs & Wets: 

Stockers: red squirmy worm, peach egg, micro girdle bug, black woolly bugger, tan and olive mops, pink tag jig.


Mountain streams: hares ear, drowned ant, pheasant tail nymph and soft hackle, green weenie, prince nymph.


Streamers:

Sparkle minnows, small black and olive buggers, bank robber sculpin, micro dungeon. 


(Bass & stripers) stealth bomber, polar changer, yard sale, clawdad, thrasher. 


(Panfish) mini stealth bomber, Boogle popper #8, Amnesia bug, brim reaper, girdle bug.


(Carp) squirmy hybrid, carp bitters, Detroit city mop.


Headwaters: 

They’re low and clear and warming. Hit them before lunch, unless you find colder water on north slope streams.  




Yesterday’s stream recons at  11AM provided this intel: Spoilcane ran 68F, 




the Hooch at the lower WMA boundary was 68F, 



and a high Hooch trib was already 65F.



Toss small dries on light line (5 or 6X) into the drought refuges where wild fish are retreating to. It’s hard to beat an ant, Adams, or tan caddis on top.  For deeper pools, drop an ant or green weenie behind that dry. Stealth and a good drift will be more important than fly pattern. Quit your trip when the water rises above 66F to protect those finned critters.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLXe4hXsbfl/?igsh=NXl1ZzZsdmFtYmVz


UO buddy Cooper: “Went blue lining last weekend and found some beautiful wild rainbows. Stained water allowed us to get a little closer to pools, and was especially helpful when my friend showed up in a yellow shirt.  They were eating royal wulffs. Love that water is much higher than last summer.”




Stockers: 

Stocker fishing is still good in the mornings, before water temps hit about 68 or 70F. Beyond that the bite slows, so get up early or aim for a shady stream higher up the mountain. Stockers are intended  for harvest, so don’t feel bad about fishing for them at higher temps if you intend to take them home. Squirmies, eggs, fluffy chubbies, and small buggers will put your new fly fisher on some stockers. For younger kids, 4 or 6 pound test line, size 10 or 12 hooks, and smaller baits like a single salmon egg or 1/3 of a nightcrawler will appeal best to stockers with smaller appetites in warming waters.


Today’s weekly stocking list should be posted here around 3 or 4PM:

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout


I expect a decent list today, but a very long list next week to serve the July 4th holiday crowds. Take advantage of the heavy stockings now before they subside for the second half of the summer. See the “2025 Frequencies” list on that WRD trout page to see the summer stocking plan.


Private Waters:

We’re now done with our spring trout trips because of hot water.  Feel free to call our shop now to reserve some prime fall weekend dates after October 15, a rough estimate for our reopening of private trout water opportunities.


Reminder:

We are still offering flyfishing-only striper trips at Nacoochee Bend.  Call the Helen shop at 706-878-3083 for details and to make your reservation.


Florida fishing guide Ralph and his son, Matthew, had a big time on their midweek trip to The Bend. Their hot fly that evening was, of all things, a small shrimp pattern that the duo uses on the salty excursions. I guess it resembled a crayfish. Either way, it worked, even in clear water.




Tailwaters:

The Hooch, Toccoa, and rivers north of GA remain a best bet during the summer as they release cold winter waters. Watch the generation schedules and get out there early, while the sun is still below the tree line. While the fish are cold all day, you’ll be a lot more comfortable in the lower light.


UO buddy Ryan: “We've hit the Hooch tailwater several times lately to prepare for a fly fishing competition this weekend.  It's taking 6.5x-7x tippet to fool them in this section of super-clear river.  Fish have been seen rising to dries, and our friend did well with a dry/dropper rig.  For the stress of the finesse, we've been rewarded with some beautiful, wild Hooch browns!”




Warm Rivers: 

Aren’t we glad that the federal government has restored funding for the Hooch river gauges?



Region rivers are dropping and clearing, with just the occasional muddy flows from a sudden storm. The Hooch at Highway 115 was looking mighty fine for shoal bassin’ when I crossed it last night and again this morning on my way to our Clarkesville store. 



Grab your crawdad flies and your stealth bombers and start your summer bass floats on the region’s rivers. We have a nice selection of bugs to choose from.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLFb9opsiFi/?igsh=d2c1dDg4cDhwY2Jp


Ponds & Lakes:

Hank the Yank said Lanier’s topwater bite for spotted bass on the fly has been good IF the surface is choppy. His flyrodders have needed some clouds and wind to be successful when tossing feathers.  Henry advises to watch the forecast and aim for any day that won’t be flat calm, with a glassy surface on Lanier. More on Henry here:

https://www.henrycowenflyfishing.com/welcome.html


UO buddy AJ: “I've had a few Lanier spotted bass trips over the past couple of weeks. We've been seeing quite a few small groups busting on top, but they have not been easy to get on with fly tackle. Long, quick casts with spinning tackle gives you a much better chance to get a lure in while they're splashing. A hard or soft swim bait will usually get a strike in you cast in quickly enough. Topwater lures and shallow fluke-style plastics will also draw up some fish from brush piles in the 20-30ft depths on long points and humps. I like to fish chrome on sunny days and bone or white on cloudier days. A little wind definitely helps with the topwater bite. If it's flat out, try a more subtle lure. This bite should continue for the next couple of weeks. Reach out if you're interested in getting out there!  My website is: www.lanieronthefly.com.”




Afar:

The high elevation streams in NC are still a real good bet. Toss sone yellow sallies, wet and dry ants, and green weenies.  Catch some daily park stream conditions and angling tips here, thanks to our friends at LRO:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/


Unicoi co-owner David recently fished the Hex hatch at night in Wisconsin. Enjoy the pic of his hefty  brown trout on a big ole mayfly dry.



News:

We had a big win for public lands at midweek, BUT…


The US Senate is still proposing the YOUR federal lands in the budget reconciliation process. Stay engaged!



If you share our view that this should NOT happen, then contact your US senators NOW and voice your opposition. 


From TU-National:

https://www.facebook.com/share/16fjt3P2Ku/?mibextid=wwXIfr


“You can’t make this stuff up. After the initial proposal was struck down by the Senate Parliamentarian, there’s a new proposal to sell your public lands... and it still stinks. 

 

“Hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts of every political stripe have made clear that mandatory public land sales are a boneheaded idea,” said TU’s President and CEO Chris Wood. “Hunters and anglers are heartened by the growing, bipartisan coalition in Congress who oppose the sale of the places we hunt and fish. House and Senate leadership needs to do the right thing and keep all public land sales out of reconciliation.”

 

“To be certain, opportunities exist to identify limited and targeted public lands that can or even should be sold or traded to support community expansion; that process should play out in the bright light of day with public involvement. The ham-handed approach of the Senate language would result in a dark of night fire sale of public lands to people who would quickly erect fences and post no trespassing signs.” 

 

Tell your senators NO to selling public lands via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or send them a message here: https://bit.ly/43xr4hg


That’s the latest, rather thin intel after our hot week of fewer trips abroad. Make some plans now for your holiday time on the horizon.  Stop in either UO shop and we’ll help you find some good options for your summer angling exploits. Good luck!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Monday, June 23, 2025

Take Action Now!



UO friends, this is a call to action! Speak up now or potentially lose up to 3 million acres of your public lands.

Join UO and the nation’s conservation community in opposing public land sales in the draft “big beautiful bill.” This is a bad idea and sets an ugly precedent for the future of our public lands. The US Senate may vote on this bill this week, so act ASAP!



https://www.backcountryhunters.org/bha_unveils_interactive_story_map_highlighting_hunter_angler_impact_as_senate_pushes_public_land_selloff






Contact your senators now and join in on the Wednesday “flood the phones” initiative to object to the potential loss of your valued federal public lands and waters. Whether you hunt, fish, hike, bike, or wildlife-watch, you should care deeply about this issue and make your voice heard.


Take action. If we don’t speak up, this could happen. Let’s save 3 million acres and prevent future actions like this, which might hit even closer to our own homes!


Details:



https://www.backcountryhunters.org/flood_the_lines_day_june_25_2025



Draft letter to senators here:

https://www.tu.org/conservation/action-center/



Thanks for your attention to this matter. Let’s all weigh in to keep public lands in public hands!


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Friday, June 20, 2025

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 6/20/25



Here comes the heat!  For trouters, your critical supplies this week are a good pair of hiking boots and a $15 stream thermometer. Hunt cold water way uphill or below a big dam and you’ll find eager trout. Headwaters are in good shape, stockers are plentiful and cooperative in the mornings, tailwaters are cold and fishy, NC’s higher mountains will extend our trouting season, local pond bass and bream are a best bet, and reservoir bass and carp are now providing good opportunities for boat anglers.


Check out all of our detailed intel at our blog. It’s new every Friday and will help you boost your own catch rates. 

http://blog.angler.management/


Stop in either one of our two UO shops for some flies, supplies, and advice. Have fun this summer!


Helen: 706-878-3083. Open 8-5 daily.


Clarkesville: 706-754-0203. Open 8-5 from Monday thru Saturday.


Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com


Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries:  parachute Adams, tan elk hair caddis, parachute and hard body ants, small yellow stimulator, micro chubby Chernobyl.


Nymphs & Wets: 

Stockers: red squirmy worm, peach egg, micro girdle bug, black woolly bugger, tan and olive mops, pink tag jig.


Mountain streams: hares ear, drowned ant, pheasant tail nymph and soft hackle, green weenie, prince nymph.


Streamers:

Sparkle minnows, small black and olive buggers, bank robber sculpin, micro dungeon. 


(Bass & stripers) Boogle popper, wiggle minnow, polar changer, yard sale, crittermite, con man.


(Panfish) mini stealth bomber, Boogle popper #8, Amnesia bug, brim reaper, girdle bug.


(Carp) squirmy hybrid, carp bitters, Detroit city mop.


Headwaters: 

They’re clear and warming and will take a hit with this week’s heat. Flows are pretty good, but they’ll drop quickly as next week looks a lot drier.  Aim for mornings, higher elevations, and north slope streams (which catch less sun)  for the best action as hotter weather rolls in.   




Hot days and bright sunshine  heat the streams. Warm nights then prevent them from recovering by morning.  To assess warm air impacts, I did my stream recons yesterday at 2PM. Spoilcane was 67F, 



the Hooch at the lower WMA boundary was 68F, 

and a high Hooch trib was already 65F.

Try the usual dries (Adams, caddis, Yeager, ant) and add a pheasant tail or ant dropper if the fish are hesitant to take the dry or if a sudden storm boosts flows. Downsize your tippet, too, if flows are low and fish have extra time to study your bugs.  To be safe, quit fishing for wild fish when temps hit about 66F.


UO-Helen manager Wes: “I did a morning guide trip on a national forest stream with David & Lacy. We fished dry dropper rigs with a small chubby Chernobyl up top and a micro girdle bug off the back. Most of our fish came on the girdle bug but we did have a few fish smack the chubby up top.”




Stockers: 

The heavy spring stocking season will wind down with the July 4th holiday, so go soon for stockers. After that, stocking subsides (by design) due to warming waters and decreased fishing pressure. And the vacant hatchery raceways (rearing troughs) are restocked with 4-inch fingerlings that will be next spring’s crop of stockers.


Stocker fishing is still good in the mornings, before water temps hit about 68 or 70F. Beyond that the bite slows, so get up early or aim for a shady stream higher up the mountain. Stockers are intended  for harvest, so don’t feel bad about fishing for them at higher temps if you intend to take them home. Squirmies, eggs, fluffy chubbies, and small buggers will put your new fly fisher on some stockers.


Today’s weekly stocking list should be posted here around 3 or 4PM:

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout


3PM update:






Private Waters:

We are winding down our spring season with a few morning trips when water temperatures allow. Feel free to call our shop now to reserve some prime fall weekend dates after October 15, a rough estimate for our reopening of private trout water opportunities.


Reminder:

We are offering flyfishing only striper trips at Nacoochee Bend.  Call the Helen shop at 706-878-3083 for details and to make your reservation. Our midweek clients had some luck, hooking two and landing one on, of all things, an orange Clouser. Evidently the rising water from an afternoon storm turned on the bite.



Tailwaters:

The Hooch, Toccoa, and rivers north of GA remain a best bet during the summer as they release cold winter waters. Watch the generation schedules and get out there early, while the sun is still below the tree line. While the fish are cold all day, you’ll be a lot more comfortable in the lower light.


UO buddy RonW: “The fellas and I used our Father's Day passes to sneak out to Buford Dam for a few hours of much needed hydrotherapy.


I started off with a dry dropper setup, with a large parachute Adams up top and a PT variant hanging off the bend on about 5' of 6.5x flouro.  Within the first few casts, I had a nice brown smash my Adams only to come unbuttoned when my dropper  snagged on a rock.


A quick nymph change to #20 brown nymph with copper bead produced my first fish and only rainbow of the day, from the same spot. I landed a brown on same nymph on the very next cast just a few feet upstream. 


After that, things slowed down for a few minutes and a few fly changes. I put on a price nymph and caught a nice brown on the first cast. A dozen more casts and it was time to change again.  That was the theme of the morning for me.



The herons and ospreys were out, the weather was nice and company was even better. What a great morning and a nice way to spend the first part of Father's Day!”


UO buddy Hillis: “Hi Jeff, I had a good day fishing the Hooch below the dam recently.  Caught several that were 14/15 inches, similar to the one in the pic below, and several that were smaller. All caught on a small black midge fished under a strike indicator.”



Warm Rivers:

They’re on and off, based on water clarity. Bassin’ should improve as we get past our rainy spring and the rivers drop and clear for extended periods. Is your yak or canoe ready to go for the summer floating season? Have some bottom bouncers, some mid-column streamers, and some poppers and stealth bombers for the topwater bite that should take off in the coming weeks. Don’t forget some small bream poppers in case the bass bite is a bit slow, especially at midday. Stop by our Helen shop to resupply.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLFb9opsiFi/?igsh=d2c1dDg4cDhwY2Jp


Ponds & Lakes:

Ponds remains a best bet, while Lanier is waking up and featuring a summer topwater bite. I saw redbreast and bluegill still on their beds during my Unicoi Lake hikes this week.


Athens MD checked back in: “As the first day of summer approaches, there's plenty of time after work to hit local lakes around Athens. A couple of us launched our kayaks at a favorite lake about 6:30pm, and although the impending full moon didn't exactly have the fish fired up, we had a great time around dusk pulling in some nice topwater bass and chubby bluegill on black or chartreuse poppers with marabou tails. Some beautiful shellcracker made things interesting as well (yes at least one eagerly took a small popper). The full moon didn't crest the trees until well past 11pm, and by that time we decided to call it a night.”





UO guide Israel:

 Fished the Wednesday night bass tournament.  Got a few Spots on Jerkbaits and flukes.   Got a bonus striper!


UO-Helen manager Wes: “Israel, Jackson, and I got out on the flats on a north Georgia lake for some carp fishing one afternoon this week. The sight fishing was not easy with all the variable light conditions but we were able to catch a couple of fish. It’s always rewarding sight casting to spooky fish in shallow water.”




Hank the Yank is back in the game and said Lanier’s summer topwater bite is heating up. Spots and small stripers are setting up on offshore points and ambushing blueback schools that wander by. His two guests had a big time yesterday. They used spinning tackle, but Henry said the fish could have been caught on fly tackle, too.





UO guide Joseph agrees with Mr. Cowen: “Lanier has been fishing well over the past week or two for topwater bass! We’ve had lots of good groups of fish on the surface eating blueback herring. Most fish are set up on main lake points and humps to ambush herring as they swim by. Walking baits and serpentine swim baits have been treating us well on the conventional side.  As for flies game changers, standard sized clousers, and various other 3-4 inch baitfish patterns have been the ticket on intermediate lines. Check out these pictures from a recent trip this past Sunday. If you’d like to get out on the water give the Helen shop a holler at (706)-878-3083.”




Afar:

UO buddy Bert has been tearing up the fish in the Okeefenokee.  Spinning has been the best bet, but he’s just got into flyfishing and landed this 7.5 lb bowfin on a flyfishing outfit from our shop. His rendition of Cowen’s Coyote is getting chewed up! For more info on Bert’s lures and guide service, 

see: https://bertsjigsandthings.com/





UO owner Jimmy spent a couple of days chasing Guadalupe Bass near Bandera, TX. Water was high with little visibility so the fishing was tough. He did hook into a giant gar that took a Cowen’s Coyote but those teeth were too much for his 8 lb. tippet. His fishing buddy Steven did bring in a beautiful Rio Grande Cyclid and broke off a couple of nice carp. All in all, it was a fun couple of days.”



The Smokies are still fishing well in the mornings, thanks to taller mountains and frequent rains. Note that a storm just washed out Interstate 40 again and it’s closed between NC and TN.

https://www.wyff4.com/article/i-40-rockslide-closure-north-carolina-tennessee/65114110



Ian and Charity at R&R Flyfishing just provided a park fishing update. 

https://randrflyfishing.com/the-fishing-report/



Catch some daily park stream conditions and angling tips here, thanks to our friends at LRO:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/


Kudos:

Mentoring Kudos to Athens Jay and all of his volunteers. He said:

“We had another successful day at the 2025 Steve Harvey Young Men Mentoring Camp. Special thanks to all of our 34 volunteers who came out that day to help. Thank you Aubrey Pawlikowski of UGA Warnell for all the great photos. 

-UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

-GA DNR

-Atlanta Fly Fishing Club

-Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center

-US Fish and Wildlife Service 

-Georgia Trout Unlimited.”




Congrats to the US Forest Service, GAWRD, and two TU chapters for a mighty fine Tallulah River kids fishing rodeo last Saturday. Story and more pics:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HFn5qT92/?mibextid=wwXIfr






News:


OUCH!!!


The US Senate is still proposing the sale of millions of acres of YOUR federal lands in the budget reconciliation process. Check out this timely message from NM’s flyfishing senator:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLGjRX4CnVV/?igsh=Y280NWo1M2gyMjg0


If you share our view that this should NOT happen, then contact your US senators NOW and voice your opposition. It’s easy. Just open TU’s draft letter, 

https://www.tu.org/conservation/action-center/



edit it with your own thoughts, and it will be automatically sent to your two senators. If all of us don’t speak up, we can lose a lot of public land and water!


Welcome to our hot, steamy Georgia summer.  Avoid the sun and aim for the right targets in the shade or the shadows of dawn and dusk and you’ll still have a lot of fun. Stop in either UO shop and we’ll help you find some good options for your summer angling exploits. Good luck!



Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com