Great Fishing Report!

We know this amazing story has been on NGTO and disseminated by GADNR but we thought it was so cool that we wanted to give it even more exposure. We want to thank Stephen Johnson and Upper Chattahoochee Chapter Trout Unlimited for the report. Read on!

Report by:	Stephen Johnson
Date:	10/23/2010
River/Stream:	Upper Hooch - Andrew takes it up a notch
Summary:
Report:	So I took Andrew out and we went up river from Abbotts Bridge. I told him I didn't think we had much of a shot at any big fish due to the full moon last night and it was bright and sunny today. While we were going up we had to slow down for some canoer's and while we were going by Andrew says he saw a really big fish and he thought it was a brown. So as not to tip off the spin fisher's we kept going up river and stopped and fished down doing quite well. When we got back to the spot we saw the fish there were a lot of fish schooled around the logs and then we saw the big guy. I tell Andrew to take out the 6wt and put the biggest bugger I had in the box (size 4 brown cone head). He throws it into the logs and a 15" brown hammers it but comes off after a few feet. He throws it back into the logs and this time a 10" brown takes it. On the way back to the boat this monster chases it down and swallows it whole. (Needless to say we are freaking out!) I tell Andrew: wait till he swallows it down (about 15 seconds), PUT IT TO HIM! Fish on! Great fight that lasts about 10+ minutes. I net him. 24" brown bull. Awesome! Takes about another 10 to 15 minutes to make sure he is revived before release. Check out the picture if you don't believe me...

Fish of the New Millenium

As I drove south on GA 400 before sunup on Monday morning, I found myself wondering why in the world I let Henry Cowen talk me into this.  Traffic was beginning to build as I cruised closer and closer to the epicenter of that alter-universe commonly known as Atlanta.  Who drives into Atlanta to fish when they have the southern Appalachians right out their back door?  It was a conundrum; I had no answer.  But Henry's Brooklyn accent was obviously dialed up an octave or two when he called to invite me down to try "the most challenging flyfishing you'll ever see."  Though I pulled into our appointed meeting place 10 minutes early, Henry was already there, checking all the details on his G3 shallow water boat like an airline captain before takeoff.

With Fall officially still two days away, there was no mistaking that Summer was fully in charge this day and my long sleeve shirt seemed like a mistake as we pushed off from the boat launch at Azalea Drive on the Chattahoochee River.  But the cold water that originated in the bottom of Lake Lanier provided a chilly air conditioned zone that hovered above the water as we were enveloped by the dense fog of early morning.  Henry's fleece jacket felt pretty good, even on the short ride downstream.  Quietly, we slipped into one of the many oxbow lakes lining the channel of the river and began scanning the surface for our quarry, the golden ghosts of the mud flats and the object of unwarranted derision in the fly fishing world.  CARP!

If you've ever been bonefishing or cast a fly to trophy reds in the saltwater marshes of the southeastern coast, you've experienced one of flyfishing's most challenging quarry.  And while these species garner well deserved recognition for being among the most difficult fish to catch on a fly, the unpretentious carp finds honor difficult to come by and is more likely to be the object of ridicule than respect.  That's because the vast majority of the criticism comes from anglers who have never tried to hook and land one of these guys. A humble attitude should be the first thing you pack when heading out for carp.  Otherwise, you'll come home mumbling to yourself.

We immediately began to spot fish and within the first five minutes I had cast to three different fish... to no avail.  With Henry on the poling platform at the back of the boat, and my eyes straining to pick up movement in the shallow water surrounding us, there was almost never a period when we weren't stalking a fish as they rooted around, occasionally waving their huge tails in the air, looking for aquatic insects and crustaceans.  Henry's instructions to me were to be able to quickly cast to a target the size of a paper plate 40 feet away and, if I missed by more than 6 inches, to immediately pick up and cast again.  My 7'11" Ross Essence 8 wt. with Sharkskin line should have been up to the task.  The big question being, "Am I up to it?"

The next two hours were about as much of an adrenalin rush as I've ever experienced in flyfishing.  It's like a big game hunt where you're stalking your prey in hopes of being good enough to make the shot when the opportunity presents itself.  I probably cast to 30 or 35 fish and got one to eat.  And that one was worth my trip.  In less than 10 inches of water, the big fish picked my fly from the silty cloud, made a huge boil as it swirled against the pressure of my hookset and took of like a scalded dog on an 80 foot run.  I slowly worked the fish back to the boat but it was in no mood to let Henry grab it's bottom lip.  After running under the boat and out the other side three times, almost pulling the rod out of my hands on every surge, we finally landed it.  It was not an easy chore.  All the while Henry has a sly grin on his face that said, "See, I told you so."

Carpe Diem

From our pal Henry Cowen:

Since I recently (last fall) purchased a skinny water boat I decided to make good use out of it and take it down the Hooch to check out some serious site fishing to golden bonefish (carp that is!). I have caught them many years ago using a fly rod on the lakes back in the motherland (NYC). I even tried my hand some on it here in No GA on Lake Lanier. To pursue these fish on lakes and enticing them to eat the fly is similar to getting a republican to raise taxes (ahem….). In other words it is next to impossible to make these things eat! So I figured I would try to see if these river fish are a little more fly friendly. Bob Clouser  (the Clouser minnow guy) is a friend of mine and has been fishing these things for years on his home waters of the Susquehanna River. He has for years been telling me how much fun they can be to stalk in shallow water. Well Bob could not have been more right! These fish are an absolute hoot (yes……the Yankee said hoot!). Poling around in water from 6” to 3’ allows you to sneak up on these bruisers and fish them as you would redfish or bonefish. You can even get out of the boat on some of these hard bottomed flats and wade for them. All it takes is an accurate caster in the bow and a willingness to pole someone around. I told my good buddy Gary Lowe Jr about it and he said let’s give it a shot. We poled around the area of Bull Sluice (above Morgan Falls Dam) and proceeded to find many happy fish tailing, cruising and EATING! This is a fishery I would recommend to anyone who is into hunting for their quarry. For tackle I would suggest a 7 or 8 wt rod w/floating line and 10 or 12lb tippet fluorocarbon leaders. Flies can range from swimming nymphs (a Clouser favorite) to egg patterns, wooly buggers and San Juan worms. You will not catch many of these river carp BUT the satisfaction of searching, finding, casting and finally feeding one of these fish will have you hooked on a totally new game fish…….The Chattahoochee carp. Seize the day!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Shoalies on the Hooch

The heat we've been having lately has been pretty uncomfortable but it also flips a switch in those of us who don't have to be trout fishing every time we pick up a fly rod. For me, the logical choice is our native shoal bass which are found naturally only in the Chattahoochee River watershed. These feisty critters are a blast to catch. First, you're fishing moving water and I would rather fish a river or creek over a reservoir any day, even if the fishing is better in the pond. But, that's just me. Secondly, shoal bass, while more closely related to spotted bass, resemble smallmouth in their appearance and their reaction once hooked. The bars and stripes on a shoal bass can range from almost non-existent to brilliantly colored depending upon their localized habitat. Regardless of coloration, they are quick to attack their prey in and around swift water and rocky structure, they'll hit topwater as readily as streamers and they're just as likely to take off tail-walking as they are to bulldog you on the bottom. Superb gamefish for warm weather outings.

Afternoon temperatures have been as muggy and humid as a high school gymnasium locker room for the past week. With this in mind, I crawled out of bed this Saturday morning and hopped in the car for a quick ride over to the river for a couple of hours of fun. What a beautiful day this was. Very mild, steady breeze all morning, solitude and willing fish. In a couple of hours, I brought seven shoalies to hand, with at least four of them between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds. The big fish of the morning was a shoalie that would have gone 3 pounds or better but she long distance released me before I really had much chance to say anything about it. I'll remember where she was though.

My fishing tactics had to keep changing all morning. I started out with Craig Reindau's Harry Fodder in crawdad colors and that got me the first nice fish. When I moved into some shallow shoals, I switched to a white popper and continued to hook up with nice fish as well as some small guys with big attitudes. Finally, as I began my walk back downstream to the car, I switched to a small white Clouser in the deeper water. One of my best fish actually took the fly as it lay motionless on the bottom. Just when I think I may know a little about shoalies, something like this happens. Oh well, guess I'll have to spend more time on the river figuring them out.

Shoal bass are now found in the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, the Flint River and the Ocmulgee River between Lake Jackson and Macon. If you're looking for an alternative to trout fishing in the summer, this would be my suggestion to you. And please practice catch and release with these guys. They're way too special to only catch once.