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.

Toccoa Tailwater 6/6/09

John Browning, one of our guides, reports on the Toccoa River tailwater this past weekend:

The Toccoa Tailwater fished as well today as I’ve seen in a good while. We were on the water early and picked up a few trout while we let the fog burn off. Once the fog was gone the water came alive. Fish were steadily rising for a good hour and a half after the fog lifted and we saw rises all day, even in the hot part after lunch. Cahills in sizes 14 and 16 with little sulfur emergers dropped off in the film produced the majority of the fish in the morning. Later on, when the number of rises dropped off, we put the same emergers about 18” down and had success. As the sun became more direct we switched to a swing caddis dropped about 2-3’ below a big dry to support the weight and really started crossing their eyes. I was surprised at the amount of takes we had on the size 12 Royal Wulff and size 14 Orange Stimulator. I just wanted a big, stable, highly visible fly, to support the caddis through the choppy water and was not expecting to really catch fish on them but the fish were aggressive and absolutely let the big dries have it. We hooked only one large fish and we failed to get it to the boat. It was a 16-18” brown that finally spit the fly. All the other fish were in the 9-13” range with a few a little bigger and a few a little smaller. The size of the fish was average but the numbers made up for the lack of size. As always, the nervous water below shoals was the most productive, but we found several pods of rising fish in slow water. Each pod was good for 1 or 2 fish before they got put down, if we didn’t slap the water too bad. The water had some color to it and I think that helped us a lot. They did not seem to be finicky at all (for a change) which made for an excellent day. After today, I can’t wait to get back!

Really makes you want to get out on the water, eh?

Happy Birthday Don!

A great birthday report from Don Davis:

I was officially 62 yesterday. I took the day off, and expected to take
Brenda to the mountains for a little bit of fishing, followed by a
really nice lunch in Helen. Before I could leave work Wednesday, she
called to tell me she was sick as a dog with flu-type symptoms. Great!

She convinced me I should go fish and enjoy myself. I left early and
went up to the WMA above Helen. I noticed the campgrounds just before
the check station were closed, and decided to start there. I parked in
the last turn-off, walked down to the third set of steps and went down
to the stream.

When rigging up at the car, I tied on something like a Stimulator with a
white post and was determined to try a dry all morning. The weather was
overcast, but dry, so I left the jacket in the car. Within 3 casts I was
releasing a fresh little rainbow. And on a dry! I felt like a real fly
fisherman.

The fish came slowly but regularly as I waded upstream. As I moved out
of sight of the last campground, I found myself at the beginning of the
gorge. Actually, I guess that's the bottom. Anyway, a really neat rock
wall on the road side of the stream, and a beautiful waterfall entering
the river in mid-curve. After fishing my way up and around that curve,
the weather started to change to a very light rain, and I started
thinking about lunch. I had to sit on a rock and have a smoke while
enjoying the view across the stream. I could have been many places
besides Georgia, but the majesty and beauty of hard rock, soft moss and
splashing water was just magical. In Atlanta, people probably pay $100
an hour to get that sense of peace and contentment. A mighty fine way to
spend a birthday.

I clipped off the dry and tied on an egg fly (lt. brown) for one last
pass thru the deep hole in that curve. As I was pulling it back upstream
after a reasonably decent drift, I pulled it out of the mouth of a brown
whose spots were visible 25 feet away and over a foot deep. And in the
gloom! There was the occasional splat of larger raindrops, but still no
real rain.

I started fishing my way back down to the campground, using the egg fly
and several more "buggy" nymphs, but no more fish. I stood in the water
beside the shore, packed away the fly, then rolled and put away the
leader. [Leader - a furled leader Slowstreamer sold me nearly a year
ago! First time I used it. I like it very much.]

As I walked toward the steps, I realized my shirt was a bit damp, but it
was not uncomfortable. I started up the steps and heard the rain first,
then felt it. Within 3 steps I was soaked to the skin, and I couldn't
see the top of the steps! It's been a long time since I tried to put my
gear away in a driving rain, and I forgot how awkward it is to insert a
rod section into its proper pocket without letting the trunk flood!

I pulled up to the check station to have a coke and snack, and found two
guys already there. They were from Hall County, frequently there during
the week, and appalled at the trash left behind by others. They were
also very well-informed on Georgia's water issues, too. I enjoyed
talking to them.

It's amazing how much I enjoyed a day that I thought was going to be a
total loss.

TIE 1 ON

"Tie Flies When You're Having Fun"

We hope that's what will happen Tuesday, June 2 at 6:30 PM at Unicoi Outfitters. We will meet on this date for our monthly fly tying session-I hope this date will be OK for everyone. I was out of town for our May fly tying session and from what I hear about the attendance, I guess most everyone else was too. I hope any one that is interested (beginner or pro) will show up. Tying with others is a great way to learn and to teach-to help those that are just starting. Again, we will be tying a woolly bugger and an elk hair caddis-so bring materials for these if you have them-if not, that's OK. Refer to our last Tie 1 On post for recipes and instructions.

If the above date is not good for you, let me know at rbtgofish@yahoo.com.

Mr. Trout Meet "Mr. Fish"

This is just one of the beautiful rainbows that Jim DiFilippo, also known as "Mr. Fish", caught last week at Noontootla Creek Farm. It was a pleasure to fish for a few days with him and his friend Chester-we caught fish, had a few laughs and a great time. Thanks again.

North Georgia Bonefish!

We got this in from Ben VanDevender (you may know him as "benvan" over at NGTO) today and thought we'd share. Ben's been going after grass carp recently and may have figured them out:

OK I think I have this grass carp thing down to a science, or maybe just plain luck...

I hit the pond yesterday afternoon around 6 with the young one. This time I was going to target the carp so I brought my 8wt and only my 8wt....I had her with an Orvis 0x striper leader fixed to Cortland444 8 wf line. I pulled out a selection of egg patterns again and got rejected on pink and orange but found the ticket to be a size 12 yellow yarn egg. The fish were feeding at the surface as I could see their mouths popping like a goldfish causing ripples in the water. I cast out with the new pattern about six feet in lead of a cruiser. Next thing I know the line goes taught and I pull back to insure a good hook set. Now my drag begins to sing as I am quickly into backing with no sight of turning the fish anytime soon. Well for some reason she changes direction and starts heading straight to me. I pull in as much line as I can to keep up with her, and just as that happens she runs parallel along the bank. Now I really try to use the backbone of my rod and tire her. After another couple of runs I finally get her beached in the shallows of the bank. Not as big as my first one but still a real humdinger at 35 inches long. My lil one was so excited. I managed to land two more and broke off one bruiser before we headed home. Both tired from fishing, me from big carp and her from big panfish on the barbie poll.

I plan to try the pattern out again next week to see if I can justify my results. The main thing I have learned though is how critical it is to lead these fish. They are extremely finnicky and any disturbance in the water too close can run them off. This time I did not have the camera but with the bruiser I have my sights set on next time I shall surely have it.

The carp in the picture was 45 inches long and caught on my 6wt. Quite a fight.

Yes Ben, carp are definitely spooky fish, but a ton of fun as you can attest. Keep us posted on that Big Boy!

Becky Hulsey - Our Newest FFF Certified Casting Instructor

Congratulations to Becky Hulsey of our Blue Ridge store. Last week she became an FFF Certified Casting Instructor. The Federation of Fly Fishers administers the Certified Casting Instructor program to educate and enhance the growth of fly casting instructors and is widely recognized as the ultimate professional certification in casting instruction.

Becky joins other Unicoi Outfitters guides David Hulsey, Becky Strain, Joel Dickey, Dave Humphrey, and Chase Pritchett as Certified Casting Instructors and Rex Gudgel as a Certified Master Casting Instructor.

Becky and David have also completed the Instructors Course at the Wulff School of Fly Fishing.

Unicoi Outfitters is proud to have some of the most qualified instructors anywhere.

Atlanta Fly Fishing Meetup Group at Nacoochee Bend

Unicoi Outfitters recently hosted the Atlanta Fly Fishing Meetup Group at Nacoochee Bend. The group's founder Justin Fuller wrote:

"The meetup group is about helping new people learn how to fly fish, and meet some friends while doing it... The meetup organizers are not professionals, but we do our best to get people catching fish... By getting them out on the water, with professional guides, and hooking into big fish... may make all the difference for some of these folks. The meetup group promises to continue to recruit new fly fishers in the North GA area!!!!

"Jeff Durniak would be proud with all the split shot that Jake had me using to get into that big 24"er... 4.5 lbr... Biggest fish I have ever caught!!!!!!!!! I didn't hold it close enough to the camera though ;)

"This really is a fantastic section of the Chattahoochee River... Unicoi Outfitters is running a Top Notch Guide Service out of their Helen and Blue Ridge Stores. If anyone, EVER, has the opportunity to fish the Nacoochee Bend or other private water that Unicoi Outfitters has in North GA, they should take it!!!!

"Thanks again for the best Sunday afternoon I have had in a long time!!!"

Thanks for the photos and report, Justin - glad y'all had a good time!

Cinco de Mayo @ Dukes Creek

Unicoi guide Jake Darling had a couple of clients on Dukes Creek Section One yesterday and the fish were very active. Here's his report:

"The water was up about a foot and had a dark green stain to it. My clients were not used to big fish on a small stream and had some difficulty landing them but the bite was definitely on. We hooked and lost around 20 nice rainbows. One of my anglers hooked a real pig of a rainbow, fought it for about 5 minutes and it broke off right at the net. Just all part of paying your dues to the Duke! Nothing's easy there but those big fish are sick!

"Flies that were working were a size 18 brown or baetis micro mayfly and size 16 micro stones dropped off of something big like a size 8 Whitlocks Hellgrammite, or the new rubberlegs, and even a squirrel nymph. Fish were taking both the small flies and the big flies. even caught one 4 inch wild trout on a size 8 rubberlegs. That joker must have been extra hungry because the fly was about half his size.

"When fishing these rigs it took a lot of split shot to get the flies down, usually around 3 or 4 BB size split shot to hit the bottom. The flies had to be ticking along the bottom to get any strikes. So make sure you have your strike indicator up high when fishing in these conditions. No matter how much weight you have on it, if your strike indicator is only 4ft up from your flies then the chances are you aren't getting down to the bottom.

"Dukes Creek is fishing as good right now as I've seen it in a while. And there seem to always be some openings available and no-shows every day they fish. If you haven't fished Dukes Creek in a while, now is the time!"

Playing Hookie on the Chattooga River

Here's a little video from last year that passed under our radar....SeanC and trout-tiger from the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum spent a little time fishing and filming on the Chattooga....enjoy!



Any video that opens with Jimi doing Voodoo Chile is OK in my book - great job, guys!

Tie 1 On

We had a good turn out for our April fly tying session at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen and I think everyone enjoyed taking part. Thanks again to all the folks who were involved and to everyone who showed up. May's session will be Thursday May 7 at 6:30 PM and will last approximately 2 hours. (Note this is a date change from the date listed in the Liars Club newsletter) Again, this is an open invitation to anyone who has an interest in tying flies or wants to learn how to tie flies. I promise it will add more to your fly fishing enjoyment and I believe it will make you a better fisherman.

We will be tying the infamous Wooly Bugger and the unsinkable Elk Hair Caddis during this session. If you need the recipe for material and instructions you can find those at www.charliesflyboxinc.com. Some of the tyers will be tying 1 on somewhere else this week (out of town) so bring a friend with you Thursday night.

Free Orvis Reel!

Through May 15, 2009, buy any Orvis Helios, T3, TLS, or Superfine rod and pick the Battenkill Bar Stock, Battenkill Mid Arbor, or Battenkill Large Arbor reel of your choice for FREE, a savings of up to $259!

This offer is available at both our Helen and Blue Ridge stores.
(Offer valid while supplies last. Participant must purchase a Helios, T3, Superfine or TLS rod at full price to receive choice of any Battenkill Bar Stock, Mid Arbor or Large Arbor reel. This offer not valid with any other discounts or offers.)

20% Discount on Kayak Accessories

That's right...we'll take 20% off all kayak accessories when you purchase a Native Watercraft kayak from Unicoi Outfitters. It's a perfect time to get that new boat out on the water, and with this great deal on accessories, the time is even better!

A Flatlander's Dark:30

After almost a year of being away from my favorite river - the Chattooga - an opportunity arose to head there this past Friday afternoon. The drive north consisted of a little conversation, a lot of bluegrass pickin' music and a rush of memories of past trips to this special place. Visions of rising fish from the first ever "hatch" I experienced seemed as fresh as the new spring growth seen everywhere right now, and there was much anticipation of experiencing one again on this day.

As has been the case for me for the last year or so now, I have a hard time deciding whether to fish or to shoot photos. I wish I would just grow another set of arms and be able to perform both, but I don't see that happening without coming in contact with some sort of radioactive material (maybe a trip to the Savannah River Site is in order?). So, after arriving at the river around 3:00 in the afternoon, Guru started, well, fishing, while I shot a few hundred photos of my favorite place. Observing caddis and mayflies sporadically coming off the water and flying to a nearby hemlock, watching Jimmy catch multiple rainbows and brook trout by skittering caddis patterns downstream, and just getting to see normal water levels had me immediately satisfied before I even strung up the five-weight.

Of course, it finally got to me and the fly line was slid through the stripping guides and then the snakes and finally out of the tippy-top. Some 5X tippet was added to the leader and a parachute Adams was carefully tied with a securely-cinched knot. Cast after cast was made for nearly two hours without a single fish rising. But still, I remained satisfied. For the first time ever I was perfectly fine not catching fish. What's happening to me? Am I growing personally? (I'm reminded of an episode of Seinfeld where George says, "Personal growth of any kind really annoys me.")

Then, just when I had come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to catch a fish this evening, something changed. Tan caddisflies started flying upriver as if they had been summoned to some sort of important gathering of the caddis. A few mayflies - including some sort of huge light cahill/Green Drake/bald eagle hybrid - started flying around (they were so big, one flew close to my head and I swear the wind coming from its wing-flap blew my hair a little). And, just like that, it was on.

The waning light urged me to switch to a big, visible Yellow Humpy dry fly and drop the parachute Adams off of it. Nothing like fishing two dries. In one long run, I landed six rainbows, one of which went completely air born to grab the Adams before it even landed on the water!

After exhausting that run, a short hike up to a long, glassy stretch where I have caught a few decent browns in the past had me itching to "churn butter" and hook one or two more. Guru and I watched as several brown trout consistently rose, including one who had been doing his squats and bicep curls for a while. After a few dozen casts to "big boy," he finally rose to the Adams. "OOOHHHH YESSS!!" I screamed.

Now, when you hook a fish that runs, like all trout do, you're usually okay as long as they don't run directly AT you. This creates slack and that's not good.

Well, big boy did exactly that.

Luckily, I stuck him good and felt confident that the hook wasn't going anywhere. And, that extra time cinching down my knots had me almost certain that this fish would take up temporary residence inside of my landing net. And, when he neared my feet, I really caught a glimpse of how large this fish was (somewhere between 18 and 20 inches with some good shoulders on him).

There was one variable in this equation, however, that would possibly jeopardize the whole operation - a slight rust on the bend of my hook. The current state of the economy and its subsequent effect on people who are trying to write for a living, combined with the fact that I hadn't trout fished in a while (the bass are on the bed... REPEAT... the bass are on the bed) led to an all-too-neglected fly box.

So, while continuing to YELL "OOOHHHH YESSSS!" over and over, I came up with a new dance move that helps remove slack line - the "Trout-Tackler-Two-Step" is sort of a backward stumble that adds some crazy-fast stripping with the line hand to try to take out the slack. It worked and the fish was on tight again... for about two seconds. In an instant the line was totally slack and my flies were above the water again.

Upon further inspection, the Adams had lost the business end of himself in the battle.

Heartbreaker.

But, an immediate roll-cast to the side resulted in another immediate rise by a smaller brown and he was quickly landed. Another few casts to another rising fish had him on and landed - a NICE 15-inch brown. And before dark, another two browns were landed on that same glassy stretch.

The second half of the hike back to the parking lot was in darkness, save two flashlights from Guru and Dredger (who we met on the hike back) and was just as fun as the fishing. Stories, observations, fish counts, laughs and camaraderie were readily shared on that jaunt through the dark woods as another memory was filed away for the next drive north, whenever that may be.

David Cannon
CannonOutdoors.com

What To Do About Clammy Breathable Waders

Here is a guide to the care and feeding of breathable waders slightly modified, but primarily as supplied to us by Orvis. The information is also applicable to any waterproof breathable garment like a Gore-Tex rain jacket:

The outer surface of most laminated waterproof-breathable fabrics is treated with a durable water-repellent coating (DWR). This chemical treatment forces water to bead up and roll off the surface of the fabric improving the overall performance and comfort of the garment.

DWR coatings will begin to degrade after extended use and as the garment becomes soiled. The degradation will inhibit the DWR coating’s ability to bead water and cause the garment to “wet out” as the face fabric material absorbs water.

Although the garment is still waterproof, the water saturated face fabric will hinder the garments ability to breathe and produce a cold and clammy feeling for the wearer. It is important to clean your garments regularly to help avoid this situation.

HOW TO CLEAN DWR COATED GARMENTS

Most garments can be machined washed, consult the care instruction label on the garment. Make sure to use an additive-free detergent. DO NOT USE ANY DETERGENTS THAT CONTAIN FABRIC SOFTENERS OR COLOR SAFE BLEACH.

Machine Washable Items (Stocking foot waders and jackets)

Ivory® Snow (powder)
ReviveX® Synthetic Fabric Cleaner
Nikwax® Tech Wash

Non-machine washable Items (Boot foot waders)

Granger® G-Wash Spray Cleaner

Please read and follow the instructions included with these products and the garment manufacturer’s care and cleaning directions.

HOW TO RESTORE THE DWR COATING

Cleaning alone may not restore the DWR coating effectiveness.

For a clean garment, use a cool iron or tumble dry on low to medium heat to reactivate the coating. Please follow the garment manufacturer’s recommended instructions for drying.

To reapply a DWR coating, we recommend the following products. Please be sure to read and follow the instructions for application carefully.

ReviveX® Spray-On Water Repellent (Which we stock at Unicoi Outfitters)

With basic care and maintenance, your waterproof, breathable garment(s) should provide you years of use and enjoyment.