We Helped Create These Fishing Fanatics!

Our great friends Trudy Johnson and Linda Bennett have been a source of pure enjoyment for us over the past several years.  Seldom have we seen anglers take to the sport like these two.  We think they may fish more than we do at times; and that's saying something.  The accompanying story is from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT.  Needless to say, we are proud of you ladies!

From Trudy:

"Linda and I had a terrific time with Dan - we fished the "Between the Lakes" area of the Madison, the lower Madison, the Beaverhead, and did some great targeted casting to rising fish on the McCoy property.  Dan also gave us some great instruction on fishing streamers. 

"The scenery was spectacular, and we saw all sorts of critters not native to Georgia - buffalo, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn.  I was most excited to see SandHill cranes and a few eagle and osprey nests. 

"We did try a purple assassin (no luck), Linda's version of a lightening bug (great luck) and I changed the rainbow warrior to add a white zelon wing - it also was a great fly out there. 

It certainly is interesting to go on a trip with the only fact known is that we were going to be picked up at the airport in Bozeman!!  Dan treated us like royalty - we are really spoiled and are already wanting to find the money to go again next week!! NO chance on that one."

The photo on the right is of Linda's "first-cast" 20" brown!

First Annual Tie-One-On Tie-Athlon a Success!

1st Annual Tie-Athlon

Tie 1 On for Smithgall Woods--what a great day--a winning day for everyone involved.

Chuck Head & Jake Darling - 1st Place

On Saturday, March 24, 12 tyers (6 teams of 2 per team) of aspiring fly tyers gathered at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen, Ga. to have some fun and to help out a worthy cause located in our community - Smithgall Woods State Park.  Five hours and 450 flies later, we had raised over $2,500 in pledges - this amount is still hard for me to believe.

Smithgall Woods was definitely a winner because they will be the recipient of these donations by way of the Friends of Smithgall Woods - hopefully this will help out with the conservation and kids' programs that they offer.

Rosie Whitmire

Unicoi Outfitters, Foothills chapter of Trout Unlimited, and our own "Tie 1 On" group were all winners because they were responsible for sponsoring this inaugural fly tying event - which we hope will become an annual fund raiser for worthy causes in our community.

But I think the real winners would have to be all those who took part in the event - the fly tyers who worked hard to raise the pledges and tied the flies, the volunteers who helped set up and clean up the mess we made, the cooks - who boiled the peanuts and grilled the dawgs, those who judged the event, and especially those who donated - you made this event successful. 

Thanks to all of you - a man is truly blessed by the friends in his life.

We had a blast!

Tie 1 On,

Ron

40-Year Old Memories & the Chattooga River

Spring-like, heck, summer-like weather this weekend was too much of an allure to get on the river and I ended up fishing the Chattooga both Saturday and Sunday.  All day Saturday with my friend Alan Juncker and Sunday afternoon with Mark Whitney.  Saturday morning at 7:05 AM I get a text from Alan saying he's just north of Athens and headed to the Chattooga.  Asks if I want to join him.  Forty-five minutes later we're throwing all our gear into one vehicle and Chattooga bound.

For about three hours, we pretty much had the river to ourselves.  What a beautiful morning it was.  My mind flashed back to 1968 and my first trout fishing trip to north Georgia during spring break at UGA.  That first cool morning when I stepped up to a small mountain stream and smelled the aromatic mix of dew and the richness of decaying organic matter.  The cold water providing a chill to the air in the stream corridor.  We didn't own waders back then and only one guy in the group had a fly rod.  The rest of us were spin fishing but I knew right then that this was something special.

Thankfully, I've never lost that feeling over all the years and it was as if I were stepping back into that small stream Saturday morning.  Only this time I had my 4 wt. in hand and hoping for dry flies and rises.  We walked a good ways upstream to one of my favorite corners, seeing only one other angler along the way.  I wanted fish on dries but I hedged my bet with a soft hackle hares ear dropper since no bugs were coming off and no fish rising.

All morning the action was steady with about half coming on my tan caddis dry and half on the hares ear.  Most fish were caught in the shallow riffles, the most enjoyable water to fish in my opinion.  For a couple of hours at mid-day, things slowed down markedly but began to pick back up around 2:00.  With the early start to the day, we planned on leaving around 4:00 to head back home and began fishing our way back downstream.

You could tell that the fishing was going to be picking up as the afternoon wore on.  In another of my favorite riffles, we had picked up several fish on the hares ears that we were now fishing under indicators. At the very top of the run, my orange Thingamabobber was inhaled by a nice fish.  The next cast was a repeat of the first with the fish taking it completely out of sight  before releasing it.  I was sure it was a big brown simple looking for a big wad of protein.

Changing to a hopper pattern with orange foam, I got at least a half dozen follows but no takes.  Okay, we'll go with more orange.  I'm thinking a Stimulator but notice an Orange Palmer in my box and go with it.  Smaller but definitely more orange.  The first cast, just as the fly was about to float out of the zone, and the big fish makes one of those slow motion rises to gently inhale the fly and the tussle is on.  As I catch a glimpse of the fish, I'm thinking "That's no brown." but it doesn't exactly look like a rainbow either.  A few minutes later I slide my net under a big, very pretty brook trout.  What a great way to end the day!

Sunday afternoon I get an invitation from Mark to attend his birthday party.  He planned to spend it standing in the Chattooga.  I can't disappoint my friend on his birthday!  As we pull into the parking lot, the weather goes really bad with lightning and hail pounding the area.  It was relatively short lived and we were soon on the river.  Using Saturday as a guide, I go right back to the dry/dropper rig; a tan elk hair caddis with a bead head hares ear hanging off the back.  This afternoon, there is almost no interest in the dry with only two fish rising to it.  But a lot of fish were caught on the nymph.  Few bugs were seen in the air so I'm sure that had something to do with the fish not looking up.  I used the same hares ear all afternoon, never feeling a need to change to something different.  It was that consistent.  This afternoon we stayed on the river until about 30 minutes before dark and never saw over a half dozen rises.

I think things will continue to get even better in the next couple of weeks as more bugs begin to hatch.  There are small dun caddis, blue dun mayflies, March browns, dark Hendricksons and even some light cahills popping out of the water right now.  It's a great time to be on the Chattooga, early morning or late afternoon.    

Dry Flying the Chattooga

Report Provided by Alan Juncker (a charter member of the Liars Club)

I finally got in the river at 6:20 last night and went upstream to try for a re-match with the nice fish Jimmy and I both had rise to, but refuse, our dry flies last week.

There was not much bug activity and I only saw a few rises in the 2 hours I was there.  It was unseasonably warm. Started out with a Parachute Adams and a small Pheasant Tail dropper but ended up switching to a double dry pretty soon after having a couple of refusals on the dry. I went to a smaller Adams and picked up a fish right away.







The big guy did not come out to play this time but I did bring three rainbows and one brown to hand, all in the 9-10" range.  

Water was crystal clear, had the river to myself and only saw two guys camping on the SC side.  It was a beautiful evening and the tree in the parking lot was in full bloom when I arrived. Walked out at 8:00 and definitely was glad the batteries on my clip on hat light were still good.  Definitely "dark thirty" getting back to the parking lot.

Boating Opens up on the Chattooga

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

4931 Broad River Road Columbia, S.C. 29212

Contact: Michelle Burnett

(803) 920-6167

March 14, 2012 (FMS 1207)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

US FOREST SERVICE READY FOR BOATERS TO FLOAT UPPER CHATTOOGA WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT

                                               

(Mountain Rest, S.C.) U.S. Forest Service officials announced today that beginning March 16, 2012, boaters with permits may float the upper segment of the Chattooga River when flows are high enough.

“As soon as the weather cooperates and provides suitable flows, we anticipate that boaters will be floating the upper Chattooga,” said Paul Bradley, forest supervisor for the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests. “I want to emphasize, though, that this section of the river is not a place for most boaters – floating in this area at high, fast flows will be dangerous for people who don’t have specialized skills and experience.”

           

Boating is allowed:

·         On the main stem of the upper segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River between the confluence of Green Creek in North Carolina and one-quarter mile downstream of the Lick Log Creek confluence in South Carolina.

·         From December 1 to April 30.

·         From the time that flows reach 350 cfs or greater at the USGS Burrells Ford gauge during daylight hours. Daylight hours will be 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset. Once boating is allowed, it may continue until 30 minutes after official sunset that same day.

·         With a self-registration boating permit.

·         Using tandem/single capacity hard boats or tandem/single capacity inflatable boats.

·         Starting or ending only at specific put-ins and takeouts as outlined on the self-registration permit:

o   Put-ins: downstream of the Green Creek confluence in North Carolina; Norton Mill Creek confluence in North Carolina; Bullpen Bridge in North Carolina; and Burrells Ford Bridge in Georgia.

o   Takeouts: Norton Mill Creek confluence in North Carolina; Bullpen Bridge in North Carolina; Burrells Ford Bridge in Georgia; and Lick Log Creek confluence in South Carolina.

·         With a minimum of two craft and a maximum of six people per boating group.

Boaters and other users can confirm water flows on the upper segment of the Chattooga River at the USGS gauge at Burrells Ford athttp://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02176930.

Before visiting, boaters should check http://fs.usda.gov/goto/scnfs/upperchattooga for the most current information on where to pick up boater registration permits, parking, access and the decisions related to recreation uses on the upper segment of the Chattooga River.

Tie 1 On

I would just like to remind all the fly tyers and invite any one that might be interested to attend our fly tying session this Tues., March 6 at 6:00 PM. We will meet at Nacoochee Methodist Church located off Hwy 17 in the valley in Sautee.

We will be discussing and planning our "Tie 1 On Tie-Athlon" scheduled for Mar. 24. We will also tie some leech patterns and some dry flies since it is approaching that time of the year. All tools and materials will be supplied and seems like some snacks always show up. We have a great time and sometimes even tie a fly that will catch a fish.

Again, everyone is welcome to attend.

"Are you an encourager?"---see you in church.

Thanks,

Ron

Best New Fishing Gear of 2012

Field & Stream has come out with their picks for the best new fishing gear of 2012, and we thought you might be interested in a few of our brands that made the cut:

First up is Sage with The One as Best New Flyfishing Rod.  Specifically, the 586-4 8 and a half foot 5-weight.  But they're all super rods, and we keep some in stock.

To go along with The One, the Ross F1 was chosen as Best New Fly Reel.

Next up is the Best New Rain Suit:  Simms' Prodry Jacket and Bibs.  We've seen this line, and it's a great rain suit.

We've always thought Fishpond had a great line of fanny and chest packs, and this year F&S agreed, picking the Fishpond Nimbus as the Best New Fanny Pack.

These are all great brands we've been proud to carry for years and we're happy to see these folks get the recognition they deserve.  If we don't have the items in our store, or available at our online store, just give us a call and we'd be happy to order any of this great gear and have it shipped directly to your address.

Tie-Athlon Benefitting Smithgall Woods

Flashback PTs from Michael McFarland

Ron Thomas and his "Tie 1 On" fly tying group, the Georgia Foothills Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and Unicoi Outfitters are teaming up to help raise funds for Smithgall Woods, home of one of our favorite trout streams: Dukes Creek.

It's a simple concept:  Gather teams of fly tyers together who have gone out in their communities and secured sponsors who pledge to donate an amount per fly to Smithgall Woods.  At the end of the event, a winning team is selected, and Smithgall Woods receives donations based on the pledges received.

The Tie-Athlon will be held on March 24, 2012 at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen from 10am through 3pm.

It's important now to register your team because there are a limited number of openings available, and also, once registered, you'll be able to go out and solicit pledges for Smithgall.  The more people you can get to pledge, and the more per fly, the greater the benefit to Smithgall Woods.

Here are the links to the forms needed:

1)  Tie-Athlon Application and Information
2)  Tie-Athlon Pledge Form

So, get those applications in!  If you have any questions, contact Ron Thomas at rbtgofish@yahoo.com.

Caddis, Caddis, EVERYWHERE!

While sitting in class this past Tuesday evening, (trying not to fall asleep), I was trying to decide where I was going to go fishing yesterday. I'm not a mathematician, but I was able to figure out that sixty degree weather plus no generation, added up to me needing to be on the Toccoa River Wednesday morning. After making a few phone calls and rounding up a group at the last minute, I scurried home to get all of my things together for the next day. 5 o'clock came early the next morning after getting only 4 hours of sleep, but I kept telling myself, "The first boat down the river catches all the fish." With warm weather coming in, and the anticipation of caddis hatching, I was more than ready to get the boat in the water. Chuck, Danny Hatcher, Lamar Allen, and I met at Tammen Park just as the sun came up, slid the boats in, and put our stuff together as quickly as we could. We tore out downstream, and were catching a few fish on some nymph rigs, but could see some small bugs flying with a few fish rising to them. I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to the very few fish that were rising, but this would all change very soon. About noon, black caddis began fly in huge swarms, and my attention was quickly drawn towards them. I hadn't seen a hatch like this in probably 3 or 4 years, it was HUGE! If I had to compare it to something, it was a lot like a duck migration through Stuttgart Arkansas, possibly even better. We quickly picked up the dry dropper rods that we already had rigged and started fishing. We were catching a lot of fish on the dropper, until the fish finally realized that they were suppose to eat all of those things flying around. As we floated on downstream, it seemed as if everywhere you thought that there should be a fish, there was. At one point, I counted 7 cast that I had 7 rises on. It took us a while, but we finally achieved what we came to do. Halfway into the trip, Danny Hatcher hooked and caught this beautiful male rainbow on 6x tippet. He had been missing a few fish, and I was giving him a pretty hard time, but he managed to hit the nail on the head when this guy decided to bite.

Who You Callin' Crazy?!

So with all the great spring-like winter weather we've been having lately, the forecast for 25 mph winds and 25 degrees for north Georgia wasn't about to cancel our planned outing on the Toccoa this past Saturday.  It did bring about a change from drift boat fishing to wade fishing but our group was still determined to get out on the stream.  Work and family commitments for all of us had become all encompassing over the past few weeks and none of us felt we had gotten in the number of days fishing we all richly deserved.  TVA had the perfect mid-day open schedule that gave us a good excuse not to feel pressured to be on the river early in the AM.  It also gave us reason to be off the river before dark as the generators kicked back on at 4 PM.

At 11:30, we're sitting in a warm vehicle watching the river slowly recede to a wadeable level.  The wind buffeting the Tahoe with strong gusts that cut like a knife when you stepped outside to do the things that old guys do who have been riding for an hour and a half.  By noon, passers by were staring in amazement at the three figures resembling the Michelin Man ease into the relatively warm waters of the tailwater.

Just minutes into fishing, Alan hooks and long distance releases a fish.  Another fish rises right in front of him as his muffled shout out to me tells me his blood is pumping now.  From further downstream, JD gives a Rabun yell as he lands the first fish of the day; a nice brown.  And that's pretty much the way the afternoon went for the next 4 hours.  There has been that great Toccoa black caddis hatch going on the past few days but not this afternoon.  No bugs on the surface and only one fish caught on a Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tail.  The rest we all caught on egg patterns and the infamous "Coach K" that Chuck Head and Jake Darling have had so much luck with at Dukes Creek.

To say the weather was less than desirable is an extreme understatement.  It spit snow all afternoon and the brief 30 & 40 second intervals of sunshine were magnificent.  The fishing was steady with several browns in the 12" - 13" range and some nice healthy rainbows thrown in for icing on the cake.  You know, my stock answer for fishing in harsh weather the past few years is that I get to fish often enough that I don't have to do it when it's uncomfortable.  But today was one of those days when I think all of us did need to stand in a river and soak up a little re-creation.  It was good and even though the tips of my fingers are still slightly numb almost 48 hours later, it was worth it.

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!"

New R. L. Winston Website

Winston announces its new, improved website!

In addition to all the great product info and Winston history, be sure to check out over 100 videos, viewable in HD, including on iPhone and iPad!

February Hatch Chart for North Georgia

Thanks to our friends at Rabun TU for the best hatch chart for our area:

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.

Just Another Day In Paradise

If you'll recall my post last week on fishing the Chattooga River New Years' Day, reference was made to the old saying that whatever you do on the first day of the year is what you'll do most often throughout that year.  Not one to trifle with folklore, and certainly not one to pass on a 60 degree day with 30% chance of rain, I gave in to a plea from my friend Alan to fish it again this past Saturday.  Am I seeing a pattern develop here?

Neither of us wanted to fish until dark-thirty because of family and football obligations.  After a bacon & egg biscuit (3 eggs & a half pound of bacon) at Shore's in Baldwin, we left Cornelia at 8:15 headed north.  The plan was to fish the upper end of the DH so we made the 30 minute hike in on the Georgia side.  This helps us avoid the temptation to stop at every good looking spot and fish plus gets your heart pumping hard enough to move the colesterol that biscuit was dumping into my blood stream.

We pop out on the river bank at one of my favorite holes only to find someone beat us there.  We could have stepped in just below him with at least 50 yards between us but lately I seem to have become hyper sensitive to a lack of stream etiquette so we went downstream a good quarter mile before hopping in.  The water temp as we stepped in was a balmy 40 degrees and the sun wasn't hitting the river directly yet so we would probably be doing more casting than catching for a while.  Or maybe not!

As I sat on the bank rigging up, Alan stepped into the riffles where I had caught the big brown last Sunday.  A few minutes later he had the first fish of the day; a pretty 9" rainbow.  This is a great stretch of river, beautiful with perfect water to hold fish.  As I begin working the lower end of the run, Alan hooks into a nicer fish.  Could it be the big 'un?  Sure giving his 4 wt. a workout.  After a couple of minutes, he brings a beautiful brown to the net.  Beautiful but not the ONE!

Observing his success with the basic Y2K Bug, my superior skills and intellect kick in and I replace my stonefly dropper with a Y2K Bug.  Before I could even cast it, Alan was whooping it up as his rod bent double with his third fish.  "Nice fish!" Alan yelled as I pitched my rod up on the bank and worked my way upstream to watch the struggle.  Indeed, it was the big brown again; all 18 inches measured with a tape this time to confirm the size.  Absolutely gorgeous fish with big spots.  Nice to see you again, Babe.  Now stay away from those Y2K Bugs.

The thought runs through my head, "Can I fish now?"  Not really, but it could have in a lesser man.  Retrieve the rod, cast upstream of that one dark area and let it drift through.  Bam! Fish on!  Y2K Bug to the rescue.  Another brown, albeit a 10-incher.  A few casts later my indicator makes a sharp jerk upstream and I gently set the hook on a 17" brown.  What a great way to start the day!

As we began working our way upstream toward the now vacant pool, you couldn't help but be thankful for being where we were, doing what we were doing.  Such a magnificent place.  What a tremendous resource in our backyard.  The fishing continued to yield a few more browns and a small rainbow now and then until we took a lunch break.  We spied some truly huge fish but all we could get was a follow or two from them.  I did manage to hook into one more big brown that was probably in the 15" - 16" range but it straightened the hook on my Y2K.  Again, the afternoon turned slow as it had last Sunday but you won't hear any complaints from either of us.  A day on the Chattooga is good for the soul.