Nacoochee Bend Winter Special

The best deal on private stream trophy trout fishing in north Georgia is available right now with our Christmas special pricing at Nacoochee Bend.  The access fee to fish at Nacoochee Bend is normally $120, a good deal in itself.  But starting today (12/11/12) we're cutting the cost of a half day trip to only $90.  

You won't find anything to beat it, so come by the shop, give us a call (706-878-3083) or go to our online store and select the "Nacoochee Bend Winter Special Gift Certificate".  

This is a limited time offer at this special price but we do require these gift certificates to be redeemed no later than March 31, 2013.  So, if you're looking for that special Christmas gift or you're getting cash from Santa, here's your opportunity to get more bang for your buck.

Hooking Generations on Fly Fishing!

Our long time friend David Weeks brought his grandson West to Nacoochee Bend yesterday to introduce him to fly fishing.  From the sound of David's report, I think we've successfully helped him bring another generation into the fold.  Thanks for the report, David, and we hope we'll see you two on the streams of north Georgia more often.

John/Jimmy,

Attached are copies of photos of my grandson, West Weeks, catching his first
trout on a fly rod at Nacoochee Bend on November 1st.  The photo on the right with me was his first trout which was 16 inches.  The photo below was his largest at 23 inches.  Notice the smile on his face!!  In all, West caught and landed eleven trout
on his first day ranging from 16 inches to 23 inches.  What a memorable day
he had!  Chuck Head did an excellent job of coaching West in casting and
landing his fish.  West landed each fish by himself and we did not lose a
single fish which was quite an accomplishment.  Thank you for creating a
wonderful fishing experience at Nacoochee Bend.  Please let me know if you
use any of these photos on your website.

Tight lines,

David Weeks

The Angling Learning Curve with Mike Popick

We received this from our friend Mike Popick today and enjoyed it so much we thought we would share it with everyone.  If you know Mike, you can feel the excitement in his story and you can see that grin on his face (Although we aren't sure why he's so serious in this photo).  We think there's something most of us can garner from Mike's story and that is we can all learn from someone who spends a lot of time on the water, regardless of how long we've been fishing.  We hope you'll take the time to live vicariously through his "fishing report".


Trip Report. 10/11/2012


"Never too old to learn"

Always wanted to take a guided trip to have someone evaluate my fishing ability, correct and teach me so I can improve and have a more successful day on the river, but never could justify the cost.  One afternoon while listening to Dave Ramsey telling a listener the things
they could cut out of their spending and reduce their debt, I thought by applying these same techniques it would be possible to save for a trip.  It was amazing how fast my savings grew.  In September I booked a trip with Jake Darling for Oct 11.

Oct 11 - What a beautiful day, the water temps were in the mid 50's, air temp started out at 48 but was forecasted to rise to be in the 70's.  I was so looking forward to it I got to Unicoi Oufitters an hour before they opened.  I knew I had picked the right guide when I saw Jake
wearing a Fish Pond type of vest that was bulging front and back just full of stuff that would be used throughout the day.  We went over what I was wanting to learn and then headed out.

I learned so much that day it made me quite aware how knowledgeable and valuable a really good guide is.  Things I learned throughout the day:

Lesson 1 - Indicator Depth and Weight

Indicator depth is set at about 1.5 x the depth of the water (I was using 2X the depth  and my weight was actually quite a distance from the indicator).
  
Weight - always make sure I've got my flies ticking along the bottom.  Found out there is a difference between ticking the bottom versus dragging a lead anchor.  Used 50% less weight throughout the day, drift was a lot smoother and I was ticking the bottom.  The weight is placed 12" above the point fly. Point fly is the attractor - second fly 18" from the point fly is the meal. 80-90% of my catches were on the second fly.  A weight too heavy will reduce the ability to feel light takes.

Lesson 2 -  Hook Set

All rigged up and ready to go - point fly was a blue Y2K with an ATOMIC orange tungsten bead.  The second fly was a size 16 rainbow warrior.  Prior to the taking the first cast Jake was reading the water to me, where the seam was, possible places where the trout maybe lying in wait.  Great theory, but does it work - 1st drift -  fish on - fish off.  Uh-oh - here comes Jake.  Time for another lesson.  Fly above me, hook set to either right or left while facing upstream.  Fly below me, swing the rod across while facing downstream.  What I was doing when the fly was downstream and a hit occurred was moving my rod tip upstream pulling the fly right out of the trout's mouth.  Old habits are going to hard to break . By the end of the day that old habit was somewhat gone; it was either hook or not hook.  Jake was able to show me in some clear water the position the trout was taking as my fly approached.  I would have missed the hook set with my old method.

Lesson 3 -  Let the Fish Run

After a hooking large trout, it is important to give your net man time to get positioned to make the net.  Five seconds is not enough time.  If you try to out-power the fish, the size 16 hook will just pull out.  Here comes another lesson.  Jake then explained how to let the trout run, apply some pressure and use the drag on the reel.  Maintain pressure.  I knew all that, but the thought of a large rainbow in the net just did me in.  Spend time practicing on any fish hooked as if it was a large fish.  Later that day, a big one was landed!  

I had the opportunity this past week to guide a wounded vet that was participating in a Project Healing Waters event.  Using the same techniques, I was able to instruct the vet to land a 7 lb rainbow on 4X tippet and a size 16 orange soft hackle.  

Lesson 4 - It's Not the Fly - It's the Drift

How many times have you heard someone asking the guy who is catching the fish "What fly do you have on?" and then wonder why they are not getting any hits.  Watch their drift instead.  Jake did a little experiment with me.  Once I got the hang of the drift, it did not matter if I was using a Rainbow Warrior,  Pheasant Tail or a Hares Ear, they all caught fish.  Mending the line is fairly easy to do and is important to maintain a good drift, when I saw the belly of the line start to get below the indicator I would raise my rod tip and flip the line upstream, what this did is move my indicator 6-10".  After getting instructions from Jake, I was able to mend with only a slight movement on the indicator.  Hold the rod parallel to the water and quickly rotate your wrist in an upstream direction - slack will follow the roll and end upstream.

Then I learned about the unknown "L bend" (as least I was not aware of it).  This is where the line near the indicator would be upstream of the indicator and the main belly of the line downstream.  What happens is the belly pulls on the upstream line and stops the drift.  A slight mend downstream will remove the L bend and the drift continues.  If needed, mend the line back upstream.

Lesson 5 - Sensing the Hit

It was unbelievable that Jake was able tell me I had a hit before I saw it on the indicator but, sure enough, by reacting to Jake's call a fish would be on.  For the next hour all we did was play a game to see if I could detect my indicator move before Jake called out.  He won that game.  However, it was amazing to learn the subtle movements of the line or indicator of a take.  Some hits were so light only the leader would move slightly while the indicator just bobbed along.

Lesson 6 - Time for the Streamers

Forget the wooly buggers, bring on the streamers for big trout, sinking line, 7wt rod, 4" streamer with a skull cap.  This was really interesting.  It took all I had to pick the line out of the water, toss a heavy fly behind me and throw it 40-50'.  No false casting here.  Strip moderately fast with 12" strips, pause after a few strips, strip, pause and wait for a hit, strip, pause.  The side hits were the best and happened right at the pause, a violent hit to say
the least.  The hits from behind could hardly be felt.  Jake would see the fish chase the streamer, inhale it and let go with me never feeling the hit if I was stripping the line.  Big streamers are for the pros and I'll leave it up to them for now.


Did I learn anything?   Yes, a lot of things I thought I was doing correctly were not as correct as I imagined and the things I didn't know I learned.

The guides at Unicoi Outfitters are all outstanding teachers.

How was fishing?  I really was paying more attention to learning and never kept count.  I believe Jake had me down for +30 healthy trout averaging around 18" and a couple of 20"s before lunch.

What's next?  Saving up for a spring trip with Jake.

Mike

Great Autumn Fishing at Nacoochee Bend!

From Ron Thomas:

Click for large photo of a large fish!

I fished Thursday and Friday at  Nacoochee Bend with Don Barfield and Matt Hummel.  Our North Georgia fall weather was unbelievable Friday, and so was the fishing.  We had some break offs, but landed several big fish.  This one caught by Matt has to be the biggest trout that I have netted anywhere in quiet a while.  Even though this was Matt's first time fly fishing for trout, he played the huge fish like a pro.  What a pleasure to fish with Don and Matt and to enjoy God's creation--we had a blast.  It's hard to beat fishing in our mountains this time of the year--see you on the water. 

Nacoochee Bend is Open!

...for the fall/winter season - and apparently fishing well!

Nacoochee Bend Winter Special

Vance Hendon and family fished at Nacoochee Bend on Saturday morning cashing in a few of the $90.00 half day coupons Unicoi Outfitters is offering between now and the end of February.  He only sent one photo but it's a nice 'un.  Here's Vance's report:

"Fished the Bend 1/28 with my son-in law and nephew.  Water flow was a little high, and made getting fly down a little difficult.  We had a good day, as all of us landed fish. In my humble thoughts it was a little slow by Bend standards, but Bend standards are still 10x  that of any where else!

"This Brown was my 2nd fish of the day.......kind of made the rest of the day an after thought. It was a long fight to get him to hand , and it is always good to have someone on net for you !!!  Can't wait to get back up there and see what else lurks in the depths of the Hooch at the Bend!"

A Man, His Dog & A Huge Brown!

Story Submitted by Unicoi Outfitters Guide Chuck Head:


With the unseasonably warm temperatures North Georgia experienced last week, it was a great opportunity for those of us who have been doing more tying than fishing to get out on the river and try some of our wintertime creations.  So my dad, Cracker (dad's fishing dog), and myself loaded up the jeep and headed to Nacoochee Bend for the chance to fish in short sleeves during the month of January. 

It's always exciting to get out with dad and Cracker.  We've been fishing together for quite a while now.  Dad wanted to see what this "Czech nymphing thing" was all about, and I needed to keep my skills sharp, as well as try a couple of new flies.  Its tough to say whether the flies were indeed a hot new ticket, or rather the fish were just feeling good from the warm weather, but they were quite cooperative for us! 

The trip was highlighted by a hook-jawed male brown who measured about 22 inches.  The best part was watching him swim four feet across stream to inhale the fly and feel my line twitch at the same time.  No matter how long I have been at this game, it still makes my hair stand up watching a big fish, especially a big brown, tracking down a fly I tied earlier that day. 

Winter fishing in the South can be phenomenal, and we seem to be blessed each winter season with more than a few days such as the one we experienced.  Fishing pressure isn't as heavy, the fish still feed regularly, and surprises like a big brown trout are the rewards for those who are ready to get on the water during our winter months.

Tradition Starter and Memory Maker!!

Mark Nosacka and his son JP fished with me on Saturday, doing an instructional half day at Nacoochee Bend.  Mark, having done a little fly fishing before, was wanting to get his son JP started off on the right foot.  I'll tell you, JP was a great student.  He listened well and tried hard to carry out my instructions.  He asked great questions and had a smile on his face all day....  especially when he realized that he had caught more fish than his dad !  Both he and his dad hooked fought and lost a "Nacoochee Toad".  You guys will just have to come back and put those fish in the net next time!! 

 

Rex Gudgel

FFF Master Certified Casting Instructor 

Nacoochee Bend

The fishing is great at Nacoochee Bend - here's a report from Rex Gudgel:

This past Saturday Louis Sawyer and Joe Mayfield fished with me at Nacoochee Bend. The weather was wonderful, the scenery was sensational, the comraderie was comical, and the fishing was fabulous! How's that for adjectives and alliteration? These are just some of the reasons you need to come out and fish with us.

A 25" BENDER

The following report is from Rex Gudgel:

We had a great time at The Bend yesterday! Fishing with Tony Land and Rick Hill (long time patrons) for a half day. The action was just about non-stop. Lots of hook-ups and most of these made it to the net. You could tell these guys have spent time together as good fishing friends by the way the ragged on each other all day long. If you can't rag on or poach your friends, then who?

Great day, guys! I hope you'll come back soon. By the way, I will be down to St. Pete to do some inshore fly rodding with you.


Tony, congrats on the 25 incher!


Rex Gudgel
FFF Master Certified Casting Instructor

Father - Son Fishing Report

A weekend report in from our guide Hunter Morris, half of a Father/Son guide duo here at Unicoi Outfitters:

Given that I spend many of my favorite days on the river with my Dad, it was especially enjoyable to guide T. and Telfair Parker, a father and son from Charleston, SC, on Saturday at Nacoochee Bend. And it didn't hurt that the fish seemed to be having a very fine day as well. Both father and son landed nice rainbows before 9:30 a.m. and the action kept going strong right up to lunch. The afternoon was slightly slower, but given that we estimated at least 50 hookups in the a.m., it would have been difficult to match that again in the afternoon. We caught fish mainly on size 14 olive soft hackles, size 16 rubber-legged prince nymphs, and size 10 olive flash-a-buggers.

Thanks to T. and Telfair for a wonderful day on the river and here's a photo of the elder Parker with a beautiful Nacoochee Bend rainbow...

A day in the Life of Ron Thomas

Ron Thomas loves being a flyfishing guide.  I think if we worked this thing just right, he would pay us to take clients out fishing.  His mission in life, since he retired from the U.S. Postal Service, is to put as many smiles on anglers' faces as possible.  And in that quest, he has created a lot of new friends and turned a lot of them on to trout fishing with the fly.  This week he had a trip with Kerry Teel from Canton.  Kerry is one of Ron's repeat clients (one of Ron's adopted family members now) who has now fished River North on the Soque and Nacoochee Bend with plans to hit Frog Hollow with Ron later in the month.

These fish were caught at Nacoochee Bend on Monday.  We think the Bend the best trophy stream in north Georgia right now.  We're having more success hooking big fish and more numbers of fish here than any other stream we guide on.  I think you can tell from the look on Kerry's face that he's satisfied with the results.  According to Ron, they "caught a bunch of fish on a lot of different flies" but these two fatties both took a big Zonker.

Ron also leads a monthly fly tying class on the first Tuesday evening of each month at our Helen shop.  It's picked up the name of "Tie One On" but we assure you the only thing folks there are high on is life and laughter.  It's open to anyone, even if you don't own any tying gear.  We'll provide it for you.

And The Winner Is...

Kelly Randall of Gainesville.  Kelly's name was drawn from the infamous Unicoi minnow bucket at the end of the Great Southern Fishing Show.  His prize is a full day of fishing at Nacoochee Bend.  This is actually the second trip to Nacoochee Bend that Kelly has won.  Some folks have all the luck!  Kelly, the fishing here has been awesome all winter long and will only get better as things warm up in the spring.









We appreciate everyone's support and enjoyed seeing you at the show.  The seminars were excellent and we really enjoyed not only getting to know Kelly Galloup but to learn more about the techniques that have made him one of the foremost trout anglers in the world.  If you didn't get a chance to hear Kelly speak or pick up one of his books or DVD's, we are now carrying them in our shops.  All of Kelly's books have been autographed by him and are certainly a worthy addition to your fly fishing library.

Our goal is to provide you with the best, most user-friendly fly shop in the country.  We want to share with you the latest fishing information, fly selections and tactics so please don't hesitate to stop in and see us or drop us a line via email.  We'll do our best to help you.

Spring Is Almost Here!

Yep, it's right around the corner.  This may be the first year I can actually give credit to Punxsatawney Phil for being right.  At least, I hope I can.  This past Saturday afternoon, Kathy and I decided to fish Nacoochee Bend.  It's really been fishing well the past few weeks in spite of cold and dreary winter weather.  The weather this day was perfect early spring type; a cool breeze but nice sunshine warming your face.  Of course, we all know those miserable days are the best fishing days but we couldn't resist.  The fishing was fun but I'll have to admit it was slower than I had hoped for.  I'm blaming it on a high pressure system that was moving into the southeast and you can take that for what it's worth.  We did catch some fish and Kathy got to work on her presentation skills as well as her fish fighting.  She's getting to be quite deadly with an Olive Krystal Bugger.

As evidenced by these photos, the water was beautiful (& very cold).  My camera skills simply don't do justice to the magnificent scenery surrounding us on the river.  The Olive Krystal Bugger was working for me also as was a shell pink San Juan Worm highsticked through the frothy riffles as they drop off into a deep pool.  It almost seemed as if the fish were hiding in those riffles because of the clarity of the water.  At least the ones I hooked were.

We didn't check the water temperature that afternoon but I'm guessing it was in the low 40's.  If you stood in waist deep water, it just sucked all the body heat right through your waders along with your energy.  Kathy decided to take a break and enjoy the sunshine while I went prospecting for fish.  What can I say; she's learning from a master.  I'm teaching her everything I know about how to enjoy a day on the water.

Perfect Trip at Nacoochee Bend

Ben VanDevender had another chance to fish with us this past weekend and sent along this report, along with some nice photos by Josh England.

Saturday was a trip I had been looking forward to for quite some time.  It was my birthday and what better way to spend it than in the company of good friends, my wife, and the river.  The fine folks at Unicoi helped make this a possibility and my gratitude is endless.  The day was not unlike any other, the plan was to get everyone on fish.  I have to admit my wife is not the best fly angler, but she follows directions well, and two newbies who are great friends of mine who had never been trout fishing came along as well.  Quick casting lessons the night before and I felt they were adequate to present flies to fish.  The day was not necessarlily about me catching fish as it was exposing my friends and my wife to the experience I so often yearn for, to let them feel and experience what I feel. 

Well, within three casts my wife had hooked up on three fish and the thermometer had not broken 26 degrees.  Start to a great day!  She finally landed a nice fish and was ecstatic.  Switched positions so my friend Neil Robinson could present a cast, and he missed three fish consectutively but finally connected after much frustration.  A long fight and a fish to his feet, then she came unbuttoned…that’s fishing.  He was just excited now that he felt one of these beasts on the fly rod and that he actually made the hookup happen.  The day presented itself like this for much of the time, I untangled windknots, tied in tippet, selected flies etc…hmmm…was this a day off from Callaway?  The next highlight of the day came when my wife picked the water to fish, presented the fly, set the hook, and landed a trout for the first time where she did EVERYTHING herself.  That made my trip right there!  Then right behind her, Neil Robinson connected and did the same.  My other friend left with a skunk on his back, so we took him to Smith creek where he quickly learned and hooked into his first trout on the fly rod!  A perfect end to a perfect trip!

Darlington School Flyfishing Club at Nacoochee Bend

This in from Hamp Cross:

Henderson Stegall with first trout on a fly rod - a 14" 'bow

On Saturday November 13th, we took the flyfishing club from the Darlington School near Rome, Georgia out on a Gilligan Special.  The party was made up of five students and three adults.  The students have just recently started this club in their high school and this was their first outing as a club.  The group ranged from rank beginners to some pretty experienced young fisherman.  After brushing up on their casting skills out in the field, we broke up into parties of two to fish for a couple of hours.  I had the privilege of fishing with Director Gordon Hight and club member Henderson Stegall.  Hight was an experienced fisherman and quickly was into fish landing around five or six in the couple of hours and letting a few go on the long distance release.  His best fish was an 18" 'bow that took a size 18 Mirco May dropped off a Stimulator.   Henderson, an experienced spin fisherman, was just getting his feet wet with the long rod and had some early hookups before we were prepared to finish the battle.  After working hard for two hours and greatly improving his casting and line control, he was able to take two of his best trout ever in the last few minutes, landing a 16" 'bow that was not happy about being hooked and gave us several awesome jumps before coming to the net, with the other students watching.  I had a great time guiding these folks and commend them as a well-mannered and polite group of young men.  The world could use more teenagers like these guys.  Thanks again for letting Unicoi be a part of your club and look forward to seeing you in the future.

Groundhog Day

The fall version...

Every year about this time, in the dog days of summer, just when we think we can't take the heat any more, the rains come.

Here's a shot at Nora Mill on the Chattahoochee of a recent rainstorm...cooler water - and good fishing - is definitely just around the corner!

TIE 1 ON

Too hot to fish--just about, too hot to tie flies--not at all. That's what we'll be doing this 1st Tues of August (3rd) at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen at 6:00 PM. Thanks to Robert Sullivan and Robert Rivers for volunteering to show us how to "tie 1 on" this time--can't wait to see what flies they will tie.

If you're wanting to learn, are just starting, or if you're experienced at tying flies, come join us--we have a good time. We'll even supply all the equipment and supplies that you need--hope to see you there.

It is really hot to fish for trout right now, but I did guide a trip at Nacoochee Bend last Wed.

Tom Skinner from Pensacola with his sons Tom and Sam wanted to give fly fishing a shot.

They wanted to learn the basics and then we tried to catch a fish. We caught shiners, bass, bream, h-heads, and even a catfish.

Sam needed to catch a trout on a fly rod to earn his scout merit badge--oh yea, we caught a few rainbows too. What a great family to fish with--thanks to you Tom and your 2 boys--hope to see you on the water again.

Thanks,

Ron

Life & Times of a Trout Bum

Quite often, when things get quiet around me and I have time to think, I frequently find myself just astounded at my good fortune.  Not in monetary terms by any means but by the friendships and acquaintances that have appeared in my life simply as a result of being a trout bum in the right place at the right time.  Most all of us have icons whom we look up to in some degree and in the past ten days I've had an unusual run of most interesting angling partners.

Lefty

Dan Blanton

To start with, myself, Henry Cowen and Rex Gudgel spent two days trout fishing at Nacoochee Bend and Frog Hollow with Lefty Kreh and Dan Blanton.  Lefty, of course, requires no introduction to fly fishing enthusiasists.  When you Google his name, over 70,000 results pop up.  Dan, while not a household name in flyfishing the southeast, is a prominent writer for most of the fly fishing magazines we read and a top guide for stripers in the bay areas of California south of San Francisco.  My memories of these two days were simply that it was as comfortable as fishing with two lifelong friends.  There's never a dull moment when Lefty's around and fishing with Dan is like fishing with a brother.  Two terrible knee injuries in the past couple of years have put a crimp in Lefty's mobility but when he's on-stream, it's an education just to watch him work.  He was blown away by Frog Hollow and has plans to come back and photograph what he called " the most picturesque trout stream I have ever been on east of the Mississippi".  Dan was just as exuberant on his blog as he posed the rhetorical question of "Where else can you fish for stripers in the morning and trophy trout in the afternoon?"

Loran Smith

Friday, the 28th was my last day with these two giants of our sport but the following Wednesday found me at Nacoochee Bend with Loran Smith of UGA Bulldog fame and baseball Hall of Famer Phil Neikro.  The stories these two guys have to tell are unending and I'm always in stitches when I'm with them.  They literally know everyone who's ever been a major player in football and baseball in the past 50 years and I think they have a story about all of them.  Loran, of course, is best known for his sideline commentary during UGA football games but he is also a prolific writer with weekly columns which appear throughout Georgia in over 30 newspapers and he's authored so many books the Dewey Decimal System has lost count.  They are both great gentlemen and I consider it a privilege to host this event for them every year.

Gary Borger

Finally, on the Sunday afternoon after the tremendous Fly Fishing Show at Unicoi Lodge in Helen, I find myself in the Chestatee River at Frog Hollow again.  On this beautiful early summer day, I'm standing next to another of fly fishings most famous anglers, Gary Borger.  Gary is another angler who needs no introduction to the fly fishing community.  His books, articles and videos are among the most well respected in the field and if you want to know about any aspect of fly fishing, you won't find a better source than Gary's work.  At the moment, he's working on a series of 20 books which will deal with a wide variety of angling topics.  He promised to include a chapter titled "Shrimp and Grits" after dinner at Nacoochee Grill.  On Monday, I drove Gary back to Atlanta Airport and we had more time to discuss life, fishing, travels, attracting new fly anglers (he thinks we need to be cultivating the next generation as early as elementary school and I believe I have to agree with him), and bread making.  Yep, bread making.  Gary has become somewhat of a craftsman with artisan breads and he's already sent me his favorite no-knead recipe that I can't wait to try.

My fortune during these few days was to discover what a pleasure it was to spend time with every one of  these guys, standing in a river enjoying life and trying our best to fool a critter with a brain the size of a pea.  And to a man, you could see the light in their eyes when a fish rose to their fly, whether it was a trophy or a nine-incher.  How fortunate can an old trout bum be?  For me, very.
    

Balloon Hatch in Helen

This past Saturday, during the FFF show, we had a visitor at Nacoochee Bend. One of the balloonists did a touch and go right there in the river in the big pool behind the shop. We wondered if this thing was ovipositing...then realized that's probably where those round pink larvae come from...