Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report -12/9/22

We’ve gotta call this week’s report “an early Christmas present.”  The combination of 3 inches of rain and mild weather has area trout streams flowing well, with temperatures in the prime trout zone. Warm air has made recent days astream very angler-friendly, too. You have about one more week left of this prime fishing window before winter lands on us, so go enjoy this early gift soon!

Stream trout have responded well. Even headwater fish thawed out and bit better, while river trout in private waters and DH stretches had enhanced appetites in the better currents, with more depth to hide them from predators.  Toccoa DH is too high to wade, but good for floating.

Downriver, our bass sections are cold (for bass) and muddy. I saw a few feet of Hooch visibility today at Hwy 115, while Jimmy said it was muddy at Duncan Bridge due to the Soque. Consider sticking with upstream trout. 

Hank said reservoir stripers keep improving each week. Biologist Hunter told me those double-

digit Lanier stripers are from good year-classes of one-inch fingerlings his agency stocked in 2016, 17 and especially 18.

Check out Wes’ hot fly list and the equally hot intel from our guides and friends. It’s all on the long version of this report on our home and Facebook pages.

Good luck. Grab a raincoat, dodge those showers, give thanks for the rain, and enjoy the gift of a March week in December. Stop by either UO shop for supplies and a holiday gift or two.

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: parachute BWO, Griffith Gnat.

Nymphs & Wets:

Slush egg, jig girdle bug, lightning bug, diamond midge, holy grail, flashback baetis, and small soft hackles.

Streamers & warm water:

Simi seal leech, sparkle minnow, finesse changer, black woolly bugger, clouser minnow.

Headwaters:

They looked great today. They’ve dropped and cleared, but still had good flies. Warm nights have the waters warm. Would you believe Spoilcane ran 58F at noon today? Try dry-droppers and you might get a few to look up.

UO friend Megan:  “Hey Jeff! Love your reports. I snagged a last minute walk-up spot on Duke’s Sunday. Water levels still super low but better than they were a month ago! I made my way to the end of section 4 and worked my way up with very little to show other than some hungry little ones. When I put on a green/brown PRL, things started to heat up. This guy took me on four runs downstream before I got him in the net. It was a great day - with some healthy looking fish to the net!”

UO friend RSquared: “I started the day off on my favorite Ga. DH stream. The water was high & fast but I knew a couple of safe spots that held fish. After playing with a few stockers using a Girdle bug, I went to check on some of the wild trout streams. It sure was good to see water in them again.  A small black stone fly & Pheasant Tail worked on the wild ones. It rained some, but that did not affect the trout!”

Smokies streams are colder than ours, but still pushing 50 degrees during this warm spell.   They’ve been pounded by rain, however, and are still running real high.  Wading doesn’t look very safe unless you’re way up on some headwaters. Check USGS gauges and Byron’s daily Smokies intel here before taking that long drive.

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

Delayed Harvest:

Smith DH had dropped and cleared today, but still had good flows. It ran 54F due to the lake.  Only three cars were in the lot at noon. Aim for a weekday if you can or go early or late to beat the weekend crowds. Try an egg, but be ready to switch to midges on 6 or 7X if fish are now experienced and off the junk food.

Athens Jay shared a tale from his buddy, Charlie:  “I fished IDBIS River in the steady light rain on Monday as the initial weather report said it was overcast and in the 50's. Reality was a little different. Upon arrival it was 42 degrees with a steady light rain. I left my rain gear at home so it wouldn't get wet.  So I hiked in anyway. 

As previously, the fish seemed to be in the deepest holes although the rain made spotting fish difficult. 

While the fish studiously ignored pheasant tails, hare’s ear, and prince nymphs, the fishing was very good using egg patterns fished deep bouncing along the bottom. Quite a number of fish in the 11-12 inch range. First and last fish of day were representative of the entire bunch. 

The best news of the day was that while soaked to the skin after hiking back to car, my socks remained dry. My new waders worked!”

Jay had another second-hand report: ““Oconee River TU members Charlie and Danny took a day trip to a NC DH stream last following the heavy rains earlier in the week. Water levels were still elevated, which had the fish bunched up in the slower, deeper water, and at the pool tail outs. Weather was cool and overcast, but the fishing was hot. Egg patterns, hares ear, and mop fies fished deep and slow produced fish throughout the day.”

Tailwaters:

Check out Hunter Roop’s hot Hooch intel in today’s WRD fishing blog. Note the date and time for his next Vol Call and your chance to tote some trout into the Hooch DH section. Have your home-for-the-holiday kids ready for some fun.

https://georgiawildlife.blog/2022/12/09/georgia-fishing-report-december-9-2022/

Private Waters:

Our recent 3 inches of rain recharged our rivers and their residents. Our guides like Devin had real good luck stripping streamers during the flow peaks. Devin said the best patterns were “big and black.”

Yesterday, as flows dropped and cleared, Jimmy’s Nacoochee Bend guests had best luck on dredged egg patterns, with small, swung soft hackles placing second, and stripped woolly buggers coming in a distant third.  I watched a lot of fish suspended a few feet under the surface and sipping the drift, with even a few risers spotted. Dry and wet midges will still be a best bet, too.

Jimmy: “Unicoi Outfitters had the pleasure of hosting the UGA Warnell School of Forestry Dean's Advisory Board at Nacoochee Bend on Thursday.  With a mix of novice and experienced fly anglers, everyone had a good time with 72-degree weather on December 8th.”

UO manager Jake: “I spent two days with repeat clients, Keith and Bobby on the Soque River a couple of days ago. The recent rains have really improved the bite since the fish seem much more comfortable now. All of our damage was done both days nymph fishing, with some of the best producers being diamond midges, duracell nymphs, soft hackles, and stoneflies. The streams are in great shape, and should fish really well this weekend now that we are at normal flow. “

UO guide Caleb: “Despite the rain, Soque Camp produced some big fish. All on egg patterns and small midges like zebras and diamond midges.”

UO guide Como echoed Caleb’s report.

Ponds:

Athens Jay hit a local lake during the warm spell and cleaned up on crappie. He said: “Black or white streamers made with lots of bunny fur worked equally well.”

Reservoirs:

HenryC: “This past week fishing on Lanier was pretty darn strong. Weather has much to do with the successes seen this week. Striped bass and even some spotted bass could be seen schooling on the surface in both large and small groups. This feeding could happen anytime of the day. You just have to burn gas and find feeding fish. Size again this week has been really good with nearly all striped bass being caught, over 10lbs. Biggest fish this week topped the scales at 16lbs. As you read this report we will be coming off the full moon so I expect fishing will slow down just a little but still could enough to put a few fish in the boat. As of today we are now booking January which is one of my favorite striped bass months.”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

Ed Note: want a great stocking stuffer? Buy Hank’s striper book!

More hot reservoir intel from our state fish biologists here:

https://georgiawildlife.blog/2022/12/09/georgia-fishing-report-december-9-2022/

Our friend Capt Mack always has great striper intel, too:

https://www.facebook.com/CaptainMacks

Go unwrap this early gift. Get on the water soon before you need handwarmers and three pairs of socks. Visit or call either UO store if we can help with advice, flies, or gift ideas. Our gift certificates are hard to beat!

https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/gift-certificates/

 

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

A Dozen Eggs

 

That’s what a lot of winter flyfishing vets add to their nymph box during the next three months. You may have noticed how popular egg patterns were in our staff and friends’ list of December fav’s that we posted yesterday. And for good reason: they’re hot in cold water.

Whether you tie or buy, here are a few more tips on stocking up on eggs this winter. You’ll need a good number because you’ll leave many on the bottom or in fish lips- - if your tippet is old or knot is defective.  A dozen is a good number to start your day with.

First is a local favorite, the Oreck easy egg. Tie a parachute post from egg yarn and you’re in business.

http://blog.angler.management/2021/01/egg-over-easy.html

Second, and maybe even easier, is the eggstacy egg:

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/video-how-to-tie-the-eggstasy-egg

Third is our fine egg inventory at both of our UO fly shops. If you don’t tie, come in and buy!

Last, fish them correctly. That means deep. Once again, Dom at 

https://troutbitten.com/

provides an excellent tutorial.  Remember his “egg roll.”  If you’re really into trouting, consider subscribing to his website.

https://troutbitten.com/2022/11/30/roll-your-eggs-tips-for-nymphing-with-egg-patterns/

When winter temps eventually find us, think brunch. Show up at 10 or 11AM and serve up some eggs as the sun warms the water and those deepwater trout awaken from their slumber. Pair your egg with a dropper nymph pattern that you believe in and you’ll be in business. And a dancing rod will warm your buns.

Good luck with eggs for brunch this winter. Stop in our shop if we can help y’all further.

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Your December Dredging Favorites?

 

What are your top three fly patterns that you like to toss this month? Reply here and help our newer flyfishers to carry the right bugs for their early winter excursions.

This month has started differently, with a long stretch of mild weather and low flows. But the rains have finally arrived and I’m betting that true December temperatures will show up soon, as well.

So what do you knot on to your tippet as flows rise and water temps dive? Chime in here.

And to help everyone, I’ve dusted off our own list from last year.

http://blog.angler.management/2021/12/top-december-trout-bugs.html

Enjoy the intel. It’s an early holiday gift from UO to y’all as a thanks for your friendship and patronage. Stop in either UO shop if you need a few more hot bugs for the colder days ahead.

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Bahamas Breezes and Bones

As we dive into December, we thought y’all could use a shot of Bahamas warmth. Enjoy!

Jimmy: “My friend Rusty Chinnis recorded some of the scenes during our recent trip to Frankie’s Two Boys Inn in the Bahamas for a few days of chasing bonefish.”

https://www.facebook.com/100041266845374/posts/pfbid0r4e5hJDipqLaz7QQdZdZ6ibAseLjwMy7DvpYmX2fyQW38VG6X1KdbnsyJnKmGCyGl/?mibextid=cr9u03

Please join us in thanking our friend, Rusty, for the video.

https://www.rustychinnis.com/

Transition Time

With the winter chill right around the corner, here are a few tips to help you transition to this new fishing season. Enjoy our latest article in The Angler magazine. Scroll to page Atlanta - 4 to catch it.

https://issuu.com/coastalanglermagazine/docs/atl_500e0a139123c3

Hunting for Holiday Gifts?

Are you on the hunt for holiday gifts? UO is here to help. We have a few more gift ideas that are very appealing to new fly fishers.

First, consider a complete flyfishing outfit (rod, reel, and line).  We have quality introductory outfits at an affordable price. Check out the Orvis Encounter and Echo Lift packages. 

https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/orvis-encounter-fly-rod-outfit-48646922.html

https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/echo-lift-fly-rod-kit.html

A nine foot, five-weight outfit is the perfect starter rod for fly anglers pursuing trout, panfish, and smaller bass.

Next, treat your new angler duo to an instream learning session with one of our talented UO guides. Our “Gilligan Special” is a three-hour tour that will lead to a lifetime of flyfishing fun. We supply all of the equipment; just bring yourselves.   Read all about it here:

https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/learn-to-fly-fish-2/

Come by our Helen store for the gift certificate or order it online here. 

https://shoponline.unicoioutfitters.com/gift-certificate-gilligan-special.html?source=facebook

The lucky recipient can then just call the shop at a later time to reserve their fishing date. He/she can then invite their spouse or friend to join them.

Last, all anglers must have their lucky fishing hat. We’ve recently replenished our stock of UO ball caps. New and experienced anglers alike will appreciate this stocking stuffer!

We have many more gift ideas, so feel free to visit or call either one of our UO stores for some help from our elves.  We’re here to make your gift gathering a welcome part of your holiday joy.

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts

https://www.unicoioutfitters.com/

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report -12/2/22

Things are looking up in our corner of the state. We had 2.5 inches of rain at midweek that boosted streamflows. While most of that rainfall has already run off, at least our streams have recovered a bit from their droughty fall flows. With more rain expected in the days ahead, flows and fishability should both increase.

We had two chilly post-front days, but our weather has started a warming trend that should raise stream temps and your catch rates. Again, match your flies to the flows and you’ll do well. Focus on Wes’ hot fly list and the bugs that worked for this week’s reporters.

Headwaters may still be tough with cold water, so focus on longer droppers to your nymphs hanging below your buoyant dry fly indicator. DH streams will fish well for Euronymphers and Airlock indi watchers.

Stripers are still playing the same game of hide-and-seek. Large size is still compensating for lower numbers, as fish are scattered. Birdwatching is the key to success, so don’t forget your binoculars for the loons and gulls and your Humminbird for the bait schools.

Good luck this week as we crawl into winter with a mild, fall-like weather forecast.  Check out our full fishing report and Wes’ hot fly list via the link on our home page.

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: comparadun BWO, Elk hair caddis, Parachute Adams.

Nymphs & Wets:

Peach egg, split case, micro mayfly, jig girdle bug, rainbow warrior, root beer midge.

Streamers & warm water:

Simi seal leech, sparkle minnow, finesse changer, clouser minnow.

Headwaters:

The few reporters told us that catching was slow in the low, clear water. This emphasizes the importance of camo, stealth, and soft-landing flies on wispy 6X tippets. Go bigger on bugs and line when you’re lucky enough to fish some storm flows. Look for water temps as far above 40F that you can find.

Smokies streams are on higher mountains and are colder. You’ll have to slow-dredge for those frozen fish.   Smokies intel here:

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

Delayed Harvest:

GA DH:

Last Sunday afternoon I ran across Roger from Dallas, who took his son to Smith DH while he and his grandson hiked and skipped rocks. Kaleb did well by light-lining some small eggs and nymphs in the low, clear water.

“Hey Mr. Dredger,

This is Emaly, we chatted earlier. So nice speaking with you. Heres the pretty Smith Creek DH Brookie from today (25th). I caught it in about a 2ft pool on a zebra midge. Hope to run into you again soon!”

I ran into UO friend KenK this week while hiking along Smith Creek DH after the rain. Ken said he mopped up the fish on a mop fly in the better flows.

Go fish the bigger DH streams while flows are good for wading and before winter rains start blowing them out. Euro the riffles and runs and Indi-fish the larger pools with long, light tippet and enough shot to dredge your bugs.

NC DH:

No recent reports. It’s been a while since the October and November stockers found their freedom, so try smaller flies for these better-educated fish. Consider a flashier first fly, like a small egg or lightning bug, trailed by a small imitator like a #16 hares ear or #18 or 20 pheasant tail. Pay attention to water temperatures and follow the sun.

Tailwaters:

UO buddy RonW: “I was able to sneak out to Paces Mill from about noon till 3 on the 25th.  The water was up a little and off color, with visibility not much more than 16 -18".  I started upstream of the ramp and worked my way down below the big rock. I started off with a bugger and an egg and quickly switched to a Conehead Bunny Muddler for more weight as my shot went missing. That was the ticket!  Caught a few on the Muddler but most came on the egg. Both dead drifting and swinging were effective. I went back up to the run I started in and whacked them pretty good on a #16 Partridge and purple. About 6 fish in twice as many casts and it was time to call it a day. I ended up with a dozen to hand It and almost as many LFR's. It was nice to sneak out and work off some of the "feast"  from yesterday! Now where's that leftover turkey.

I stopped by Paces Mill again on Tuesday 11/29 after my morning rounds.  I fished from 12 -1, starting just above the ramp and working  down to just below the big rock. I wanted to see how my new wool head sculpin fished and I can say it fished well. 1st cast landed me a "snit" rainbow who chased the Sculp 12' across the current and then smashed it about 6' away from me. It was a pretty cool 1st eat on a new fly I tied.  I ended up with 2 more bows to hand and just as many LDR's as I  swung and stripped the streamer while working downstream. I'd say it was a productive and successful hour of Hydrotherapy which put me in the right mindset to go home and tackle a mound of emails.”

Stocker Streams:

Broken record:  slim pickings during the off-season as hatchery space is filled with subcatchables being grown for next spring.  Try Vogel Lake, the 2 tailwaters, and any public accesses below DH reaches, where you can pick up some wanderers. Both GA tailwaters  got a pre-holiday helping from GAWRD.  The border river’s bridge crossings are good spots, too.

Private Waters:

The story remains the same on the Soque and Hooch:  smaller eggs, nymphs, soft hackles, and midges have been most effective during periods of low, clear flows. Meatier nymphs and even some streamers have done well when rivers swell up after a good rain.

New UO friend JeffC from FL spent the holiday with his family in a cabin on private waters. He said they enjoyed learning this new area and caught several rainbows on dry/dropper rigs during their weekend stay. He said his wife outfished him again, as usual. They learned that the abundant, small dry fly sinkers were warpaint shiners, a new species for them.

Private waters should fish better as more frequent rains boost flows and force fish to make quicker decisions on potential food items. Get out there soon before truly cold temperatures hit us.

Reservoirs:

HenryC: “Fishing on Lanier remains pretty good. Some days are better than others but the size of the fish this fall has been extraordinary. All fish have been over 10 lbs. Bass fishing is tough for fly rodders as the fish are stuck on the bottom. Small flies are the ticket for Lanier anglers... micro game changers and somethin' else flies are easily your best bets. Next 10 days look promising as weather is perfect for feeding fish. Some days they're eating early and some days late. Midday bites should fire up with cloud cover. See you on the pond... GO DAWGS!”

www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

Jimmy and Kathy had some time recently to get out on Lake Lanier to see if the stripers were ready to play.  Not much action but they did find some gulls and loons going crazy at the mouth of a creek.  One cast into the melee and Kathy was hooked into a 13.5 lb freight train that simply refused to come on board for a photo.  Her persistence finally paid off and the fish was brought to the net.  Kathy's biggest striper to date.

UO friend Landon was stuck working but said his buddy, Brandon, found some Lanier fish coming up in the clouds as the sun fell.

UO guide Ben:  “Here's a 7lb largemouth bass that I caught on my off day. I caught him in deep water by flipping a jig in heavy cover on a public water North Georgia lake.”

More great intel from our state fish biologists here:

https://georgiawildlife.blog/2022/12/02/georgia-fishing-report-december-2-2022/

Afar:

UO guide Caleb: “Louisiana treated us well on Monday despite getting rained out on Tuesday. We spent most of the day casting at crawling redfish. The fly didn’t seem to matter as long as the fish saw it!”

UO guide and LA native Como went home for the holiday and got on some bull reds with his old friends.  Fresh shrimp on a Carolina rig was their key to success in the delta.

There’s your post-holiday report.   Stop in either UO store to warm up, catch the freshest intel, and do a little holiday shopping. Good luck!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com