UO Fishing Report - 1/24/20

This week’s theme was coined by Jake this morning: anglers will “need an anvil” as overnight storms dumped an average of two inches on north Georgia watersheds. Right now (Friday at 3pm), our rivers are high and muddy and ripping! The Hooch in Helen is running about 700 cfs, way above the normal 160 cfs or so historic average for this day. The rain continues, but radar shows it clearing out shortly.

Big waters are gonna take two or more days to drop and clear to fishable levels, while small streams might drop to acceptable flows overnight. Just know your own safe wading levels and check USGS stream gauges or local tackle shops before you go.

The silver lining in all this cloudy news is rising air temps. Anyone lucky enough to fish during the upcoming weekdays will find a great combo of rising water temps and falling flows. If water temps are at least in the mid-40’s, and flows are still higher than normal but slightly discolored, anglers will have the advantage. Fish will wanna eat, but will have to make quicker decisions on drifting fodder, and will eat bigger flies on thicker tippet. We like that! Remember that lower elevation Georgia streams will be a few degrees warmer than NC streams. On really cold days those few degrees can make a big difference in trout appetites.

For hot patterns, the same winter best bets continue to hold true for this week: legs, eggs, buggers and leeches, and smaller stuff like princes and pheasant tails only after we can look thru three feet of stream and see our wading shoes again. Don’t forget little black stones, like our copper johns and lightning bugs in that color, since winter stoneflies are on the march now.

We have restocked some killer winter patterns here at the shop. The creator of the Y2K bug, Dr Dave Knowles from Arkansas, provided a big handful of our high demand patterns for GA traditionalists, including Y2K’s, fire eggs, root beer and ruby midges, and rainbow warriors. For our young guns, Jake tied up the new Eggstacy eggs in two colors, and Wes stocked up on UV2 roe yarn for the tiers among you.

Eggs and rubberlegs will continue to be a big hit for another month of cold, high water, until we see some spring nymphs getting restless in the warmer March flows and switch our eggs to big hares ears.

It was cold last week and angling effort and catches were both off, as expected. Folks here at Nacoochee Bend caught some nice rainbows on eggs, legs, and princes when the water warmed slightly after lunch. We’re proud of those tenacious gals with the GA Women Flyfishers, who braved the cold earlier this week and landed some chunky rainbows here at the Bend. Our friend “BigBrowns” shared this pre-monsoon Fires Creek report:

My buddy Stuart and I went up to fires creek yesterday (22nd). Spent the morning on the DH. Caught a 1/2 dozen or so each. Legs and eggs, Buggers and small natural nymphs, all fished deep of course. We spent the afternoon up above the DH in the wild water and had a really great afternoon, especially since us was a good 10 degrees warmer in the afternoon. Landed some nice browns in the DH and plenty of beautiful wild bows up top.

We took the road all the way up to around 3000' and found a really nice feeder creek that looked really promising. Will check that out next time for sure.

Dukes vet Landon finally filled his freezer with venison and swapped his rifle for his fly rod. He “landed” a Smithgall no-show slot last Sunday (19th) and had a big time, despite the cold. Here are his early and ending texts on that day:

Stonefly is winning over little stuff 3:1 right now.

Ended up with 21. Biggest was about 22”. Off the water early at 1430 when it got a bit too crowded for my taste. They ate the big bugs early and got off the big stuff once the sun came out, just random 16-18’s dropped off the back of a leech.

So there’s hope for us during the coming week. Keep your winter attire and equipment in your vehicles and go when the flows allow. With some high fifties in our weather forecast, the end of the week is looking real good for a rebound.

We’ll close this report with a quick look back and a glance forward. Thanks for the your fellowship at last Saturday’s Rabun Rendezvous, a great party of about 200 finatics. And we look forward to seeing you next Friday and Saturday at the Atlanta Fly Show. The lucky number there is F11.

Good luck and be safe while wading. It’s the time of the year for SIZE over numbers, so swing for the fences!

UO Fishing Report - 1/16/20

This week’s theme is “winter mode.” Finally, our local forecasters are predicting a cold spell ahead. We’ll soon see a 20-degree drop in air temps and a similar plunge in water temps. That cold shock may dampen trout appetites for a few days until they reacclimate to “normal” winter water temperatures.

Despite the chill, at least it will be a little drier after the 2-3 inches of rain that fell recently and flooded out many streams.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02330450

The rains blew out most of your planned trips as well as our own, so this past week’s fishing reports are rather sparse. That’s okay since the techniques and catches from last week’s warm spell certainly won’t apply to our upcoming, chilly trips. Let’s spend our time looking ahead instead of back.

On the positive side, recent rains have recharged our watersheds. Small streams have already receded to fishable flows, while bigger waters have been slower to drop. The Hooch and Chattooga should see fishable flows in the next day or two,

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02176930

while the Nan is still high and the Toccoa is really rocking along at 900+ cfs, great for whitewater rafting fans but a bummer for wade anglers.

This combo of high and cold water suggests that we will finally enter full winter mode. Unless we are on the slightly warmer tailwaters, GA trouters will now need to fish really low and slow. That could mean Euro techniques in pockets and runs, and super-deep indi rigs in the big pools, which are winter flood refuges for trout pods.

How deep? During winter, we often retire our tapered leaders and, instead, go to 8-12 feet of straight 6 or 8 pound mono, with 5X tippet knotted to the far end before we tie on a fly. Why? Fat leader butts just catch the current and drag our flies off the bottom. Instead, we cut thru the water column with thin leaders and tippet, and get into the winter strike zone quicker and longer. More details can be found in the “winter tips” articles on the webpage called, Secrets of the Rabunites.” Don’t forget that big bag of split shot and a bobber big enough to still float, despite its burden.

On big waters, the “legs and eggs” combo is a traditional winter go-to. In fact, Hunter says Nacoochee Bend fish are eating eggs right now, as I type this on Thursday at 3pm. If fish get picky, then pick only one of those two big patterns as your first fly and then drop a small (#18) pheasant tail nymph off the back. Other good patterns are small black or olive buggers, little black stones, black zebra midges, a little rainbow warrior, and the ole reliable prince nymph. After all, winter’s colors for natural bugs in the drift are black, brown, and olive, so “match the hatch” of the drifting blue wing olives, winter stones, fish eggs, and misc midges.

On smaller, clearing waters, aim for the smaller, natural flies, as these veteran fish have seen many fly patterns and have now smartened up. Better flows should give you the chance to use some size 14 and 16 bugs instead of the super small (#18, 20) stuff exclusively, since fish will have to make quicker decisions in faster currents. If the natural stuff isn’t working, go to something really off the wall, which the fish haven’t seen. Today it was a chartreuse mop fly for one successful Smith angler! Watch small stream water temps closely. Headwater wild trout may shut down if your thermometer nears that 40 mark.

Our 60-degree January afternoons may finally be history. Get ready for ice in rod guides and numb fingers and toes. And, if you get into full winter mode, also get ready for multiple fish excavated from each deep pool by your low and slow dredging techniques. Good luck. Call or come by the shop if we can help further. Better yet, join many of our UO staff at the Rabun Rendezvous, Saturday at 5pm at Dillard House. We’ll share some fish stories and cheer for each other’s raffle bucket wins!

UO Fishing Report - 1/3/20

This week’s theme is “rain check.” With one to three inches falling so far, north GA river fans will be sidelined for 1-3 days until streamflows drop back down to safe wading levels. “Rain check” is also a great reminder to check those USGS stream gauges for updates on rainfall totals, current flow conditions, and indications of when north Georgia streams will drop to fishable levels.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02330450

There’s actually some good news hidden in these soaking rains and heavy runoff. Those strong flows “polish” our trout waters. They flush sand and silt and loosen stream gravels. Have you ever noticed how much cleaner our streams appear each winter? Wild rainbows, in spawning mode from now til mid-March, appreciate Mother Nature’s help with cleaning up their spawning areas. Redds are dug easier in clean gravels, and eggs and trout fry enjoy fresher flows thru those incubation chambers within stream gravels.

While our big water game is on hold, small streams are already returning to fishable levels. Needing a break from tying Rabun Rendezvous auction flies, I ran up to Smith DH and Dukes Creek today (3rd) around 4pm and found both of them high, but fishable (see forthcoming vids). With less than a half-inch of additional rain expected overnight, north Georgia’s small streams and ponds (ex: Vogel) will provide some good angling opportunities for new year anglers itching to wet a line. Be careful wading and get down to the fish to score. It’s gonna be tougher than last week, as our air temps drop back down to seasonal norms tomorrow, but we should have some action in waters above 40 degrees.

Here are a few recent reports to aid your own angling plans.

Smith DH: Today’s sparse crowd of rainware-donned folks were having very good luck on eggs and small Euro nymphs. The stream had already receded a bit and had hardly any color to it. The warm, rainy, overcast weather and ample streamflow created perfect fishing conditions. I’d expect a big weekend assault on the creek, so go early, late, or somewhere else until Sunday afternoon, when most folks head home to ATL.

Dukes: should fish well for reservation holders and early-risers lucky enough to snag a rare vacancy from a reservation no-show. Be ready with smaller tippet and flies, as this stream was also high, but already clear at 5 this evening. Rabunites Pat and Tammy Hopton spent the New Year holiday at a Smithgall cabin and caught some nice rainbows, including at least one whopper netted by Tammy.

Headwaters:

Should fish decently until the air temp dives. Try a dry/dropper combo in deeper pools.

Private waters: fished well last week. Our guides had good trips on the Soque, Nacoochee Bend (Hooch at our Helen fly shop), and Noontootla Creek Farm. Enjoy the pics of shop manager Jake’s two clients on the Soque and NCF.

Some secret egg patterns did the trick. Hunter’s Hooch guests did well nymphing and then stripping streamers when the water warmed in the afternoon.

Unnamed Border River and Trib:

Looks like Sam did well!

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/.../1115004-unnamed...

Nan DH:

A random Rabunite and young TUer Cameron F celebrated their new year in grand style. Brooks, browns, and rainbows (stocked and wild flavors) hit the Euronymphs at noon and after 330pm. For two mid-afternoon hours, however, the fish looked up to a BWO hatch, and the angling duo celebrated their earliest dry fly season start, ever, on January 1st!

North GA Bassin’:

UO asst mgr Wes and his buddy, home for the holidays, did well on Hooch shoalies before this week’s monsoon. Buddy landed 20 and 21 inchers. Jake ran up to Burton today (3rd) and said his best five spots and LMB’s pushed 22 pounds. Bassin’ fans can push these two guys for intel or book a trip by visiting their info booth at the Jiminar tomorrow.

https://www.facebook.com/170323695158/posts/10158074828900159/?d=n

More North GA Intel:

Check out the weekly blog by our good friends at GAWRD. This week’s author is John “Deadly” Damer, who tosses a mighty tight loop himself on north GA’s bluelines and on Montana’s Big Mo.

https://georgiawildlife.blog/.../georgia-fishing-report.../

Good luck this week. Big storms are an inconvenience, but they sure beat extended droughts.

Give us a call (706-878-3083). or drop us an email if we can help you further.

UO Fishing Report - 12/20/19

 UO Weekly Fishing Report - Special Holiday Edition

This week’s theme is “Holiday Cheer!” We have much cheer headed our way during this very special week: faith, family, friends, and maybe some extra fishing time, too! Let’s pile on even more cheer: higher streamflows, forecasted warm afternoons in between next week’s chilly days,

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Helen+GA...

and some GADNR holiday gifts in our Delayed Harvest waters! One DNR elf also said that Vogel Park’s lake might be a great place for a child to break in his shiny, new Christmas fishing pole. JLT suggested drowning worms under a bobber for little Timmy or Tina’s first fish. For the latest DNR intel, check here late on Friday afternoons:

https://georgiawildlife.blog/category/fishing/

Given these presents from your state and federal hatchery elves, decorate your fly patch this week with your big, flashy stuff: orange and red eggs, neon Y2K’s, tan and lime mops, and brightly beaded buggers.

For veteran fish, however, you’ll see a common theme among our guides and anglers: a chunky rubber-legged stone as the lead fly, followed by a tiny trailer like a size 16-18 pheasant tail, hares ear, midge, black copper John, or soft hackle wet. Subtle colors are the key to those small trailers. You’re imitating the top three bugs of our winter stream drift: midges, blue wing olives, and little black winter stoneflies. If you try a bead, try a black one. If you only have silver heads in your fly box, carry a black Sharpie pen with you and “adjust on the fly.”

These reports also illustrate that technique trumps fly pattern. With higher flows after rains, everyone’s adding an extra shot or two to get down to the action. Lesson: adjust your shot numbers and the depth (height) of your strike indicator before changing flies.

While stream temps are cold, they’re not yet bone-chilling like they’ll be in the new year. They’re still running in the mid- to high-forties, so trout are still eating well.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02330450

The key has been to get the flies rolling along the bottom. During flood flows, drift them through the flood refuges (low velocities). That’s often right along the streambank or behind that big bedrock ledge that runs all the way across the river, perpendicular to streamflow.

Here we go with some fresh intel from this week’s angling elves:

Ben S: Small stream action has been very good, with many fish fondled on his favorite egg pattern, which is top secret. Both DH and wild streams have fished well. He also caught one on top, on his strike indicator - a buoyant hopper!

More small stream reports:

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/.../1114696-searching-for...

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/.../1114579-decent-day-on...

Regular shop guest “TN Tourist” said he took some coveted UO intel and put his GA buddy on his first true speck. He showed us a pic of a beautiful seven-inch brookie. I believe they were tossing Caddis dries inside the Rhododendron tunnels. Where? Well....

IDBHS!

Young bucks like Ben S, Trey, and Ben D have also been harassing the abundant, little wild rainbows in the Tallulah. Hot flies were eggs and squirmies, trailed by a #16 or 18 hares ear nymph. Hint: hi-stick to achieve perfect dead drifts and fool these wily “natives.”

Weekend guide Ben D sez:

Water was high and a tad more challenging than usual. Had to run slightly larger flies such as stones, mops and other leggy bugs. Ran super heavy just to get the flies down in the seams. Fish were spread out whereever they could take refuge. Average size was 10 to 12 inches. No tanks netted all weekend. Had two clients break off very nice fish, though.

Private Waters - UO Guide Hunter Pittman’s Report:

With the rain we have had recently and with more rain on the radar, my “go-to” rig lately has been a heavy, two-fly nymph rig. Up top I am using a black rubber legged stone fly pattern or a girdle bug.

If they don’t like it then that will be replaced by an egg or a creme mop fly. My dropper or bottom fly in my rig has been a soft hackle with a dark or tan body, or a hares ear. If neither of those work I’ve been able to catch them on a root beer midge and a trout crack midge when they were being more picky. Even with this rain some places have remained very clear so I have been using 4x to my top fly, and 5x to my lower fly in those places. I also make sure that I have enough weight to reach the bottom. Sometimes I have to use multiple medium-large BB’s to get down there. I always try to add extra weight and change flies before changing spots, that little change can often produce for you. With the incoming rain and rising water levels, I would be focusing on the middle to back of pools.

Tooga: New fly flinger Walter G from Greenville happened upon a random Rabunite while wading the Chattooga DH last Sunday afternoon (15th). He re-rigged with the Rabunite’s suggested “legs and eggs” combo, added two shot, and looped a thingamabobber way up his leader butt. With a few practice casts, he was schooled on the deadly art of the drag-free drift and...

Was immediately into fish, with a nice handful of rainbows and a fat, strong 14-inch brown fondled. To top off his day, he was invited to the Rabun Rendezvous on Jan 18, where 250 of north GA’s trouting fans will gather at Dillard House for bluegrass, BBQ, and a boatload of prizes. You’re invited, too!

http://rabuntu.org/site/events/the-rabun-rendezvous/

Dukes: has been hit or miss. The high batting averages were by veteran hitters who took lots of batting practice through the years and know how to fish that trophy stream. Fish up to 24 inches were reportedly landed. Rookies with crummy averages are striking out in the clear water because they haven’t yet developed their home field advantage. Smithgall rookies can learn by clicking more than once on the internet and reading the scouting reports there : articles and YouTube vids. And then by fishing the place to develop their stream reading skills. We vets call it, “paying your dues.”

Fires on fire: check out Big Browns’ great Fires Creek trip report on NGTO:

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/.../1114655-fantastic-day...

Muskies:

UO staffers Wes and Jackson trekked north to throw out their shoulders via ten-weights and huge wet rags known as musky flies. Rumor has it that Jackson connected! Details will surely follow.

Stocking stuffers: need one more? Grab a Dream Trip ticket from your local TU chapter. For ten bucks, you have a shot at winning the March raffle for a summer week in Yellowstone. You’ll be lodged and guided by our fishing buddies, John and Laine McGarity. How about that for a memorable Christmas gift???

https://georgiatu.org/2020-dream-trip-idaho-fly-fishing.../

Tix will also be available at the Rabun Rendezvous on 1/18.

Thanks for taking a look at this week’s report . We hope it puts a few more holiday fish into your nets. Feel free to share your own fish stories with us. Also, please remind your older web grinches (like Dredger) that they don’t have to be Facebook members to sneak peeks at our UO Facebook page and snag all of this timely trouting intel.

The UO staff sure appreciates our gifts of your friendship and patronage. We’ll be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day, but open on all others. Give us a call or, better yet, stop by the shop to swap some lies with our Liars Club. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you!

UO Fishing Report - 12/13/19

This week’s theme is “go with the flow.” Two separate inch-plus rain events are due today (12/13) and Tuesday, and might blow out our biggest streams for a day or so. The good news is that, since our streamflows have been so pitifully low these storms may only boost streamflows back up to their historic averages (those little yellow triangles on the USGS flow graphs) or just a bit above normal before they fall again. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?02176930

In other words, fishable flows should return very quickly. A little more water in the channel, maybe even with some stain to it, should also enhance your catch rates. Why? You’ll get some better nymph drifts, and the fish can’t study your offerings as closely. They’re apt to make quicker, careless decisions - much to your delight. Take advantage of better flows while they last.

As we enter mid-December, our best fishing will also happen in that traditional “winter window” of 11AM to 4PM, when daily water temperatures peak. Trout will still eat as long as the mercury is north of 40 degrees, but they’ll eat a lot more with each additional degree towards 50.

Here we go with some timely, local intel:

Chattooga DH: Ted J’s Foothills TU trio had a big time last Tuesday. Red glo-bugs and brown soft hackles did the trick. The Ami and Toccoa DH’s will fish similar to the Chattooga. So will the Nan and Tuck in NC, but their winter windows will be narrower since they run several degrees colder than our Georgia streams. That’s good news in spring and summer, but not so good when we’re searching for warmer water in winter. Reminder: serve them “legs and eggs” on a bottom roll, via a long tippet and adequate shot. Also try a deep, slow-stripped bugger in the late afternoon. Hit the pools, which are refuges from both droughts and floods.

Smith DH: dry/dropper combos have remained the winning ticket in low, clear flows. Residents will, however, eat your bigger flies (Glo bugs, squirmies, San Juan’s, rubberlegs, and buggers) during higher flows, but they’ll quickly return to picky eating habits (#18 and 20 midges and pheasant tails) when stormflows subside. There’s a good report or two on the NGTO small streams forum. Notice that one angler nailed fish through the overlooked riffles! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/.../n-georgia-small...

Fires DH: armed with a morning kitchen pass yesterday (12th), ATL Chad drove up early and froze his fingers. Despite stiff digits and ice in his guides, he managed a heaping handful of trout, including a 20-inch whopper rainbow, on his dredged combo of a rubberlegs with a small prince dropper. He returned to ATL with a smile, in time for afternoon family activities.

Dukes: rain is good! If you’re lucky enough to have a reservation, or snag a vacant slot as a walk-on, put that raincoat and your barbless squirmy worms to work. Use as thick a tippet as turbidity will allow, so you can win the majority of your fights with the big boys. Big peach eggs, Rubberleg stones, and small black leeches are a few more flood go-to’s for your Smithgall barbless box.

Headwaters: dry/droppers are still working, with a few fish reported yesterday on the dry, despite chilly morning waters on the Hooch trib fished by our shop guest. Bushy tan Caddis, stimmies, and small chubby Chernobyls have served well as hook-toting strike indicators, and any tiny, weighted nymph or midge dropped off the back will entice the shy bottom dwellers.

Private waters: low and clear equals “long and light”. Under the chilly, drought conditions, winter strikes can be very subtle. We call it Zen fishing. Here at Nacoochee Bend, the North Paulding HS Flyfishing clubbers had an ample number of hits last Sunday, but were slow to recognize those subtle strikes and quickly set the hook. Their games will improve with practice. Chestatee fan “Dobbin” reported lotsa success this week on his home waters for friends stripping a black bugger or dead-drifting his customized recipe for a sexy Walts worm. What’s that recipe? Well, I don’t believe he said...

Good luck this week as you go with the flow. Avoid the big storm spikes, fish the moderate ones with chunky flies, and revert back to midge fishing if those flows dry up again. Come by or call us at the fly shop (706-878-3083) for more intel and the hottest flies for your cold-weather trouting. May Santa stuff a twenty-inch bow into YOUR stocking.

Wading Safety!

This morning we received a copy of this letter from Henry Cowen. We can't stress strongly enough the importance of wading safety. Please be careful out there!

Date: December 8, 2019 at 8:50:35 PM EST

To: Henry Cowen <henryc@

Subject: Thank you for the life-saving advice

Henry,

Not sure if you remember me, but I interviewed you about two years ago for an article I was supposed to do an article for American Angler magazine on a first aid kit for gear. The article was supposed to be about a 1/2 dozen things an angler can have on hand to fix an equipment malfunction. A couple months later a new editor killed the story (said he wasn't interested), I got busy and didn't try to pitch it elsewhere. But I would like to share a story with you that came from that phone conversation.

While we were talking about gear repairs, you at one point brought up personal safety, even though it had nothing to do with the article. You rattled off a number of things a guy or gal can do to keep safe on the water. One of those things was to always put your wading belt over your raincoat or wading jacket in cold weather. This way, as you said, if you end up going for a ride in the current, it will take a long time to swamp your waders. Out of all the things we talked about for the hour we were on the phone, that one stuck for some reason. I own a Simms wading jacket, and since that conversation two years ago, I have always made it a point during my fall, winter, and spring steelheading to cinch that belt over the jacket just in case. Another thing you mentioned is that an angler should always have a bag of spare clothes, especially during cold weather. It makes sense, but I never considered it. I live 20 minutes from a really productive steelhead river, so since our conversation, I have always had a spare bag of clothes in the back of my car, where it sat unused for dozens upon dozens of trips. Until today.

This weekend brought a break from the cold winter weather, so I decided to go steelheading for half a day. We had some really nice weather, so when I arrived at the parking lot, there were a fair number of cars there, as everyone had the same idea as I did. After rigging up, I hoofed it downstream a mile, fishing a few spots that are usually productive, before hoofing it a little more to a hole I hadn't been to yet this fall, but usually produces. When I arrived, I found two large trees had fallen right above the tail out. Foolishly, I didn't scout it, but rather started fishing at the head where I normally begin, as I haven't landed a steelhead in a couple weeks and really wanted to make it happen. As I moved to the 7-8 foot gut of the pool, I hooked a really good bright silver chrome hen right where I thought she'd be. She breached the surface before heading fast toward the tail out and the bend in the river. I figured it was safe to follow and started walking when all of sudden the normally thigh-deep river dropped way, way over my head and I found myself afloat in the current with no bottom to stand on heading towards a tangle of tree branches; the tail out I thought was there had been scoured out due to the fallen trees and I had failed to observe the obvious. At that point, I could still feel the fish pulling downstream as my focus shifted towards how to bring myself closer to shallow water near shore. I could feel the 38-degree water slowly seeping into my waders; it would have swamped me at that point had I not had the belt cinched over my jacket. Instead, I was able to kick my feet and paddle my arms towards shore to keep myself afloat until my feet touched the shelf near shore. After getting my bearings, I realized that my fish had broken off somewhere during the ordeal, but I'm not sure where. I was mostly concerned with keeping myself from drowning. Which I did. And I also somehow managed not to lose or break my fly rod.

After the long hike back to the car, followed by a change of clothes, I was back on the river at a good run near the parking area. I hooked another steelhead right before darkness settled in, but it threw the hook. Despite being skunked, I came away from the adventure with an increased awareness of simple preparation. Had I not had my belt cinched over my jacket, based on where I was, I wholeheartedly believed things could have gotten ugly really fast; I could have been soaked to the bone in cold winter weather over a mile from my car over some rough terrain. Or I might have drowned.

Thanks for the advice. Despite not landing anything tonight, I think I'm going to resurrect and retool my idea about a first aid kit, but maybe try and do something regarding safety. If I hadn't had the conversation two years ago with you, I might not have cinched my belt over my jacket as you suggested. And as a result, I might not be writing this right now. So thanks again. I ran into another angler in the parking lot when I was changing my clothes. I'd never met him before, but he said, "S---...I've always thought about buying a wading belt. I just might have to now after hearing your tale." Hopefully, he does.

Thanks again. And thanks too for talking to me a couple years ago. We all make a difference in the subtlest of ways, and I just wanted to reach out and let you know you did that today.

Peace,

Robert J. Pales

UO Fishing Report - 12/5/19

This week’s theme is “winter stealth.” The “winter” part of that term is easy to understand, as December nights have dropped daily water temps and forced fish toward the bottom. “Stealth,” however, seems odd, since we usually talk about the stealth game during summer, not winter. But our streams have been running very low and clear, and trout are reacting to those low flows by exiting the shallows (to avoid predators) and piling into drought refuges: deep runs and pools. With less than a half-inch of rain in the near future, those trout addresses should remain the same for you weekend anglers.

So the key to your weekend success is to fish midday, aim for the pools, approach them with stealth, and get near the bottom. Here are some fresh fishing reports and tips to prepare you for a great week ahead.

Small streams: fish are spooky and, on DH streams, have been beaten down by the high holiday fishing pressure. UO Guide Hunter P and avid trouter Ray V both hit Smith this week. Vic also came in the shop today (5th) and said the same thing about Fires Creek. Big bobbers and flies spooked fish. Best catches were on dry/dropper combos. The dry (stimmy or Caddis) is a stealthy strike indicator. Drop a weighted 18 or 20 hares ear, pheasant tail, or rainbow warrior a couple feet under it, on 6x. If the afternoon is warm, you might still have a shot at a few risers to the dry. Try the small DH streams and even the bluelines if you insist on a few fish on top.

Big streams: BEST BET. Dredger “Gallouped” to the Chattooga DH on Wednesday (4th) and christened his new four-weight Clearwater rod. He ran a Kelly Galloup drop shot rig under his Airlock indicator, with a peach egg low and a brown rubberlegs 18 inches higher on his 5x tippet, with one or two size B shot anchoring the rig. Fish ate the legs twice as often as the egg. Dredge also used Kelly’s “hand towel in wader pocket” tip to dry his hands and keep them warm, despite fondling a ton of rainbows and two browns in 44-degree water. Change the shot before changing your fly pattern! For example, Dredge fished one prime pool and had only two half-hearted hits. He then added a second size B shot and refished it, with about ten bows coming to hand. Technique trumps fly pattern, so get your fly down to them and you’ll have more hookups.

Tooga fish were podded up in the pools, so prospect the pools, leave the “dry” ones quickly, and hammer those habitats where you strike silver within your first dozen casts. The Toog must have been recently spiced up by the Walhalla boys, since the 18-inch brown, that Dredge missed, ate his Airlock instead of his flies! Fish also nailed his stripped black woolly bomber (bugger with dumbbell eyes) as he waded back down the river to end the afternoon. An Athens duo had similar great luck on drifted rainbow warriors and a stripped conehead leech. They showed Dredge a great pic of a 20-inch brown that inhaled their black leech.

These tips should also work on similar streams like the Tuck, Toccoa, and Nan. Use long tippets and enough shot to bump the bottom and the fish noses just above it.

Private waters: They are Jekyll and Hyde, but fish great with a guide! Jekyll peeks his nose out when the water is low and clear. 6x Fluoro and 18 and 20 nymphs and midges are the ticket when those fish are spooky. Right after a rain, Hyde storms out in the dingy waters and inhales squirmies on 3X and 4x. Use your God-given turbidity meters (submerged toes) to tell you whether you’ll finesse for Jekyll or duke it out with Hyde, and rig accordingly. Or just listen to your guide!

Good luck this weekend and next week. With water temps rising well above 4O, it’s still a great time for some catching! Come see us at the shop for timely intel, hot flies, and more lies. And maybe tape a hook to the bottom of your indicator...

Dukes Creek Testimonial

This is the kind of fishing report we love to receive:

Hey guys, I dropped by the shop last Saturday morning before my friend and I went to Smith creek. We were headed to Duke's the next day and got advice from several of you in the shop. I wanted to let y'all know I really appreciate the time you took to help me out as a new angler. It makes it so much easier to learn when people like y'all are willing to help new guys like me. I promised I would send an update on how Duke's went so I wanted to follow up. We fished most of the morning in section 1. The water was clear which allowed me to see several giants spook when I went to unwrap my flies from the trees they were sitting under. After falling in the river above my head and getting completely soaked, we decided to head back to the truck for a change of clothes. We made our way down to section 4 on the bus and started making our way upstream. We each caught a few finger length bows and browns as we made our way up. At around 12:30, I drifted my squirmy worm by a fallen log just as I had done a couple hundred times earlier that day. My Thingamabobber hesitated, I set the hook, and an absolute monster was on the line. I was able to net him, and it was by far the biggest bow I have ever caught. My best guess was about 19". A few hours later I landed another about the same size, and my buddy hooked into another one like it. Even before we caught the fish this had been one of my favorite days of fishing. The river is beautiful, the water is clear, the woods are beautiful, and there are some BIG fish! Thank you so much for the guidance, and for taking some time to share your wisdom with us. It sure does make it a lot more enjoyable when we get a couple years of experience via some advice from a master. See you guys next time!

UO Fishing Report - 11/22/19

This week's theme is "workin' around the rain." Today (22nd) will be a great day for anyone lucky enough to play hooky, as the sun is shining and streams are low and clear. I know a certain fly shop owner who departed this morning for Unnamed Eastern Border River - while we are stuck here at work. Life isn't fair... But I digress.

Starting tomorrow, however, north Georgia fisherfolks will have to adapt to changing weather and water conditions if they want some holiday angling success up here. On Saturday, we must dress for success, and that means quality rain gear since it's supposed to rain all day and accumulate about 1.5 inches here in Helen. But my "Wunderground" weather app predicts a steady rain throughout the day, so streamflows shouldn't spike until very late tomorrow or overnight. Some rising flows and a little bit of stain are great turn-on's for trout, so don't cancel that planned Saturday Smithgall trip. Just run out tonite and buy that super Simms rainwear to keep you dry right through the showers. Sunday's weather looks nice - cold and clear- but storm runoff will be the challenge. Flows and turbidity (look that one up!) will depend on the amount and intensity of rainfall we get. If it's an inch or more, the bigger rivers will be blown out for 1-3 days. Small watersheds like our Hooch in Helen are fishable in just one day, while larger watersheds like the Tooga or Toccoa may take 2-3 days to drop to safe wading levels. Tune into the USGS Real Time Water Data gauges to see what's happening up here. Good gauges include the Hooch in Helen, Tooga at Pine Mtn (Burrells Ford), Ami, Toccoa at Dial, Nan at Rainbow Springs, and the Luftee and Cataloochee gauges for Smokies NP fans. Know your own personal, safe wading level on your preferred rivers. Have a small stream (Smith DH, bluelines) or pond (Vogel) Plan B ready in case Plan A is blown out and Sunday is your one and only fishing day on your packed family calendar. After Sunday, the skies clear and the temperatures drop a bit, so there's a nice fishing window leading into the holiday weekend. Just watch those water temperatures and use some winter techniques (fish deep and in the afternoons) for your best success. We're a week out, so updated forecasts might change, but it's looking rainy over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. After your raincoat, boots and fly pole, the next most important item in your possession this winter should be a stream thermometer. It's more important than your fly pattern, and will cost you the same as a half-dozen flies. If you don't have one, stop by the shop or ask Santa.

The good news is that less than a half-inch of rain per day is predicted, so most streams should remain fishable next week. "Fishability" will be directly related to the quality of your rainwear and your level of angling addiction. And one last tidbit: GAWRD usually spices up the Georgia DH streams around the holiday or just after the first of the month, so keep your junk food flies (squirmies, eggs, buggers, and rubberlegs) at the ready. Tune into the WRD weekly fishing blog and the updated trout stocking lists at www.gofishgeorgia.com. Both are usually updated on Friday afternoons. Here we go with our latest intel and best bets:

NC DH Streams: BEST BET. Nearby waters got redosed last week and the fishing is great for the fresh NCWRC stockers. Destinations like the Tuck, Nan, and Fires are great for new anglers. "Lumis" took this week off and has had banner trips up there (20-40 fish/day), including some bruiser brookies. The usual junk flies are working. He also threatened to tape a hook to his Thingamabobber, since it was very appealing to those fresh brookies. They're smarten up in two weeks, but right now these new DH stockers will make anyone look like a Wyoming fish guide. Grab a kid and go soon.

GA DH streams: still fishing well. Smith's been hammered, so go light on tippet (6x) and small on flies (eggs, midges, pheasant tails), especially during the high sun of midday. Search for shade and shadows, where fish feel safer. Get there at first or last light to fish around the midday crowds and the fish might hit a small stonefly, leech, or bugger. Again, when GAWRD redoses our DH streams, average Smith Creek fish IQ will plummet and you can toss your big, gaudy junk flies once again. Chattooga DH has fished well. It's bigger water, so the fish aren't as easily picked on (most rookies don't fish deep enough) and trained up. Angler intel to the shop this week say that a girdle bug and pheasant tail dropper has been the winning combo. Try the same techniques on the Toccoa. Just do it soon, since that big watershed takes a long time to drop to fishable levels after big rains. It's also a great spot for a float tube or small pontoon. Just go with friends to be safe.

Dukes: Wednesday's warriors reported a banner day. Hot flies were egg patterns, with small (size 20) midges dropped off the back. Some good midge patterns include trout crack and the jujubee midge. Stop in the shop and get some before your next Smithgall reservation. And if you're gonna be there on high water, don't forget your bright red squirmies and big Pat's rubberlegs to "match the hatches" during flood events. Top secret: try a black squirmy, too.

Bluelines: Deadly Damer said he returned to stalk his missed trophy on a the Vet holiday, but struck out. While the headwaters are cold, there is still a shot at some of these fish as long as stream temps are above 40. Today should be good. Try some Euronymphing of the deeper pools, or a fluffy dry (caddis, Stimmy) and a 2 or 3-foot dropper to a #16 tungsten hares ear or pheasant tail.

Private Waters: have still fished very well. this week's theme was been eggs and midges, just like Dukes Creek. Jake Darling's client had a great day at Rainbow Point on the Soque, topping it off with this nice 22-inch brown (pictured). Jake gave away a couple secrets when pressed here at the shop this morning, uttering "root beer midges and skinny Nelsons." Our hillbilly Cajun, Como had a good guide trip here at Nacoochee Bend this week. He said some caddis came off in the afternoon, and his client did well on a #16 z-wing caddis.

Reservoirs: we've heard very few flyfishing reports this week. Jimmy struck out on Lanier one cloudy afternoon, when conditions seemed perfect. He said it was a nice boat ride with plenty of gulls on the lake, but no fish were breaking the surface. The GON message board intel also shows more action deep than shallow. But dreary, rainy days can change that, so boaters should have their binoculars in hand, and their 8-weights strung up with small Something Else flies, for quick dashes to Lanier, Hartwell, Nottely, and Chatuge. Hedge your bet with a spinning rod and Sebile, so you can cast faster and farther to quick breaks, if those schools aren't staying up long enough for false casts. Watch the weekly WRD fishing blog and the fishing forum on the GON message board for timely flat-water intel. Henry Cowen and Capt Mack Farr should also have good Lanier updates for early risers, so tune into the Oneill Outside show on WSB radio (AM 750) around 5AM each Saturday morning.

Good luck as everyone heads toward the holiday. Be flexible and let the weather and water levels guide you toward success. Think "USGS Real Time, Goretex, and Thermometer" and you'll be headed in the right direction. Or simply call or come by the shop and we'll coach you toward some trouting TD's. Good luck. May we all be thankful for faith, family, friends, and our fishing addictions as the holiday draws near.

UO Fishing Report - 11/15/19

This week's theme is "rebound." Our region's trout waters fished well until the midweek cold snap, which slowed everything down. As north GA's air temperatures now improve over the next week, our trout waters should rebound as temps rise from the low forties to the high forties. If we're lucky, a few streams might even hit the magic 50 degree mark late in the afternoons. We only got a half-inch of rain this week, and that water has already passed through, so wading shouldn't be too difficult. Only 0.2 inches are predicted for tonight, so that will hardly bump streamflows in our low and clear mountain streams. Given the nice water levels and a warming trend, things are looking good, especially in the afternoons, for weekend warriors and especially the lucky few who can fish on uncrowded weekdays. Here are a few more tips and best bets for y'all:

* Tailwaters: our tailwaters like the Hooch, Toccoa, and Smith below Unicoi Lake will run a few degrees warmer than freestone streams due to the moderating effects of the lakes above them. Dawn fishing fans might find the early catching better at these places. Just don;t forget your handwarmers and hot chocolate.

* Bad attitude browns: browns are in sparring and spawning mode, and are also chowing down for the winter. Try some small sculpin or minnow patterns on our mountain streams. On the tailwaters, match the hatch. What hatch? Stocker rainbows, of course! Try a big Game Changer, Yozuri, or magnum swimbait in rainbow or brown trout colors to hit a homer. NGTO's "Browniez" tossed us a pic of a 24-incher he enticed last week with a really BIG bait.

* Bluelines: I stand corrected! GAWRD biologist John "Deadly" Damer ignored my advice to go low and instead tossed his trusty elk hair caddis. Watch the WRD weekly fishing blog for its Friday afternoon update, which will include DD's Veterans Day "dry fly trifecta" on his favorite headwater stream. Check out our Facebook page for John's video of spawning specks, too. Maybe this week's wild trout will still look up. It's worth a try. Just have your natural nymphs and some small Dinsmores handy in case you have to go down and dirty, with a dropper, to achieve success.

* Smith DH: has fished well for many folks. There are several good reports on the NGTO Small Streams forum. The usual suspects (buggers, rubber-legged stones, mops, eggs, and squirmies) did a number on the naive stockers, which may remain under-educated for another week or so. Try your big attractor as your first fly on 4X tippet, but be ready to go down to 5X. Try some different colors on your buggers and squirmies to show them something they haven't seen yet. Also, start hedging your bet with a smaller (#16 or 18) nymph or soft hackle on 5X or 6x, dropped off the back of your bigger fly. Good dropper patterns are pheasant tails, soft hackle wets, rainbow warriors, lightning bugs, and zebra midges. Since Smith is a small stream, keep your distance between flies no more than a foot. You can also add a tiny dinsmore shot midway between the two flies to sink that rear one down to trout eye-level when the water is cold and they are hunkered down. Watch the tailouts and try a small black caddis emerger, according to Smith Creek regular Dennis O.

*Chattooga DH: has also fished well for folks with a good bugger strip or an adequate, drag-free drift. Ron "Big Browns" Wilson wrote a nice account on the NGTO river fishing forum. The same flies listed for Smith have also been working on the Toog. Use a long leader/tippet combo to get down to those fish.

* Ami DH: good reports on NGTO. Again, try big and bright in front, and small and bright as the dropper fly. Use enough tippet to get the fly down.

Fish across each Hwy 53 ledge with a Smith DH small stream technique before moving upstream to the next ledge.

* Toccoa DH; no reports, but I'd expect it to fish similar to the Chattooga. Long leaders, dredged apricot egss, and deep, twitched olive buggers have been my traditional winning ticket over there during past cold seasons.

*NC DH streams: The Tuck DH hopefully got stocked yesterday (13th), so that's a best bet for new fly flingers armed with buggers and squirmies and imperfect, but improving, technique. We had one report from our guide that said Nan was slow. Hopefully the bite will improve with some warmer air temps. If you have a new angler in tow, you might plan your road trip around NCWRC's next planned stockings for Nan (18th) and Fires (19). But if you already have a good dredging game, go now. There are plenty of wild fish under the stockers, but it might be time to practice a little Euro technique on them. A sexy Walt's worm and a Frenchie or #18 pheasant tail dropper might be the ticket.

* Leftover stockers: cover a good bit of water at Cooper, Dicks, and Tallulah to clean up the summer leftovers and take home supper. Carry a small blueline rod and try the tribs, too, if the sun shines down on them. Remember that Damer dude...

* Private waters: are still fishing well. Our guides just have to change flies often to dial in the right pattern each day. They've also gone to tiny stuff on 5X and 6X to entice the frozen big boys, so dig out your midge box for some WD40's and root beer midges if your traditional size 14's aren't getting any looks.

Smokies: road-trippers will enjoy the daily fishing reports by Little River Outfitters in Townsend, TN. Most of Byron's intel and advice is very applicable to our Georgia mountains.

Let's hope for some more sunshine and a nice rebound to our air and water temperatures. If we're still above 40 degrees, it will be a good game this weekend. And if we nose up toward 50 degrees, it will be another great game. And I'm not talking about the Dawgs and Tigers, either. Do what you must to honor the SEC on your sacred Saturday, but don't miss out on our exciting mountain game: Browns vs Rainbows! Stop by the shop of give us a call (706-878-3083) if we can help you further to enjoy the north GA mountains and their diverse trout waters.