It’s All Fun!

While UO is proud to be a top-notch flyfishing shop, we haven’t forgotten our roots. Just about all of us began by chasing stockers with bait and lures. (During my earliest days of trouting, my two top choices were salmon eggs and a #1 Mepps silver spinner). 

We pride ourselves on being inclusive rather than exclusive.  UO welcomes new trout anglers and those who prefer spinning tackle. We’re stocked up with ultralight outfits, hooks, split shot, line, creels, maps, prepared baits, and a great selection of trout lures to choose from.

So if you’re vacationing and would like to give trout fishing a try, or are an avid stocker fan, don’t let our flyfishing signs run you off. Whether it’s bait, fly, or lure, it’s all fun. And we’ll be glad to provide the supplies and intel to point you toward trouting success.

So c’mon in!

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 5/5/22

We are finally into May which means we are in this season’s home stretch for big-water trouting. Soon those wide, sunlit rivers will push up into the high 60’s and their trout will get cranky. These hot, June-like days aren’t helping, either. Next week’s slight cool-down will help.

Get out there now, while water temps are still good. Soon we will have to hunt trout real high, up the mountain or real low, below a big dam full of winter water until those wide streams are fishable again next fall.

The trout river action is still good, despite low, clear water and picky fish. Got thin tippet?  Early and late are better right now than the sunny midday period. It’s the last hurrah for Georgia DH streams, as those regs end on 5/14. You still have them in NC til 6/3.

Tomorrow is iffy due to the storm front, but we desperately need that rain. Again, if streams get a half inch or less, they’ll be fine. An inch or more, and y’all may have to move upstream to smaller waters for a day or two until stormflows pass.  Remember those squirmies and rubberlegs if streams are colored up, but still fishable.

Flat water and river bass and bream fishing are off the charts. Great water temps and romance have those fish shallow, happy, and hungry.  Grab a kid, a canoe, and a small popper and pound the pond banks to earn Hero Guide status.

Lake stripers are still roaming the shallows, especially at low or no light. Spawning bluebacks are high on their menu.  Get them soon, before water temps drive them into their deep, summer vacation residences. And cash in on the hot spot bite!

Our detailed intel from UO staff and our finatic friends can be found on our home and Facebook pages. It’s definitely worth a look before you drive up here.  Stop by either UO store if we can help. Don’t forget a raincoat and good judgement in case tomorrow’s thunder aims your way.  Good luck!

Wes’ Hot Fly List

Dries: yellow stimulator, 409 Yeager yellow, parachute light Cahill, tiny tan caddis, trusty para Adams.

Nymphs & Wets:

Brown Girdle bug, soft hackle partridge, copper John, jiggy fry, hares ear, tiny pheasant tails.

Streamers & warm water:

Polar changer, Bugger changer, micro changer, kreelex, Olive bugger for stockers, Boogle bug popper.

Headwaters 

They are low and clear. They’re not drought-low, but still low enough to push resident wild trout into their drought refuges. Lighten your tippet and your footsteps and aim toward overhead cover and pools. Technique trumps pattern, so tie on something you believe in and begin your slow stalks.

Stocker Streams

Good water temps and regular hatchery redoses keep them a best bet. Walk your rookie downstream, slowly, and roll cast a small bugger under the limbs and logs. Stick that rod tip in the water below you and twitch and strip that bugger back up to you.  Bookmark the GAWRD trout page and watch those weekly stocking lists.

DH streams

Web reports show them fishing real well, especially when the sun isn’t baking them. If you took time to read this week’s UO fodder, you’ll come up here prepared with Dark-30 equipment and tactics and leave late, with large smiles. Save your casting shoulders and focus on the last two hours of daylight for your best catch rates. 

Private Waters

Picky fish and lighter tippets will challenge you. But they are still eating either a good drift or a nice swing. Mornings will soon start fishing better than afternoons, so come up soon. The attached pics should convince you.

UO-Helen manager Wes:

“I did a trip on the bend yesterday (4th).  Stonefly nymphs, soft hackles, and streamers produced the best. We also were able to catch a couple on top with yellow stimulators. Dries have started to work well in the last week!

With water temperature on private waters starting to get into the 60s in the afternoons, be sure to try and fight fish as quick as possible and properly revive them before taking any pictures.”

UO guide Atticus:

“The fish at The Bend were eating well this week.  Many came up for dries, with lots still eating stonefly nymphs close to the bottom.”

UO Guide Como:

“Check out this big brown that my client wrangled last weekend.”

(See top pic)

Tailwaters:

No reports from our faithful ATL trio, so they must be working a lot of OT. Watch Chris Scalley’s (River Through Atlanta)  and Orvis-Alpharetta’s social media feeds for  the latest Tailwater intel. OA’s Dylan has a nice weekly video report on the shop’s Instagram feed.

Smokies 

Due to higher elevations, these streams run colder and their spring season runs a week or two behind ours. Take your mid-April skills and bugs up there and have a blast.

Little River Outfitters - Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains

Warm Rivers

UO owner Jimmy: “For Shoalies I'm catching more small males this week than the larger females.  The small males are still chunky, though!  The bass are still a little too deep for consistent topwater action and there's more water in the river than I like for wading but it's still a great evening respite with azaleas and mountain laurel painting the hillsides.”

UO buddy Landon:

“ Spent Monday evening yakking up river X. I went 3 for 4 on stripers and that 8 lber was biggest boated.  I lost one that was 15-20 lbs after fighting for a couple minutes when he gator-rolled then hit a log in the run. Spots/shoal bass were slow. I caught 5 on top.  The pictured spot was biggest and was fun on my 5 wt. Probably could have found more bass subsurface but wouldnt have been as fun as tossing topwater bugs.”

Flat Water:

Athens Jay: “Pond fishing is excellent. Boogle bug season is here. Next full moon should be outstanding for bream fishing. 

A paddleboard is a really stealthy way to target fish in shallow water. Flyfishing from a paddleboard is a great way to build core strength. “

Splatek:

“Warm weather fishing is firing up. 

Twenty-five fish in an hour on a green mop fly with pink hot spot at MiniMe’s local hotspot.”

Hank the Yank:

“Lanier is fishing pretty good lately. However it's all about getting "eats" whether it be stripers or spotted bass. The spots are extremely aggressive right now and we actually got them to eat a topwater fly this week. The stripers are still somewhat elusive BUT they are traveling in groups of 10-40 fish and surfacing enough during the day to get a few shots on them as well. Fish are positively eating herring so bigger flies are what anglers need to be tossing for both species. Dock lights are also fishing well. My tip to everyone is to fish the wind blown areas to get more bites. Fish are being found from Laurel Park to the dam and everywhere in between. If you really want to have some fun, bring a 7wt out and target whatever eats your fly. Magnum spots on a 7wt pull hard! That's Lanier's smallmouth bass as far as I'm concerned!”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

UO’s Young Fish Vacs:

“Here are pictures of some Lanier stripers from this week. It seems like low light conditions are the best bet at stripers. On the other hand the high sun doesn’t seem to bother the bass. For flies a clouser or somethin else has been most productive -  fished on an intermediate line. Grant and Joseph.”

That’s the latest from our UO gang. We’d like to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all mothers out there, especially the ones who wet a line themselves or give a long line to their family members who enjoy our sport. We hope Sunday is special to all of you.  Good luck as the streams clear Saturday and the weather turns perfect next week. Stop by either UO store or give us a call for some May intel and supplies, from spinners to dries!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 4/29/22

C’mon up; Saturday’s weather and water will be mighty fine! Streams are clear and running at or slightly below normal flows for this time of year. Water temps are perfect. If you’re coming Sunday or next week, pack a raincoat for the possibility of showers. We could use some rain to water our plants and trees and recharge our streams.

Cahills and caddis should continue to dominate the evening hatches. They tend to shrink through the month of April, so make sure you bring  some smaller sizes (#16-20) with you, too. Since we are knocking on May’s door, don’t forget yellow. We’ve already had a report from Will M of some yellow sallies and are sure golden stones are on the horizon. Bring those sallies and stimmies!

River bassing and striper hunting have still been strong in those clear flows.  Yakkers and pontoon fans wishing to flex their 8-weights with big streamers should have some good trips.

Lake bass are still shallow, with occasional visits from stripers. Low light is best, so try dawn, dusk, and after dark, especially around lit docks.

The Blue Ridge Troutfest is Saturday from 10 til 6.  Check your “waze” before coming up, as our locals report DOT road mtc delays on Highway 129.

https://blueridgetroutfest.com/

See our full fishing report on our home and Facebook pages. Good luck closing out a great April. Stop by either UO shop if we can help you out.

.Wes’ Hot Fly List:

Dries: tan elk hair caddis, parachute light Cahill, yellow sally, yellow stimulator, para Adams.

Nymphs & Wets:

Depth charge caddis, frenchie, soft hackle partridge and pheasant tail, girdle bug, hares ear nymph and soft hackle, Y2K for stockers.

Streamers & warm water:

Finesse changer, Murdich minnow, Cowen’s something else (Shad) and larger gray/white clousers (bluebacks) for reservoir predators, triple double leech, muddy buddy, small olive bugger for clear-water stockers.

Headwaters: 

They are still prime for your short rods and small, bushy dries. Try something yellow if tan’s a turnoff. They should be a degree or two warmer this week, bringing more fish to the top. Hopefully you don’t even have to run a dropper under your dry, unless you happen upon a deep pool and want to explore its depths. Stealth is more important than fly pattern.

Angling addict RSquared said:

“I went old school and fished a few wild streams with a venerable Appalachian dry fly called the "Thunderhead" which was created by the legendary Fred Hall of Bryson City N.C.. Even though it was mid-day and sunny, the revered pattern still enticed several wild rainbows to the surface to feed on my offering. I can assure you that the Thunderhead has earned a permanent place in my dry fly box.”

Stocker streams:

GAWRD’s stocking program continues, with a great assist from their federal partners at Rock Creek Hatchery. My two favorite baits are 1/3 nightcrawler or a small doughball of Powerbait covering a size 10 hook on 4-pound mono. I’ll fish upstream, make 2-3 short casts into each fishy pocket, and repeat, covering a lot of stream and uncovering a lot of bridge wash-downs. Get your kids out there now, while the getting is good. Trout supper, anyone?

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout

GA and NC DH Waters:

High sun, lower flows, and warming water will start slowing the daytime bite. Dredge the deep pools, boulder pockets, and shaded runs with more natural patterns that resemble the caddis larva and mayfly nymphs now in the stream drift.  Suggestion: try a sexy Walts worm as an anchor to get your rig down. Add a dropper of a soft hackle pheasant tail, hares ear, or caddis emerger above it, and drift through those sheltered spots. After your drift, let it swing in the current below you. Then take a few strips back upstream before casting again. Switch to dries as the sun sets.

RSquared took time off from fishing to post a second report: “Sixteen members of the Cohutta Chapter of Trout Unlimited recently spent four days camping and fishing on the fabled wild and scenic Chattooga River. The weather was beautiful and Cohutta members fished from Earls Ford on the lower end to the back country at the upper end and the DH in the middle. Fish were feeding on nymphs and dry flies. Catch rates were a little low for most members but a few anglers experienced some exceptional catch rates. This river is very crowded on weekends. I would recommend fishing it midweek when there is less pressure.”

Hooch Tailwater:

UO buddies Ron, Mog and Mo had a nice trip.  Ron:  “The Trio hit the Dam again last Saturday in search of gold.  We stepped in the water shortly after 10. We were seeing risers everywhere in between the winds.  The fellas caught some on top, mine all came on the dropper.  I caught a half dozen, Kurt got over a dozen and Moe hammered em' again, he probably caught a few dozen or more.  It was a great day on the water as always and some much needed hydrotherapy!  

Only this one nice lil brown for Me, i'm sure Moe's got some nicer pics for you.”

Mo: “Just have one pic of a small stick of butter. A #20 frenchie dropped 3ft under my dry fooled them all day. Never changed flies. A good mix of rainbows and browns to hand.”

Smokies:

It’s the same story as our Georgia wild trout waters. Fish are skittish and pickier during the day, and more vulnerable when the sun dies and adult bugs come out to dance. The farther away from the road or campground that you go, the more comfortable the daytime fish are.

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

(Ed note: Notice how similar our fly lists are)

Private Waters:

They are still fishing very well for our resident rainbows.  UO guide Israel:  “Nothing has changed since last week.   The pattern continues to be small egg and nymph patterns drifted deep, and then soft hackles swung in shallower runs and riffles to imitate the hatching naturals. We are having to downsize our tippets in the lower, clear water to encourage more takes.”

Coolwater Rivers:

Jimmy and good friend, FL outdoor writer Rusty Chinnis, had a good river float this week. Jimmy sent a pic of Rusty’s striper and this report: “When you're angling for Shoal Bass and something takes your lure on a screaming run...”

Athens Jay got back in the game:

“Middle GA rivers are just right for wet wading.”

Flat Water:

Splatek reported on MiniMe’s feats at the local pond: “Warm water has the bream  hitting bread balls, worms, and just about anything you drop in front of them.”

Lake bassing has been great, while stripers have been sporadic. The herring spawn should improve the striper bite. See Capt. Mack’s intel and adapt it to your fly rigs.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Fishing-Store/CaptainMacks/posts/

UO young guns Joseph and Grant have done well:

“Here are some pics of some fish Grant and I have caught over the past two weeks on Lanier. Most of our fish have been on points or humps. We have been using intermediate lines with 3-4 inch clousers fished in the middle of the water column with short fast strips.”

That’s the latest news from our neck of the woods.  Take advantage of these fine spring days before they dissolve into the summer heat. Stop in a UO store for flies, supplies, and the freshest intel in this region. Good luck!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 4/21/22

 

We have a wonderful week ahead, as all the stars are aligning. The weather is great, water temps are prime, and streamflows are perfect. It’s spring bug-hatch time in mountain trout streams and river/run time for some reservoir predators.

So take your pick: Cahills and caddis for wild and DH trout, squirmy worms or Powerbait for kids smiles on stocker streams, big, articulated  streamers  for resident river bass and visiting striped ones, or shad flies for spawning spots and nomadic stripers on sloping reservoir points.

It’s all good, so make plans on this Earth Day to sample nature’s gifts ASAP. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll be even happier if you prepare first by memorizing our fresh angler intel and Wes’ hot fly list on our home page and at blog.angler.management. Good luck enjoying prime time for wetting a line in north GA.

Wes’ Hot Fly List:

Dries: elk hair caddis, parachute Cahill, stimulator, para Adams.

Nymphs & Wets:

Depth charge caddis, frenchie, squirmy worm, soft hackle partridge, girdle bug, hares ear nymph and soft hackle, pink squirmy for stockers.

Streamers & warm water:

Finesse changer, Murdich minnow, bluegill slider, triple double leech, muddy buddy, black bugger for stockers.

Headwaters:

High elevation creeks have perfect water temps and flows. If you’d like to get away from everyone, they’re a best bet. Use last week’s tactics again. Start with a buoyant dry you believe in (para Adams, chubby Chernobyl, bushy tan caddis) and drop a pheasant tail or hares ear 18-24 inches off the back. Use a short leader to your dry to make casting the combo easier. If you’re lucky and it’s shady, enough will slurp your dry and convince you to cut off the dropper.

Stocker streams:

Wildlife agency stocking programs are going full bore. Introduce non-anglers to the sport with an ultralight spincast outfit, some worms and Powerbait, and a peek at today’s forthcoming GA stocking list. 

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout

Bring a tent and a frying pan and really have fun away from civilization!

GA DH:

Our DH streams are fishing well for anglers bringing a decent game. Most fish are sore-lipped and educated now, so drag-free drifts and hatch-matching are the names of the two current games. See Wes’ hot fly list.

Athens Alan just checked in:

“Had fun yesterday evening (21st) on Unnamed Border River.  Left the SC parking lot at 5:30 and walked up to the upper end crossover, then started fishing at 6PM.  A few mayflies in the air but didn’t see any rises to naturals until about 7:00. 

I caught bows and browns on parachute purple haze (#16) and small tan caddis. I hiked up to the North end and had lots of action from 7:30 to 8:00.  The fish were putting a bend in my 4 weight! Lots of mayflies and bugs were around even at 8:15, but fish had stopped coming up by that time, so I started walking out. It was way past dark thirty when I got to my truck, due to tough walking in the dark with all the trees down on the trail. I got home at 11:30, whipped, but the 20+ trout to hand was worth it.  Here’s a Pic of a smashed bug (I’ve got to up my entomology game). I think they were cahills.”

NC DH:

Web reports have those northern waters on fire, too. Join the “Fly Fishing North GA” FB group and check out a few posts there.

It’s just hard to top the perfect trifecta of prime flows, great temps, and bugs in and on top of the stream.  See the attached pic of the agency’s DH stocking schedule. Hit a stream a few days after a stocking, arm your kid or new flyfisher with a size 10 black woolly bugger, and you’ll create a flyfisher for life!

Here’s some intel just for you, our dear friends of UO. These DH fish have smartened up, so up your own game to outsmart them. Match the evening hatch, but go two steps farther. First, come with some dries with a darker wing/post to imitate the natural duns emerging. Second, match the behavior of the naturals. First try a dead drift. If you get refused often, then try an occasional  twitch along the drift route. Lastly, especially with caddis, try some skitters. Toss downstream, skitter 2-3 feet back upstream, and then drop it back down to dead drift another 3-4 feet. Make sure you drop your rod and dead drift that bug!  Repeat.   Quit counting your catches when you run out of fingers.  Smile as many times as you’d like.  And you can pay me later with some U0 store credit…

Smokies:

They are fishing great, too. Those fish are real smart, so go deep during the day with good imitations of naturals and match the hatch at dark. If you hike way in, just use our blueline tips, above, to hook those underexploited residents. 

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

Private Waters:

They are still fishing great. The fish are not easy, given their histories with previous angling guests. But folks with good drifts, swings, and fly pattern changes are having big days.

UO guide Palmer: “my clients have had success on small egg and nymph patterns drifted deep, and then soft hackles swung in shallower runs and riffles to imitate the hatching naturals. Hatches are sparse, but there’s enough in the drift to have our resident rainbows on the lookout.”

UO guide Israel reported similar results with this week’s guests. All of our staff is super-busy, but he found time between trips to send me great pics and simply say:

“Yep, same as last week’s report.  They are crushing soft hackles on the deep drift and in the swing.”

Coolwater Rivers:

There are lots web reports of striper and white bass success. The lack of rainfall this week allowed our big rivers to clear. It’s a great time to float the Hooch, Chestatee, or Etowah and throw big, articulated bunny flies at striped fish and resident black bass species. Try it before the next big rain and before the stripers head back down to their home reservoirs.

Flat Water:

RSquared’s new life is evidently fishing, all the time. And we like it. Here’s one report: 

“While fishing a popper/dropper rig in a private, Paulding County lake this week, I managed to catch & land a double: a Bass on the popper, bream on the dropper!”

And another!

“The striper & hybrid bite on Carters Lake has been sporadic. However, if you are persistent,  you can entice some to eat.  We did!”

Landon:  “I had a good couple hours throwing a fluke at clay banks/ secondary points. Saw just about every fish come up and whack it. It’s a good time for non-boaters to walk Lanier’s banks and find these shallow-spawning spots. They are mean.” 

There’s some really hot lake intel in todays GAWRD fishing blog!

https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources

HenryC: “No news except that we are finally in for some stable weather which should improve the striper fishing. There have been reports of a little surface feeding on both rivers as well as plenty of bass up shallow. I cancelled my last client trip due to wind and went out myself to take a two-hour peek. Caught five nice spots in a short time and came home. 

Some stripers should still be up the river spawning while others are up shallow on points and blow-thru's. Don't know what a blow-thru is? Well it's all explained in my book! Those are easy fish to catch when you find them...”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/fly-fishing-for-freshwater-striped-bass-henry-cowe.html?source=facebook

Don’t miss these perfect days to be outside with a rod in hand.  Whether it’s solitude, scenery, numbers, or size, the end of April serves it all up for you.  Stop by either UO store if you need more ammo, from bugs to tippet to a lucky UO hat. 

Good luck.

The lawn and the Braves can wait. 

Go. Now!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.