Congratulations to all fellow survivors of our last three weeks of storms. We are now being rewarded with a sunny, warmer week ahead that’s full of great news. First, our GA DH streams have received their February redosing. As expected, catch rates are soaring while those fresh “dumplings” are naive. Second, there’s a great trout angler party in Clayton tomorrow nite and you’re invited. Third, international fly fishing celebrity Jeff Currier joins Wes for Tuesday nite’s live Instagram interview. And fourth, our Helen shop’s moving plans (a few miles south to Sautee) are progressing really well.
While there is no news on Lanier’s frozen stripers and spots, hopefully they’ll swim a bit shallower over the warmer days ahead. We do have a great Okefenokee Swamp report from recent retiree Jay.
Check out all the details in our full report, here:
http://blog.angler.management/
(Link in bio)
Come see us in Helen (soon to be Sautee) and downtown Clarkesville to stock up on your winter and early spring supplies. Maybe you’ll even win that sweet 5-weight Recon that we’ve donated to tomorrow night’s banquet!
Helen: 706-878-3083. Open 8-5 daily. Moving to Sautee soon!
Clarkesville: 706-754-0203. Open 8-5 from Monday thru Saturday.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
The same midwinter patterns continue to be our favorites.
Dries: parachute blue wing olive, griffiths gnat, little black stone (or #18 gray elk hair caddis, and a small tan chubby or elk hair caddis as the lead fly (a strike indicator for your tiny dry dropper)
Nymphs & Wets:
DH Stockers: twister egg, pheasant tail (nymph, soft hackle) or Frenchie, red squirmy worm, sexy Walts worm, rainbow warrior.
Mountain streams: zebra midge, soft hackles, prince nymph, frenchie or pheasant tail.
Streamers:
Black and olive woolly buggers, jig leech, UV polar Jig.
Reservoir Bass & Stripers:
Cowen’s somethin else. Gray over white clouser minnow, low fat minnow. Or a 0.6 ounce flexit spoon on conventional gear.
Headwaters:
They’re low and clear and should slowly warm up over the week ahead. They were still real chilly yesterday (6th) at noon (Smith DH 42F, Dukes at Smithgall 42).
Many forest roads may still be closed due to downed trees, so check the closure list on the Chattahoochee Forest page before aiming for interior roads.
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest | Alerts | Forest Service
Most state and county roads are now in good shape with the thaw, but Russell Highway was still gated yesterday.
Delayed Harvest:
Both GA and SC wildlife agencies restocked their DH streams over the last week.
Our friends at Burton Hatchery said the raceways finally thawed enough to let them feed and harvest some fish once again.
Fresh stockers and warming water will spell success for DH trouters. Just be ready for tougher hikes around or over downed trees on angler trails due to the ice storm.
UO guide Sydney was lighting up the fresh Smith stockers on her off-day yesterday. A good mix of chunky bows and browns came to hand via some stripped streamers and drifted egg patterns.
She even took time out to help a new trouter land her first two trout on the fly.
Earlier in the week she had the chance to fish with her dad. They had a good trip to Smith, too.
The DH streams will be your trouting best bet this week. Try movement (stripped buggers), or deep-drifted bright (eggs, worms) and buggy (girdle bugs) bugs for fresh stockers, while small and dark bugs (pheasant tail and hares ear variants) will tempt older stocked fish. On warm afternoons, carry a few dark dries and be on the lookout for a few risers to little black stones, midges, and BWO’s.
Stockers:
Stockers remain slim. Your best bets are the two tailwaters for summer/fall holdovers and just outside the DH stream boundaries to find the wash-downs. Fishing public waters above or below private trophy waters might fetch you a straying brute or two. It’s Rainbow Romance season and some bows may swim upstream in search of clean gravel.
Private Waters:
They’re starting to warm back up and so is the fishing. UO-Helen manager Wes: “I had a trip with John this week on the Soque River. The mid 50’s weather practically felt like spring compared to the last couple of weeks it was great! The fish were pretty cooperative as well. Smaller bugs on lighter tippet really seemed to be the trick. We caught most of our fish on soft hackles and root beer midges and a handful of others on a micro girdle bug.”
Tailwaters:
UO buddy Ryan: “I had a minimally exciting 1.5 hours below Buford dam last Friday. Netted a rainbow and bounced a little brown. I know the section is loaded with fish, they just weren’t chewing much! Aside from one or 2 fish sticks that decided to go full “air jaws” for midges the size of a dandruff flake, it was slow going in the cold.”
Warm Bass Rivers:
No news, other than they aren’t very warm and those fish probably aren’t very hungry.
Ponds:
No news. Bring your skates. Half of them up here are still iced over.
Lakes:
No news by our gang. Good intel in today’s GAWRD blog:https://georgiawildlife.blog/category/fishing/
Rerun: Striper book author Henry Cowen said to carry a full sink fly outfit just in case you find a shallow school. But the money rig will be a spoon on spinning or conventional gear. Get some 0.6 ounce flexit spoons and bend them slightly at midpoint. Use your electronics to locate those deep schools of shad a d stripers in 40-60 feet of water. Drop the spoon down to them and then “flick and flutter.” Take 2-3 reel turns to flick the spoon up a few feet, then free spool it back to the bottom. The light, bent spoon will slowly flutter back down. This method will get you some stripers and spots while you wait for warmer water and shallower schools.
Afar:
Athens Jay: “After watching the Unicoi Instagram live event with Captain Bert Deener, I was very curious to check out winter bowfin fishing on the fly in Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
I spent a day with Captain Bert and really learned a lot. He has a tremendous amount of experience and it was truly a pleasure to fish with him. I landed a bunch of beautiful bowfin despite very cold (52 degree) water temperatures! Bert is also an innovative fly and light tackle lure designer and his flies were deadly all day. I had success with two different color combinations (black/chartreuse and electric chicken). If you are feeling the urge for some hot fish action in the middle of winter, give Bert a call!
https://www.facebook.com/share/1NGPkMTVzq/?mibextid=wwXIfr”
Ed note: Congrats to Athens Jay! He was in South Georgia at a professional meeting, but set aside an extra day to fish with Bert. After that great fishing trip, Jay was surprised and honored with a career achievement award. His 40-year career at UGA helped to “spawn” many cohorts of fisheries professionals now working across the nation!
Speaking of mentors, our own RSquared made the best of his time on the D.L. Rodney said, “No fishing for me. I am still recovering from shoulder surgery. However, I did get to spend the week representing GATU with 170 fishy friends at the annual “Ga. Chapter of the American Fisheries Society” meeting on Jekyll Island. I am pictured with 3 UGA 5 Rivers Club members. Left-right : Sawyer Maddox, myself, club president Sophia West, & Anna Cawthon. Those students are excited about attending tomorrow’s Rabun Rendezvous!”
Events:
Don’t miss the Rabun Rendezvous Saturday night in downtown Clayton!
The Rabun Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Wes’ “Unicoi Undercurrents” continues each Tuesday night at 7PM. Next up is a true flyfishing celebrity. Worldwide trekker Jeff Currier has caught more species on the fly than we can count!
And have you ever seen his amazing artwork? Tune in to a fascinating interview and take advantage of your chance to ask Jeff some questions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUYWb81kYNe/?igsh=eGZzcWlyZjU0NGJy
That’s the latest, optimistic fishing news as we welcome a week of hospitable weather. Get out there and wet a line before Old Man Winter returns for Round 2. Don’t forget some Saturday night BBQ, Tuesday Currier tales, and a dozen buggers for some fresh DH fish. Come see us in Helen (soon Sautee) and Clarkesville for your fly resupply.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
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