Nantahala Report - Find The Sun!

by Landon Williams

Against my better judgment, I decided to take the trek over the mountain yesterday and headed up toward the "Land of the Noonday Sun."  I think the Cherokee were on to something, so I decided to play the "Old Man" fishing game by sleeping in and not having waders on until 11:00.  Even then the water/air temperature did not make conditions favorable as it barely hit 40 all day and there was still a light dusting of snow on the ground in heavily shaded areas.  I didn't measure the water temperature but it for sure felt below 40 by a good bit. 

Fishing started out slow for the first hour and a half I was there and I really think it was due to being in the shadows and staying cold. Once I hit a heavily sunlit stretch at about 12:30 or so, it was game on!  The same flies I had been throwing earlier suddenly found their way into the mouths of many hungry and aggressive stocked and wild rainbows.  I fished with a "deep" dry-dropper rig consisting of a big Klinkhammer as a strike indicator, with a leech or squirmy worm tied on jig hooks catching most of the stocked fish.  I had a #18 natural pheasant tail dropped below that, which caught most of the wild fish.  In the couple of stretches where I fished in full sunlight, #20-22 Blue-Winged Olive mayflies and small black stoneflies were hatching and a few fish were splashing after them.  I caught several on a tiny BWO parachute, which was a nice change of pace from dredging! 

Once the sun started dropping below the ridge line, the fishing in the DH tapered off significantly and by 3:45 I felt like it was over.  I decided to head down the road and try the lower river, the rafting section.  The water temperature was considerably warmer down there and was certainly above 40 degrees with maybe a couple numbers to spare.  Duke Power was running water but it was not nearly the flow that it is during the recreational releases of the summer. The best part, there were no rafters.  The fishing was fantastic too!  I caught just about as many down there in the last hour and a half of daylight as I did in the whole afternoon up on the DH.  I was doing my same dry dropper rig, but only rigged about 2ft deep down to my leech.  The wild fish in the lower section were absolutely tearing it up. 

Hope you have time to get on the river over the holidays.  Remember, "find the sun"!

Landon

52 Shades of Gray

by Landon Williams

Fresh from the Nantahala in North Carolina, here’s a trip report to whet one’s appetite for Spring’s arrival.

Today, Sunday, March 2nd, I decided to drive north for a change of pace and fish the Nantahala DH. The temperature never got close to 70 in the “Land of the Noonday Sun," but it was very pleasant up in the Gorge and I even unzipped my jacket during the hottest part of the afternoon! I didn’t arrive until about 11:30 and moseyed around before finally hitting the water a little after 12 PM.

On stepping into the stream there was one thing I noticed all around me, GRAY. Usually gray is a color that we associate with tiredness and lifelessness. In some sense that was true. The huge rock walls around me and the hibernating limbs of the trees gave a fairly lifeless appearance beside the sounds of the water roaring through the gorge. But on closer inspection of the streambed, lifeless would not be a word that I would use.  All around, the “groceries,” were starting to hatch and buzz around. First to come into sight were all of the caddis flies. I counted at least three different types, including a small size 18 black caddis, a size 16 dark charcoal gray caddis, and a bigger size 14 lighter gray colored caddis. There were also a few of the larger mayflies, Quill Gordons and smaller Blue Quills but they were few and far between. 

That’s all fine and good but you are probably asking yourself, “How were the fish biting on them?” Well even though the smaller caddis were the most numerous, the fish did not seem to want to touch them and preferred the larger 14 grey caddis instead, even though they were very sparse.

However, due to the fact that I still had a little bit of winter cretin still left in me, I decided a dropper nymph below the dry would be a smart move. I stuck on a size 16 grey caddis pupa with a black nickel tungsten bead about 4 feet below my Caddis dry fly. The fishing was nothing short of phenomenal to say the least. I landed over 60 fish in the course of the afternoon with the caddis pupa only slightly edging out its floating cousin but only by a narrow margin! Later in the afternoon, between 4:00 and 5:00, I found a couple of stretches where the bigger mayflies were hatching fairly well and I caught several on a parachute Quill Gordon dry fly. The key to getting bit with the dries was to keep them perfectly drag free as any sort of movement of the fly was usually met with a refusal.  I pulled more fish out of the deeper boulder fields than anywhere else as I think the gradient slackens just enough for the fish to pile up in the deeper troughs and current seams so they can hunt for food.  Fish count wise it was split between rainbows and browns, including many wild fish of both species. Unfortunately a brook trout never found its way onto the end of my line to complete the hat trick, which is fairly unusual for the Nantahala.

 Hopefully some of this information will help or encourage someone to get on some dry fly action here soon. It was gorgeous out today and if you didn’t wet a line, I feel for you!

-The Owner of a Rough Life.

Size Matters!

Don't you just hate it when you ask someone to do you a favor and they do it so well you just never want to ever try it again in fear you'll never do it as well as they did?  So this past Friday I got in touch with Landon Williams and simply asked if he would test a new landing net.  It's call The Measure Net and I had been contacted by Jeff Abel, the owner of the company, and asked if I would accept one to try as an enticement to consider stocking in the store.  Many of you know that I've been hobbled somewhat for almost two months as my stupid broken leg heals so there was no way I was going to get anywhere close to a stream with it, much less land a fish.  So, who fishes more than anyone I know?  Landon, the guy who's getting a degree in fly fishing from North Georgia College.

On Saturday morning, I met Landon at Smithgall to pass of the Measure Net.  The sample I had received was a medium trout net.  His first reaction, "Well, you know, size does matter."  Landon, it will measure up to a 24" fish!  Just give it a try and let me know how well it performs.  As if to make a point, the following photos are of the fish Landon put in the net that day:

 To be honest, the medium is not a Dukes Creek net.  He would have been much more matched up with a large.  He did double check the measuring device in the net against a tape measure and it worked perfectly, even with the 23 incher below.

I was so impressed with the quality of the nets that I've purchased a "Guide" model for stripers.  They are very solid and the net is easily replaced when needed by simply un-zipping a zipper on it.  Very well thought out and reasonably priced.  The medium with nylon net retails for $27.


The large trout net retails for $35 with a nylon net.  My big Guide Net will measure up to a 40" fish and retails for $81.  ARGH, ARGH, ARGH!!!!

We hope to have a shipment in within the next couple of weeks.

A NEW TWIST ON DREDGING TACTICS

Landon Williams developed a new leader formula while fishing Amicolola Creek DH:

After church Sunday, I slipped off to the Amicalola to enjoy the warm day. I was greeted by 9 anglers on the water at 1 PM spread along the entire reach of the Highway 53 stretch. I walked around for a bit and talked to a few folks who reported getting skunked or only catching/ hooking one or two. I stuck waders on and was on the water by 1:45. There was a group of three guys working the long fast run 200 yards up from the canoe launch who mentioned getting skunked as I was gearing up. So, I decided that's where I was going to start. 

I tried my standard Euro-nymphing rig first there and caught a couple of fish out of the shallow pockets in the sun towards the tailout. However, I found it very difficult to get down in the heart of the fast deep water up at the head of the pool with the Euro set up, even with my dredge rig of the long 6x leader. So I decided to try something that popped into my mind. It is, in a sense, very much like Dredger's long 8 lb. leader with an indicator but maybe a bit more extreme and modeled more after my 6x euro leader. I put my reel with a floating line on and got a new 7 ft. leader (I don't think it makes a difference what) and chopped it back to the part of the tapered leader where it is about 15 lb. test. Next, I added 4 ft. of 10 lb. test mono, which is what I applied the football indicator to so it would slide up and down. 

From this stretch I made a "jam stop" of 5 overhand knots on top of each other to make a big thick part of leader. This serves two purposes, to keep the indicator from sliding all the way down. I've had it slide down before on leaders, even through knot sections. Also it allows you to easily set up the next part of the leader. I got a long 12-14 ft. section of 5x flourocarbon and made a clinch knot and slid it up over the jam stop and seated it down. At the other end, I surgeon knotted a 3 ft. section of 6x flourocarbon Trouthunter tippet. From there I did the traditional 2 fly rig with an unweighted leech and peach egg. I also put 2-3 split shot 12 inches above the first fly and kept it in place with an overhand knot between the shot and the fly. 

How did  this setup work there? Wonderfully! I hooked 19 fish in 2 hours out of that long run, all scrappy and hungry rainbows.  I've fished that run a good bit and even with Dredger's 8 lb. leader setup, it has seemed that I've had to use 4-6 split shot to get down there. Even then I felt like I could never get down deep enough in the heart of that run without making the leader ridiculously long and painful to cast. Yesterday was the first time I've ever felt like I fished that spot thoroughly well. This is a very extreme and specialized setup for limited spots but it sure worked well yesterday and maybe could on a couple spots on the Chattooga and the Toccoa DH. 

Landon's Latest Wild Trout Report

A couple of days ago I hit a wild trout stream up in Rabun Co. with the intention of targeting the wild browns. Clouds hung in the sky for most of the afternoon, making for the perfect opportunity to target these wily critters. Water temperatures were very comfortable in the mid to upper 50’s, making wet wading enjoyable.  Numbers of fish were very good for this stream and the wet winter and spring we've had showed in the health of the fish.

It seems that the fish were more congregated in the good looking pieces of holding water, perhaps due to the lower numbers of “slow” areas where browns usually hold. As long as I maintained a stealthy profile, I could sometimes catch multiple fish per pool, which was really cool for a brown trout stream. I even managed a couple of wash down brook trout that are normally miles upstream as well as a few rainbows down towards the parking area further downstream.

  

There were a couple of consistent trends. I fished a dry-dropper rig with a yellow stimulator and a #14 tungsten bead hares ear below it. In fast pockets shallower than 3 feet, fish responded to both flies. However the fish seemed a little bit skittish of the stimulator in calmer or deeper pools and I’d have to go with a more natural fly to catch them, a size 14 Light Cahill parachute.  I had a hard time getting any fish in really deep pools to come up at all for dry flies. Reluctantly I went down deep to them with big and ugly flies in a couple of pools. Dredging was the way I caught the big fish of the day, a chunky 13-inch brown that doubled over the three weight and even took a little drag! There were a ton of different bugs flying around, but “yellow” was the consistent color with #12-16 Light Cahills and Sulphurs seen as well as #16 Yellow Sallies and Big Golden Stones as well.

We have the best water conditions Georgia has seen in several years so get out and enjoy the streams while the water levels are still great and the fish are hungry.  You never know what is around the next bend.

Landon Williams

Fishing Rising and Falling Water Conditions

With all the rain we've experienced over the past couple of weeks, we thought we would ask Landon Williams to be our guest blogger and help you understand how we continue to catch fish even under adverse water conditions.

How to Deal With the “Rise” and “Fall” of Winter Weather

Landon Williams

The monsoon of last week may be over but our rivers and streams are just now starting to get back to recognizable flows. Fishing when the water is lower is always less demanding physically but when it’s high from events such as the recent rain, conditions can not only be unfavorable for the fishing but also dangerous with the raging water and decreased visibility. However, there are the periods of rising and falling water that provide very challenging and sometimes even rewarding fishing conditions in themselves.

Raging Dukes Creek - The Swimming Hole

The “rise” occurs when water levels begin to come up in our streams when a heavy rain period occurs.  Rises are very interesting fishing-wise as conditions generally become more dangerous for the fisherman as time continues and water levels rise. At the same time, they also provide a wonderful fishing opportunity if you can time the period right. Fish that have often been restricted of movement during low flows often move out of the deeper slow pools into the runs and riffles to feed on dislodged food items from both below and above the water’s surface. Below the surface, increased flows often knock mayfly, caddis, and stonefly nymphs from the stream bottom and into the drift, easy pickings for a hungry trout. As water levels continue to rise due to rain, the soil alongside the streams often become saturated enough for perhaps the highlight of the event, the worms! If you are fishing in higher water, check the parking area wherever you are fishing. If you see our long tubular friends, then there is often a chance that the trout are also seeing them and actively feeding on them as well. This is your big hint on perhaps what you should be fishing that day (hint: San Juan worm varying with the color of the stream. Go brighter with your fly selection the dirtier the water gets).

Dukes Creek Bow in High Water

Depending on the level of rain that our streams receive, water levels may become too dangerous to wade. That is not to say that even after a heavy rain, fishing opportunities are not available. Areas below dams (hint: Smith Creek and the Hooch immediately below Buford dam) are always clear as the dams act as a big buffer. Also smaller creeks and rivers clear fairly quickly if their watersheds are small. They run high really quick but also drain that water just as quickly. This is especially true of watersheds such as Dukes Creek, Noontootla Creek, and even the Hooch around the Helen area.  The falling period of water is often times just as productive fishing wise. The same principle applies in that you should fish big and ugly flies when the water is higher and downsize and naturalize your offering as the water recedes and clears.

Finding the High Water Refuge

I took my own advice the last few days and put some fish in the net while many thought the water levels too high to fish productively. This past weekend, I had to watch my step while the Hooch through Helen was ripping past me and I stuck to the banks for both easier wading and to find the fish seeking refuge from the heavy flow in the middle of the river.  I dragged a mohair leech and a bright pink San Juan worm through pockets along the bank with enough split shot to get them down and was rewarded with many scrappy holdover rainbows and even a couple of wild fish. Today, I fished Dukes Creek with water just now getting back to good flows. The fish were there but had much clearer water to see my offering and a size 20 zebra midge accounted for the majority of the fish, even with plenty of water still over their heads. This trend isn’t exact but is a good general rule to follow.

More importantly, keep yourself safe when wading this time of year. Wear a wading belt, use a staff, and fish with a buddy if possible. Also keep an extra pair of warm clothes at hand in case of a dunking. Perhaps most importantly, have a camera… Just in case!