Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 10/11/24

Welcome to a beautiful week ahead of y’all. The air is crisp and the water is cold and clear.  Stream trout are feisty, river bass are a bit slower, lake spots and largemouths are on fire, and reservoir stripers are emerging from the depths to provide sporadic topwater action. The action will only get better with shorter days, cooling nights, and prime water temperatures.

While many federal and state sites are still closed due to storm damage, many more are reopening just in time for this prime weekend.

We have the updated lists and much more angling intel in our full fishing report, as always in our blog, here. It’s worth your extra click:

http://blog.angler.management/

Let’s continue to remember and support our neighbors to the north and south who have survived these fall hurricanes. Donate what you can or take a trip to the reopened fly shops and businesses in western Carolina. Let’s spread some good will this weekend. 

Good luck everyone. Stop in either UO shop (Helen, Clarkesville) for your fall supplies and up-to-the-minute angling intel.

http://blog.angler.management/

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

State/Fed Openings and Closures

We have much better news this weekend, as resource agency folks worked hard to clear downed storm timber from roads. We have much more land and water available again.  Here you go:

1. Most of the Chattahoochee Forest is open. The east side (Chattooga River Ranger District) still has lots of closures. List here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/conf/alerts-notices/?aid=90885

1. Most GA State Parks are open. Details and closures here:

https://gastateparks.org/Alerts

1. The Andrew Pickens District of the Sumter National Forest (SC), on our northeast border, has reopened. A few sites remain closed. List here: 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnfs/alerts-notices/?aid=91489

1. The Nantahala National Forest (NC) has reopened. Details here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/nfsnc/alerts-notices/?aid=90899

1. The Smokies Park update is here:

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Good luck planning your fall trips.

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: chubby Chernobyl,  orange stimulator, parachute Adams, parachute black ant, tan elk hair caddis.

Nymphs & Wets: 

Pink bead CDC pheasant tail, Duracell, zebra midge, squirminator, gold ribbed hares ear, depth charge caddis. 

Streamers:

Sparkle minnow, buggers & leeches, micro dungeon. 

(Bass) jerk changer, party crasher, wiggle minnow, boogle bug popper, Kent’s stealth bomber.

(Panfish) amnesia bug, small chubby Chernobyl, bluegill spider, dry and wet ants

Headwaters: 

They’re low and clear and cool and prime for blueline fans! My furry sidekick and I toured White County yesterday and found the headwaters topping out between 58 and 61 degrees at 4PM.  Toss your normal fluffy dries (chubby, stimmy, Adams) after a careful stalk. Add an ant or pheasant tail dropper if you find a deep pool with no takers on top. Don’t forget a tiny dinsmore shot to sink any unweighted wets.

Several folks prospected for specks last week and showed me some pics of plump, colorful jewels they caught and released from undisclosed destinations. It’s a good time to prospect yourselves before those water temps dive and cool off the dry fly bite.

GT 5R clubber Will checked in: “Huge thanks to Rabun TU for donating waders to us. They really helped get our new anglers out on the water!

This past weekend, the Georgia Tech 5 Rivers Club took a trip up to north Georgia for our first camping trip of the semester. The fish were not picky with what they ate as long as it was within the ballpark, and catch rates were more impacted by the angling pressure that the fish had already seen than fly selection. Things like walt’s worms, pheasant tails, france flies, and much more all worked. Out of our 16 participants, half of them were completely new to fly fishing, and everyone caught fish, including most of the newer angler’s first trout on the fly! A few of them even hit a few blue lines with their mentors on Saturday afternoon and got the chance to catch their very first couple native brook trout as well! It’s always so fun to go blue lining with friends, and while nothing was bigger than 6 or 7”, the colors on the fish always make it worth the hiking and bushwhacking, especially this time of year. All our members thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and we can’t wait to put on another one next month!”

Stocked Waters:

Last week’s stocker browns are still around for prospectors who cover some ground. See that stocking list here:

https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout

UO buddy, Rabunite Nanette: “Spent a couple of AM hours fishing the Tallulah last Monday. Fascinating to see how Hurricane Helene changed the river. Moved big trees that were already in the river, added a bunch of new “trout structure,” scoured other areas pretty good. Some of the areas we regularly fish are quite different now and we have to adjust. 

Water very clear, still moving at a good clip, with morning temp of 61 degrees. Getting close to time to abandon wet wading and dig out the smartwool socks!

We found some holdover stocker browns that ate both dries (orange stimmies and elk hair caddis) and droppers (drowned ant). Finally picked up a couple of pretty wild rainbows on caddis and parachute adams.”

Tailwaters: No recent reports. Watch the generation schedules carefully, since dam operators have been trying to bring lake levels back down for some time. Be careful!

Trophy Waters: 

We have reopened Nacoochee Bend and the fishing has been great.  Book your UO trips at 706-878-3083. Art at Smithgall (706-878-3087) said Dukes has opened angling to reservation holders on 10/2.  Anglers have had good luck over there. GT 5R clubber Drake had a great day last week, landing a big bunch of bows and one brown from 2 to 20 inches on worm patterns in the higher water.

Call the park soon to reserve your Dukes slots for prime fall dates. And stop in our Helen shop for flies and advice from our seasoned staff who have fished Smithgall for years.

Warm Rivers:

They are clear and cool and recovered from last week’s flood flows.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02331000&legacy=1

The Hooch at Highway 115 was 62F at 6PM yesterday, so the topwater bite might be over for the year.  Wes had a slow day there last week, right after the flood, so some fish might have been displaced. Or they might not have emerged from their bomb shelters yet. Try stripping streamers or bottom-bumping crayfish patterns if you decide to float.

Ponds:

They should continue to fish well with this cooler weather. Athens Jay said: “Quick after-work piedmont farm pond report :

Perfect weather this week with lots of active fish in shallow water. All I had was a 5 weight and some trout flies, but a brown Pat’s Rubberlegs combined with a red San Juan worm got lots of eats.”

Reservoirs:

They’re on the fall rebound. Just watch out for floating debris. Slow down!

UO owner Jimmy: “The "mountain lakes" are still fishing well as things cool off. I went out with Jake one afternoon this week and we landed a nice bunch of bass on blueback imitations. Folks can book Jake for a mountain lake bass trip by calling our Helen shop at 706-878-3083.”

UO guide Joseph: “Water temps are still a tad warm but Striper fishing on Lanier is starting to heat up. Schools of fish can mainly be found in open water on or near the surface. Fish are few and far between and don’t stay active on the surface for long. Bass on the other hand have been feeding aggressively near main lake points and humps adjacent to brush. This time of year we typically see fish eating either blueback herring or threadfin shad. For conventional tackle I’ve been having the most luck on walk the dog style top waters and serpentine swim baits. For fly flingers clousers in sizes 4-6 have produced the most fish. We’re starting to see some nightly lows in the 40s and 50s so the bite should be getting good very soon! 

Call the UO-Helen shop at 706-878-3083 if you’d like to book a Lanier trip with me.”

UO buddy, Lanier guide AJ: “Been hitting the lake about once a week the past month. There are definitely some decent groups of stripers popping up, but they've been up/down very quickly. Heard reports of some groups actually staying up, but biggest window I've seen is about 30 sec. Found that this AM and our duo was able to double up throwing spinning rods. Water temps hovering around 72-73. Topwater should really start picking in the next couple of weeks!”

You can contact Alex at (770) 654-2413 if you’d like to book a Lanier trip with him.

Afar:

Travel is improving in N.C. and the fishing has been hot on streams that weren’t scoured by Helen.  Here are three good local info sources that could really use your business right now:

1. Tuck Fly Shop in Bryson City

https://reservations.tuckflyshop.com/trips?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACz0Px7TmUaTQWGisHJH15_AUII9c#

1. Maggie Valley Fly Shop

https://www.maggievalleyflyshop.com/about-4

1. Davidson River Outfitters in Brevard:

https://www.davidsonflyfishing.com/contact

UO manager Jake and accomplices Lee and Jim are putting the smackdown on some hefty river smallies right now.  Jake’s best one hit the five-pound mark. They’re fishing with legendary Smallie guide Steve Hacker at smallmouth.com.

UO buddy RonW: “Saturday 10/5/24 : We decided to have one last day in Yellowstone National Park to fish the  Yellowstone River again. We wanted to see if we could strike gold and find some more Yellowstone Cutthroat.  Well.....we found them, in good numbers, all nice fish with one absolute specimen! 

We left our cabin in Idaho shorty after 7am, headed to West Yellowstone and then into the park.  We were treated to the most amazing Sunrise one could ever dream of while crossing the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho..... 4 moose including a Bull Moose with Antlers were standing in the river drinking water with the sun rising over the mountains behind them.    It was absolutely incredible to witness and a moment I'll never forget.   This absolutely set the tone for the day and what a day it was! 

We got to our spot on the river in the Park around 9:30,  geared up and had our boots wet by 10am.  We were into fish by 10:10😁 We ended fishing 3 different sections of the river for about 4 hours total. We were battling some serious winds again but we made the most of it.  We landed 8 Cutties between the 3 of us and lost another 3, 2 of which were giants. My biggest was a 22" Cutty that went bananas as soon as it felt the iron.  Kurt won the fish of the trip award with an insanely colored up and large 24"  Yellowstone Cutthroat. 

 We bailed around 3pm to do a little more sight seeing, checking out the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone before making the drive to our of the park and back down to Idaho for our last night. 

This was a trip to remember and one we've been talking about for years. The memories made with my brothers, the laughs, the ball busting, the fish caught, the fish lost, the wildlife and of course the views will be forever engrained in my brain. 

We saw numerous wildlifeover the last 8 days.... 1 Fox, 1 Coyote,  multiple Mule Deer, Antelope and Elk, 2 Mountain Goats,  2 Grizzly bears, several Bald and Golden eagle, numerous water fowl,  5 total Moose and about a gazillion "Tatankas" 

We fished multiple rivers including the Madison, Yellowstone, Firehole, Gibbon, Soda Butte, Lamar and the Gallatin Rivers.  We caught Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish, Cuttbows, West Slope Cutthroat and Yellowstone Cutthroat. 

To sum it up, this was a trip of a lifetime and one I will always remember. I'm still in awe of what my eyes have seen on this trip. It will take a few weeks to really take it all in. I'll relive this trip thru the 500+ photos and nearly 60 videos I took. I will be thinking about this trip until I come back, which won't be nearly soon enough! 

UO buddy HenryC passed this along from his KY buddy, Tyler Befus:”Hey Henry. Hope you’re doing well! Wanted to send you a video from tonight’s session. They’re loving the Cowen’s Coyote on the Tennessee River right now!”

Good luck as we all count our blessings, enjoy this fine fall weather, and support our neighbors to the north and south as they recover from the storms. Get back outside soon!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Unicoi Outfitters Fishing Report - 10/4/24

 

After a week off due to Helene, our UO fishing report returns! Let’s call this week’s theme, “Access After Helene.”  Our region streams are in great shape, but many of the remote roads and camgrounds are not. We’ll do our best to decipher the issue for you, based on the best available intel today from the US Forest Service and GA Wildlife Resources Division.

First, let’s all be thankful. We’re thankful that the worst of the storm bypassed north GA. But we do pray for our neighbors south, east, and north of us who took tremendous hits. Please consider donating to the recovery efforts in south GA, upstate SC, and the Appalachian ridge line in NC and TN.

Over here, it’s a matter of forest road clearing and engineers assessing major structures (bridges, buildings campgrounds, etc) before deeming them safe for the public. Priority has likely been given to major Forest roads, especially with private residences along them. We will just need to be patient regarding our minor roads, hiking trails, and campgrounds, which are lower priorities for agency staff and their equipment right now.

Tune into the Chattahoochee Forest Alerts page to see daily updates to its open/closed list of properties. 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/conf/alerts-notices/?aid=90885

The good news is that much of the forest is open, especially west of Highway 129. Compare that to the complete closure of the Sumter (SC) National Forest on our eastern border and the terrible destruction north of us.  Be thankful that we do have some opportunities to get outside this weekend.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnfs/alerts-notices/?aid=90929

Ponds and lakes should fish well this weekend as the surface temps cool off. Just throttle down, especially, in the headwaters, to avoid the storm trees and debris washed down the rivers.

As always, we have very specific intel and other fresh fishing reports from our UO gang here:

http://blog.angler.management/

It includes my forest recons of last nite and this morning, so tune in before taking off for the mountains this weekend. Good luck and be safe. Stop in either UO shop for advice and supplies on your way up.

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Wes’ Hot Fly List:  

Dries: micro chubby Chernobyl,  yellow stimulator, parachute Adams, parachute black ant, tan elk hair caddis.

Nymphs & Wets: 

CDC pheasant tails, Duracell, hares ear, squirmy worm, chartreuse mops, zebra midges.

Streamers:

Sparkle minnow, buggers & leeches, micro dungeon. 

(Bass) jerk changer, Con man, wiggle minnow, boogle bug popper, Kent’s stealth bomber.

(Panfish) amnesia bug, small chubby Chernobyl, bluegill spider, dry and wet ants

Headwaters: 

They got a really “good flush” last week and are down to normal flows and clear water. Headwaters above Helen ran 62F at 8am today. Most should fish well til midafternoon, and all day once these 80-degree afternoon highs depart.

Those loose stream gravels, polished clean of fine sediments, should be great spawning habitat for wild fish this fall and winter. 

The major issue is safe road access.  Watch the USFS alert page and aim for creeks along paved roads and major USFS roads that are open.  Just about everything west of Highway 129 has been reopened.  Farther east it becomes spotty. The Hooch on the WMA appears open, at least uphill to Low Gap Creek. Last nite I drove the Tallulah as 

far as Tate Branch and the main road was open. All rec areas I’ve seen on our east side this week remain closed. 

What’s open? All the west side streams, on the other side of RT 129, should be accessible. You’ll likely have to negotiate some new, downed trees on trails and stream banks.  Some local, accessible creeks around here are upper Smith, Spoilcane, Soapstone, Russell Highway crossings, the upper Chestatee and Toccoa tribs, and maybe the Tallulah tribs. It sounds very tough east of Clayton.  Aim west this week.  Single, fluffy dries and short dry/dropper rigs are still scoring well.  

UO Helen manager Wes: “I ran a wade trip with a trio of anglers on national forest land yesterday.   By covering water we were able to find some wild fish and quite a few holdover stocker brown trout as well. The fall fishing is starting to heat up and anglers who are willing to cover water and fish off the beaten path a bit should still be able to find plenty of fish. We ran dry dropper rigs all day and caught most of our fish on droppers like Pheasant tails and green weenies, but were able to catch a handful on top using #14 chubby Chernobyls and stimulators.”

Stocked Waters:

WRD said it’s stocking some fish, mainly browns, to complement the youth hunts this week. Watch todays stocking list or see their hints at the bottom of their new fishing report:

https://georgiawildlife.blog/2024/10/04/georgia-fishing-report-october-4-2024/

Tailwaters: No recent reports. Watch the generation schedules carefully, since dam operators have been trying to bring lake levels back down for some time. Be careful!

Trophy Waters: 

We will re-open our private waters next week and are  taking reservations for fall, winter, and spring fishing trips.  We are at 706-878-3083. Art at Smithgall (706-878-3087) said Dukes has opened angling to reservation holders on 10/2. Call soon to reserve your slots for prime fall dates.

UO buddy Spangler:  “My unofficial custom the last few years is to fish Dukes Creek the day it opens and the day it closes…and at least once or twice in between.  Dukes is not the place to learn how to fly fish, it’s  cruel and unforgiving teacher but for me has been an effective one.  Since I first fished it in 2020, it’s the place that prompted me to learn to fly fish to begin with, and I’m still learning. Moving on…I fished a stretch I had never fished before.   This stretch is very unlike the upper reaches as it has very deep sandy bottom holes between large boulders and few shoals. Opening day 2023, I fished the upper end and caught 40+ tiny fingerlings and a couple 15 inchers. This time, no fingerlings and just 6 to the net, but all fish were 10-15” (along with a bunch of chubs and one horny-head). When I was there on closing day in May, I caught a 22” rainbow but no such luck this time. The most interesting catch was one I didn’t get a pic of since he released himself on the way to the net was what I am 90% sure was a Chattahoochee bass.

Water temps were ok until around 2pm when I did get a reading of 68.  As far as fly selection and technique, every fly I tossed got hit, the fish were eager as long as it was presented well.

 

This required me to adapt a lot…I euro nymphed pocket water as usual with an egg or perdigon,  and as I came to deep holes, I either jigged a streamer along the bottom or slapped on a bobber and extra weight and just lobbed it out as best I could and let it drift slowly through. Not an ideal rig with a 10’ 3W but I like how the thin tippet and leader will get vertical under the bobber very fast. What mattered more than the flies was this little tin of tungsten putty. I love this stuff because you can adjust your weight almost infinitely. I put it on my tippet when nymphing further up from the fly, 2/3 of the way to the sighter, since the water flowing at the surface is faster than the bottom, helps my sighter get vertical quicker in a fast run.”

Warm Rivers:

No recent reports. They’ve been flooded out!

Ponds:

They should continue to fish well with this cooler weather. Jimmy’s grandson, Crosby, nailed this 8-pound trophy from his subdivision lake before the storm. He said the hot bait was a “Trench Hawg from Googan.”

Reservoirs:

They’re on the fall rebound. Just watch out for floating debris. Slow down!

UO manager Jake is fishing a mountain lake today and called this in from his boat. He did real well on a fluke and some small swimbaits. Bass are schooling on bait in the creek arms. Surface temp 71 to start and 74 now (3pm).

UO staffer Joseph:  “Bass fishing on Lanier has been on fire lately. Lots of action near or on the surface. Temps are still a tad warm for stripers but that should change sometime within the next two weeks. For bass look for schools of fish on or near brush piles. 

Serpentine style swim baits and walking style top waters have been producing some nice fish for me. For fly flingers stick to intermediate lines and lighter presentations like clousers or finesse game changers.”

See today’s GAWRD report for more reservoir intel.

https://georgiawildlife.blog/2024/10/04/georgia-fishing-report-october-4-2024/

Afar:

Travel north of us has been sketchy at best.  As roads reopen, check with the local resource agencies and local tackle shops for timely intel and legal access.  Here are two good sources:

1. Tuck Fly Shop in Bryson City

https://www.facebook.com/share/sYS8Mm75ebXo2AXo/?mibextid=WC7FNe

1. Little River Outfitters in Townsend 

https://littleriveroutfitters.com/

UO buddy RonW: “The Trio is currently out west exploring Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. So far we have fished the Madison (inside and outside of the park), the Lamar, Soda Butte, Firehole, Gibbon and Yellowstone Rivers. This has been an amazing trip filled with incredible views, good food, bourbon, lots of laughs, plenty of windshield time and of course some fishing.

So far collectively we have caught Yellowstone Cutthroat, Brown Trout, Rainbows, a Cuttbow and a Montana Bonefish...aka Whitefish. 

Today 10/3 we are heading out to check out the Gallatin River. We have 3 more days until we have to go back to reality, we are going to savor every second left .”

10/4 update: “Third cast this morning. Ate a size 16 purple Duracell.  Folks if you haven't been out here....get out here as soon as possible!”

UO buddy MD: “Made a trip North to my old stomping grounds in the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. My father, brother, and I criss-crossed the Bay between Deale and Tilghman Island, MD. Beautiful weather, great conversations, tough fishing. I showed the gear fishermen how it was done and pulled in a nice striper on a big half-and-half Clouser to save the trip. Also ate my weight in fried oysters.”

Kudos: 

UGA 5Rivers exec Matt: “”Cooper Harlan and I hosted a fishing 101 presentation for our members of the 5 Rivers Fly Fishing Club here at UGA. We went over the what, when, where, and how’s of fishing for trout and bass across all of Georgia. We were extremely grateful for Outpost Oconee and Bushcraft Georgia for hosting this event. We believe this presentation properly equipped our new members to be able and go out and feel confident when they go fish! We are doing some great work down here of introducing new members to the world of fly fishing across Georgia!”

UO buddy Will, the Yellow Jacket: “The GT 5 Rivers club recently had its first official outing of the school year, where we took 23 participants out to Piedmont Park and taught them how to fly fish! After a quick casting clinic, we paired up our new fly fishers with mentors and headed out to catch some bluegill and crappie. Despite the low water and sunny conditions, many fish were caught, including most anglers’ first fish on the fly! It was the perfect way to start a lifelong addiction.”

There’s your post-Helene intel. Be careful in the woods if you go.  Good luck!

Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.

www.unicoioutfitters.com

Help Our NC Neighbors!

Our good friends at Davidson River Outfitters are right in the middle of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene and have turned their store into an emergency distribution center for Cajun Navy Relief (a volunteer 501c 3 NGO).  It'll be a long time before life returns to any semblance of normal in this area so we wanted to assist in getting the word out to everyone who would like to help.  

You can donate directly to Cajun Navy Relief on their website at https://www.cajunnavyrelief.com/.  

You can even request that it goes to the relief and recovery efforts in western North Carolina.  If you want, you can also make your donation in honor of Davidson River Outfitters.  

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/4uyNuNB7BK6sMBCZ/?

https://www.davidsonflyfishing.com/

We hope you will consider helping.

Thanks,

Jimmy