Hey Everybody...
Just a quick note to let you know that Ron Thomas will be holding a "Tie 1 On" fly-tying session this Tuesday, August 4th at 6:30pm at our Helen shop. As always, everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Ron will have material and tools available, or bring your own.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Upper Toccoa Trophy
We just got a report in from Jay Worley - he and his wife Amy were recently fishing the upper Toccoa, somewhere near Rock Creek, when she landed her first trophy - the 20+ inch rainbow pictured here, caught on a #16 Elk Hair Caddis. That's what we like to see: anglers passing it on. I don't know who is proudest here, Jay or Amy! Great fish, Amy!
Friday, July 24, 2009
DNR on Blue Ridge Dam Repair
Dan Forster of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has written the TVA regarding the Draft Environmental Assessment associated with the 2010 scheduled drawdown of Lake Blue Ridge for repairs to the dam.The DNR has made specific recommendations concerning this drawdown to hopefully minimize the detrimental effects on the trout fishery on the Toccoa River below the dam. We know there is a lot of concern over the Toccoa River and it's good to know the DNR shares those concerns.
Click here to read the DNR letter to the TVA.
Photo courtesy Ron Mayhew.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fishing Music II
Some of you folks may have seen / heard a CD produced by Ben Winship and David Thompson, two members of the Bozeman, Montana - based bluegrass band "Kane's River". Ben and David got a lot of help from some big names in bluegrass, such as Tim and Mollie O'Brien, David Grier, and Rob Ickes, and produced an album of, well, fishing songs. The CD has gotten a lot of positive reviews, and as a matter of fact, I even purchased a couple extras for TU auction donations a year or two ago.Well, they're at it again, and have recently completed "Fishing Music II", using a lot of the same cream-of-the-crop musicians. More great music for driving to your favorite trout stream.
Pickers who fly-fish....or are they fly-fishers who pick? It doesn't matter, pick up this CD, or the original if you haven't gotten it yet. And now, a music video from the CD:
Friday, July 10, 2009
Smokies and Smallies
Some friends and I were fortunate to do a little fishing in nearby North Carolina recently and it was so much fun we kept going back. Between Sunday, June 28th and Saturday, July 4th, we hit some of the small Smokies streams for wild trout as well as the larger western
NC rivers for smallmouth on three days. Actually, those are just the days I got to fish; my friend The Dredger was on vacation that week so he really abused the privilege and, I think, fished there on five of the seven days, catching this nice 15" brown on one trip.
We've been pretty darn blessed in Georgia this summer with good rainfall and relatively cool temperatures but, being at this altitude and, for the most part, fishing streams on the south-facing slope, we have seen water temperatures in the high 60's and even above 70 degrees on the larger streams. If you read my earlier post, you know that I've spent some time fishing for shoal bass on the Chattahoochee River lately but I had guests coming in from Alabama the last weekend of June and they really wanted to trout fish. So I decided to take them somewhere they had never been before, The Smokies. As we drove through downtown Cherokee, I'm sure they were thinking I had lost my mind but they both breathed a sigh of relief as we stepped out of the truck on the banks of one of the 
most underfished streams in the Park just a short drive north of town. Even in mid-afternoon, the water temp registered just 60 degrees. Quicker than you can change tippets, everyone had their short rods out and rigged with an attractor dry fly with small nymph droppers. Today, most of the fish were taken on the nymphs with size 18 pheasant tails doing the bulk of the work but a big Mega Prince did entice one nice 12"rainbow out of a deep run for me after fishing it with the pheasant tail for quite a while. Later in the afternoon, we moved upstream as our guest leap-frogged from pocket to pocket picking up small wild rainbows on both dries and nymphs. For two guys who probably envisioned fishing all weekend for big fish, it was a pleasant surprise and one that challenged everyone's skills. And even better, we only saw two other anglers all day on this stream.
The following Friday, after receiving reports from Dredger on the big smallmouth he had caught the day before, I was coerced into making another trip back to western NC that afternoon. We fished until dark
-thirty and I used nothing but a white popper with big rubber legs. What a blast! This section of North Carolina has two very good smallmouth streams, the Tuckaseegee downstream from the dam at Dillsboro to Bryson City and the Little Tennessee River between Jackson and Fontana Lake (also near Bryson City). Both are big rivers but offer good wading and floating opportunities for smallies. I'm still learning about river smallmouth and I find myself absentmindedly fishing as if I'm after trout on these rivers. It sure seems that smallmouth waste some great runs and riffles in favor of the frog water at times. But it only takes a couple of nice leaping brown bass to help me focus. Interestingly, the fish these days were not overtly aggressive. A good cast into likely holding areas, one twitch of the fly and... wait. If you continuously stripped your fly, you likely got nothing. If you waited patiently, you were often rewarded with a boil on your bug. This first evening I counted 11 strikes before I landed a fish. Talk about a teaching opportunity! We ended the day with probably 18 or 20 fish with the largest being a nice 16-incher right before we left.
On the ride home, we discussed whether or not we were up for trying it again the next day, Saturday. When you roll in after 11 PM, you have to fight the urge to sleep late the next day. So, we decided to meet again the next morning and head back to the Smokies then finish up the day harassing the smallies again. Sleep can come later.
This time we headed for another stream in the Park near Bryson city. This would allow us to be very close to our evening rendezvous with the smallies. The trout streams in this section of the Park are classic "pocket water". Almost any little place that looks like it should hold a trout, does. Early in the day, I mistakenly made the call that we were only finding fish in the rough water at the head of pools. Only later did I realize how many fish we were spooking from the slower pools and runs. You literally could not get within 30 feet of these fish without them bolting into the next drainage if the water was the least bit placid. Realizing this helped and, with longer casts and more stealthy approaches, we began picking up fish before we spooked them. Again, on this day we caught more on nymphs than dries but there were enough on dries to create a lot of hootin' and hollerin'. We saw three other anglers all day on this stream which does not require a long hike to get to.
Again, we finished up the day stalking smallmouth and the rewards for me were two 16-inchers along with a host of smaller fish; all one of Kent Edmonds' Stealth Bomber in white with orange ru
gger legs. It was deadly! the river this day had a lot of swimmers and tubers but by the time we hit the water at 4 PM most of them were leaving. My second fish of the day was one of the big 16 inchers that I pulled from slow water withing a hundred feet of a frolicking couple playing in the shoals nearby. On a side note, the next time I head up this way I'm taking flies for carp and redhorse suckers. There are some really big boys cruising the shoals and gravel bars on these rivers and it would be like sight fishing on the flats except you wouldn't have to make long casts. These big rivers are a tremendous fishery and within an easy drive of north Georgia. If you drive up to fish the delayed harvest sections of the Nantahala or Tuckaseegee, or the trophy stream in Cherokee, these are within your range.
A large part of small stream summer fish
ing is the discovery. Virtually every stream in this section of the Park has the same geologic characteristics and will fish about the same regardless of which one you find. Get a map of the Smokies and start plotting your own trip destinations. And if you want that big fish fix, reserve some time for the waters of Cherokee or the big bass waters on the Tuckaseegee and Little Tennessee Rivers. It's not that far away and is a great alternative to your home waters when they get too warm.
NC rivers for smallmouth on three days. Actually, those are just the days I got to fish; my friend The Dredger was on vacation that week so he really abused the privilege and, I think, fished there on five of the seven days, catching this nice 15" brown on one trip.
We've been pretty darn blessed in Georgia this summer with good rainfall and relatively cool temperatures but, being at this altitude and, for the most part, fishing streams on the south-facing slope, we have seen water temperatures in the high 60's and even above 70 degrees on the larger streams. If you read my earlier post, you know that I've spent some time fishing for shoal bass on the Chattahoochee River lately but I had guests coming in from Alabama the last weekend of June and they really wanted to trout fish. So I decided to take them somewhere they had never been before, The Smokies. As we drove through downtown Cherokee, I'm sure they were thinking I had lost my mind but they both breathed a sigh of relief as we stepped out of the truck on the banks of one of the 
most underfished streams in the Park just a short drive north of town. Even in mid-afternoon, the water temp registered just 60 degrees. Quicker than you can change tippets, everyone had their short rods out and rigged with an attractor dry fly with small nymph droppers. Today, most of the fish were taken on the nymphs with size 18 pheasant tails doing the bulk of the work but a big Mega Prince did entice one nice 12"rainbow out of a deep run for me after fishing it with the pheasant tail for quite a while. Later in the afternoon, we moved upstream as our guest leap-frogged from pocket to pocket picking up small wild rainbows on both dries and nymphs. For two guys who probably envisioned fishing all weekend for big fish, it was a pleasant surprise and one that challenged everyone's skills. And even better, we only saw two other anglers all day on this stream.
The following Friday, after receiving reports from Dredger on the big smallmouth he had caught the day before, I was coerced into making another trip back to western NC that afternoon. We fished until dark
-thirty and I used nothing but a white popper with big rubber legs. What a blast! This section of North Carolina has two very good smallmouth streams, the Tuckaseegee downstream from the dam at Dillsboro to Bryson City and the Little Tennessee River between Jackson and Fontana Lake (also near Bryson City). Both are big rivers but offer good wading and floating opportunities for smallies. I'm still learning about river smallmouth and I find myself absentmindedly fishing as if I'm after trout on these rivers. It sure seems that smallmouth waste some great runs and riffles in favor of the frog water at times. But it only takes a couple of nice leaping brown bass to help me focus. Interestingly, the fish these days were not overtly aggressive. A good cast into likely holding areas, one twitch of the fly and... wait. If you continuously stripped your fly, you likely got nothing. If you waited patiently, you were often rewarded with a boil on your bug. This first evening I counted 11 strikes before I landed a fish. Talk about a teaching opportunity! We ended the day with probably 18 or 20 fish with the largest being a nice 16-incher right before we left.
On the ride home, we discussed whether or not we were up for trying it again the next day, Saturday. When you roll in after 11 PM, you have to fight the urge to sleep late the next day. So, we decided to meet again the next morning and head back to the Smokies then finish up the day harassing the smallies again. Sleep can come later.
This time we headed for another stream in the Park near Bryson city. This would allow us to be very close to our evening rendezvous with the smallies. The trout streams in this section of the Park are classic "pocket water". Almost any little place that looks like it should hold a trout, does. Early in the day, I mistakenly made the call that we were only finding fish in the rough water at the head of pools. Only later did I realize how many fish we were spooking from the slower pools and runs. You literally could not get within 30 feet of these fish without them bolting into the next drainage if the water was the least bit placid. Realizing this helped and, with longer casts and more stealthy approaches, we began picking up fish before we spooked them. Again, on this day we caught more on nymphs than dries but there were enough on dries to create a lot of hootin' and hollerin'. We saw three other anglers all day on this stream which does not require a long hike to get to.
Again, we finished up the day stalking smallmouth and the rewards for me were two 16-inchers along with a host of smaller fish; all one of Kent Edmonds' Stealth Bomber in white with orange ru
gger legs. It was deadly! the river this day had a lot of swimmers and tubers but by the time we hit the water at 4 PM most of them were leaving. My second fish of the day was one of the big 16 inchers that I pulled from slow water withing a hundred feet of a frolicking couple playing in the shoals nearby. On a side note, the next time I head up this way I'm taking flies for carp and redhorse suckers. There are some really big boys cruising the shoals and gravel bars on these rivers and it would be like sight fishing on the flats except you wouldn't have to make long casts. These big rivers are a tremendous fishery and within an easy drive of north Georgia. If you drive up to fish the delayed harvest sections of the Nantahala or Tuckaseegee, or the trophy stream in Cherokee, these are within your range.
A large part of small stream summer fish
ing is the discovery. Virtually every stream in this section of the Park has the same geologic characteristics and will fish about the same regardless of which one you find. Get a map of the Smokies and start plotting your own trip destinations. And if you want that big fish fix, reserve some time for the waters of Cherokee or the big bass waters on the Tuckaseegee and Little Tennessee Rivers. It's not that far away and is a great alternative to your home waters when they get too warm.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Curse of The Red and The Cajun Cure
Some of you may have heard of the anguish I've gone through over the past three years regarding redfish. I've fished Steinhatchee, Destin, and Pensacola in Florida for them, Mobile Bay in Alabama for them and four different days along the Georgia coast for them... and still have never caught one! In fact, I've never even had a bite! I went to Belize last year and landed well into the double-digits of bonefish my first day there, but still couldn't catch a redfish in any of these places to save my life.
It got to the point where I started having a string of nightmares about reds. One involved me spotting a tailing fish in a drainage ditch alongside I-285 in Atlanta, pulling over grab the fly rod out of the back of my truck so that I could cast to it and finding nothing but the butt sections of fly rods in my rod bag.
The next nightmare had my brother-in-law and I driving around the Florida pan-handle in a white work van. He was driving and I was, where else, on top of the van like Teen Wolf ready to cast as there were tailing reds everywhere! In golf course ponds, canals that ran under the streets and even those pink stucco fountains in the middle of shopping outlet centers... all of them held reds. But, each time I would get ready to shoot my line, my brother-in-law would peel out like B.A. Barracus from the A-Team, laughing as we sped away.
The last nightmare was the most disturbing. I was fishing with Scott Owens - a very good guide on the Georgia coast - and he put me on this HUGE red. It must've been 40 inches. I somehow made the perfect cast, it's tail turned on it and tipped up and I felt a tug. I tugged back and the fight was on! After several minutes of the most real dream I've ever had - complete with screaming drag sounds of fly line cutting through the water - the fish was landed. At this point, I realized that I was dreaming. But, it didn't even matter to me. If I couldn't land a fish in real life - or in any of my dreams up to that point - then this one would do just fine. In a show of victory, I hoisted the giant red over my held and let out a big "WHHAAA-WHOOOOO!" But, as I brought the fish back down to eye-level, I realized that something wasn't right. A small zipper handle dangled just behind the fish's gill plate and curiousity got the best of me. I should've just woken up right then - heck, I knew I was dreaming, so I could've stopped all this madness - but I had to see what was going on. I set the fish down on the deck of the boat and started pulling the zipper back towards the tail. To my horror, this was no redfish. It was a striped bass wearing a redfish costume!
Do I need psychological help? Probably.
But instead, I decided to capitalize on a planned trip to New Orleans over the 4th of July this year with my wife and a few friends. As anyone who fishes salt knows, the Louisiana coastal area is the best in the world for redfishing. So I called up the best guide in the area, Gary Taylor (GoForItCharters.com), and booked a half-day with him. To draw a parallel, booking a trip with Gary Taylor for redfishing is like calling on Chef Paul Prudhomme to help you cook a redfish or artist Mark Susinno to help you draw a redfish. It simply doesn't get any better.
He told me it was going to be really hot and that we may not land anything. I told him that I expected nothing less as I was cursed, but that I had to keep trying. I told him about my nightmares and, as he laughed, said, "Alright, we've got to get you on a redfish!"
So on the morning of Saturday, July 4th, I met Gary at his boat with heavy clouds overhead and a stiff wind blowing - not exactly prime conditions for redfishing. "That's about right," I thought.
I strung up my rod, hopped in the boat and we were off. Now let me tell you, if we didn't catch a fish all day, I still would've had a great time. Gary is about 60 years old now, but was formerly a professional dirt-bike racer. This comes through as he hastily navigates his 17-foot Hell's Bay through the marshes he's been fishing for decades. The boat ride itself was just as fun as the fishing!
Gary almost immediately got me on fish and on one of my first casts - a ROLL CAST TO A RED ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE BOAT - a fish ate and the fight was on. A few minutes later and the red was landed and the curse was dead!
Over the course of the next couple of hours, I landed several more reds up to 7.5 pounds, a black drum and a gar.
What a fun trip - and all of this during a time of year that is far from prime for this area. Gary said that the winter was the best time to be there and that you could catch about as many reds as you could ever want to catch on a day that time of year. Funny - the day seemed prime to me. And so far, no more red nightmares.
David Cannon
CannonOutdoors.com
It got to the point where I started having a string of nightmares about reds. One involved me spotting a tailing fish in a drainage ditch alongside I-285 in Atlanta, pulling over grab the fly rod out of the back of my truck so that I could cast to it and finding nothing but the butt sections of fly rods in my rod bag.
The next nightmare had my brother-in-law and I driving around the Florida pan-handle in a white work van. He was driving and I was, where else, on top of the van like Teen Wolf ready to cast as there were tailing reds everywhere! In golf course ponds, canals that ran under the streets and even those pink stucco fountains in the middle of shopping outlet centers... all of them held reds. But, each time I would get ready to shoot my line, my brother-in-law would peel out like B.A. Barracus from the A-Team, laughing as we sped away.
The last nightmare was the most disturbing. I was fishing with Scott Owens - a very good guide on the Georgia coast - and he put me on this HUGE red. It must've been 40 inches. I somehow made the perfect cast, it's tail turned on it and tipped up and I felt a tug. I tugged back and the fight was on! After several minutes of the most real dream I've ever had - complete with screaming drag sounds of fly line cutting through the water - the fish was landed. At this point, I realized that I was dreaming. But, it didn't even matter to me. If I couldn't land a fish in real life - or in any of my dreams up to that point - then this one would do just fine. In a show of victory, I hoisted the giant red over my held and let out a big "WHHAAA-WHOOOOO!" But, as I brought the fish back down to eye-level, I realized that something wasn't right. A small zipper handle dangled just behind the fish's gill plate and curiousity got the best of me. I should've just woken up right then - heck, I knew I was dreaming, so I could've stopped all this madness - but I had to see what was going on. I set the fish down on the deck of the boat and started pulling the zipper back towards the tail. To my horror, this was no redfish. It was a striped bass wearing a redfish costume!Do I need psychological help? Probably.
But instead, I decided to capitalize on a planned trip to New Orleans over the 4th of July this year with my wife and a few friends. As anyone who fishes salt knows, the Louisiana coastal area is the best in the world for redfishing. So I called up the best guide in the area, Gary Taylor (GoForItCharters.com), and booked a half-day with him. To draw a parallel, booking a trip with Gary Taylor for redfishing is like calling on Chef Paul Prudhomme to help you cook a redfish or artist Mark Susinno to help you draw a redfish. It simply doesn't get any better.He told me it was going to be really hot and that we may not land anything. I told him that I expected nothing less as I was cursed, but that I had to keep trying. I told him about my nightmares and, as he laughed, said, "Alright, we've got to get you on a redfish!"
So on the morning of Saturday, July 4th, I met Gary at his boat with heavy clouds overhead and a stiff wind blowing - not exactly prime conditions for redfishing. "That's about right," I thought.
I strung up my rod, hopped in the boat and we were off. Now let me tell you, if we didn't catch a fish all day, I still would've had a great time. Gary is about 60 years old now, but was formerly a professional dirt-bike racer. This comes through as he hastily navigates his 17-foot Hell's Bay through the marshes he's been fishing for decades. The boat ride itself was just as fun as the fishing!
Gary almost immediately got me on fish and on one of my first casts - a ROLL CAST TO A RED ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE BOAT - a fish ate and the fight was on. A few minutes later and the red was landed and the curse was dead!Over the course of the next couple of hours, I landed several more reds up to 7.5 pounds, a black drum and a gar.
What a fun trip - and all of this during a time of year that is far from prime for this area. Gary said that the winter was the best time to be there and that you could catch about as many reds as you could ever want to catch on a day that time of year. Funny - the day seemed prime to me. And so far, no more red nightmares.
David Cannon
CannonOutdoors.com
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tie 1 On
Can it get too hot to "tie 1 on"? I guess it can. After talking to a couple of fly tyers that normally attend our monthly fly tying session, who told me they wouldn't be able to attend this month, we decided to schedule the next session in August. What about Tuesday Aug 4 at 6:30 pm? Hopefully we can get this thing cranked back up then. Remember that its open to everyone, its free, and its a great way to share your interest and learn. See you at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen in August.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
New License Fees Go Into Effect
The Georgia General Assembly passed HB326 in their last session, and the Governor signed the bill into law - this law went into effect today. There are a number of changes, but of primary interest to our customers is the new license fee structure.
First, for Georgia residents, there are no changes to the one-year fishing license fees. The base fees are still $9 for fishing and $5 for trout, totaling $14 plus "convenience fees" for annual fishing including trout. The resident WMA fee remains the same as well - for those few fishing spots in the state that require it.
Georgia residents now have the option of a two-year term for these licenses as well. The rates are double the one year rate, except the fishing license is discounted $2 for the two year period.
Non-residents have a different set of options now:
Gone are the one-day and seven-day non-resident fishing licenses; the only short-term license is a three-day license for $20. There is now a short-term trout license available for $10, making the total for three days of non-resident trout fishing in Georgia $30 plus "convenience fees". Also, the three-day fishing license is now actually a hunting/fishing combo license - perfect if you want to visit for a cast & blast!
The non-resident annual fees have changed as well, and are now $45 for fishing and $20 for trout, for a total of $65 plus "convenience fees" for a year of Georgia trout fishing for non-residents. The non-resident WMA is unchanged at $73 per year.
There are a lot of other hunting and fishing license changes that you can read about here.
First, for Georgia residents, there are no changes to the one-year fishing license fees. The base fees are still $9 for fishing and $5 for trout, totaling $14 plus "convenience fees" for annual fishing including trout. The resident WMA fee remains the same as well - for those few fishing spots in the state that require it.
Georgia residents now have the option of a two-year term for these licenses as well. The rates are double the one year rate, except the fishing license is discounted $2 for the two year period.
Non-residents have a different set of options now:
Gone are the one-day and seven-day non-resident fishing licenses; the only short-term license is a three-day license for $20. There is now a short-term trout license available for $10, making the total for three days of non-resident trout fishing in Georgia $30 plus "convenience fees". Also, the three-day fishing license is now actually a hunting/fishing combo license - perfect if you want to visit for a cast & blast!
The non-resident annual fees have changed as well, and are now $45 for fishing and $20 for trout, for a total of $65 plus "convenience fees" for a year of Georgia trout fishing for non-residents. The non-resident WMA is unchanged at $73 per year.
There are a lot of other hunting and fishing license changes that you can read about here.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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 app
earance 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 attit
udes. 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.
Monday, June 8, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
TIE 1 ON
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"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.
Friday, May 15, 2009
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.
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.
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