A Trout By any Other Name

A Trout By Any Other Name

submitted by Mark Whitney

This past weekend, while the weather was right and the fishing reports even better, I thought I’d try my hand at fly fishing for trout; spotted sea trout, that is.  It was my first foray into salt water with a fly rod so I didn’t have high expectations for my chances.  But, with a buddy who has a house on the Gulf, another who generously loaned me a stand-up kayak, yet another who gave me a box of flies, and having purchased a brand new 8 weight, how could I possibly go wrong?  I got to my destination on Thursday evening and the local Sheriff’s deputy, who happens to be a fishing buddy, told me the trout were biting and the fishing had been good the last few days.  The local weather called for calm clear skies through the weekend, plenty of sun and mild temperatures.  Yep, things were looking up!

Friday morning, the sky was clear, the temps were mild and the wind was howling like a dog with its tail caught in a closed car door.  These are not prime casting conditions for someone who fishes creeks in north Georgia and generally only sees the first 12 feet of his fly line.  After wearing my arm out back casting into a gale, I pulled out my trusty spinning rod and laid waste to those toothy critters using an electric chicken salt water assassin.  There’s more than one way to fill the skillet!  At about 2:00 in the afternoon and 6 hours of fishing, the wind quit being mad and went away.  Fortunately the bite was still on, the tide was low, the trout were huddled up in the deep holes and I hadn’t noticed how sunburned my legs were yet.  I went back to the fly rod, tied on a white and pink clouser minnow and called myself a fly fisherman once again.

I finished up the day with 5 trout using my fly rod and 3 lady fish.  The lady fish were the most fun, running, jumping and trying to shake my flies.  They certainly earned their reputation as the poor man’s miniature tarpon.

Saturday broke a little cooler and the wind was mostly a non-factor.  I stuck with my fly rod most of the day and was happy to have the chance.  I ended up with more trout than I could keep and caught another 5 lady fish.  Again, most were caught on a clouser, but a couple were caught on a fly tied by a friend of mine.  I’d tell you what it looks like, but then he’d have to kill me (his words, not mine).

I have spent many days fishing for spotted sea trout and redfish in the bay near my friend’s house on the Gulf.  It’s not too far from Steinhatchee and this time of year the fishing is always good.  Usually, I’m a little more efficient and proficient using a spinning rod, but I have never had as much fun as I did using my new fly rod.  I highly recommend it!  And I know I will be going back as often as I can.  Trout in north Georgia hold a special place in my heart, but trout on the Gulf Coast hold a special place in my imagination!

I hope to see you on the water some time.

Mark

The Angling Learning Curve with Mike Popick

We received this from our friend Mike Popick today and enjoyed it so much we thought we would share it with everyone.  If you know Mike, you can feel the excitement in his story and you can see that grin on his face (Although we aren't sure why he's so serious in this photo).  We think there's something most of us can garner from Mike's story and that is we can all learn from someone who spends a lot of time on the water, regardless of how long we've been fishing.  We hope you'll take the time to live vicariously through his "fishing report".


Trip Report. 10/11/2012


"Never too old to learn"

Always wanted to take a guided trip to have someone evaluate my fishing ability, correct and teach me so I can improve and have a more successful day on the river, but never could justify the cost.  One afternoon while listening to Dave Ramsey telling a listener the things
they could cut out of their spending and reduce their debt, I thought by applying these same techniques it would be possible to save for a trip.  It was amazing how fast my savings grew.  In September I booked a trip with Jake Darling for Oct 11.

Oct 11 - What a beautiful day, the water temps were in the mid 50's, air temp started out at 48 but was forecasted to rise to be in the 70's.  I was so looking forward to it I got to Unicoi Oufitters an hour before they opened.  I knew I had picked the right guide when I saw Jake
wearing a Fish Pond type of vest that was bulging front and back just full of stuff that would be used throughout the day.  We went over what I was wanting to learn and then headed out.

I learned so much that day it made me quite aware how knowledgeable and valuable a really good guide is.  Things I learned throughout the day:

Lesson 1 - Indicator Depth and Weight

Indicator depth is set at about 1.5 x the depth of the water (I was using 2X the depth  and my weight was actually quite a distance from the indicator).
  
Weight - always make sure I've got my flies ticking along the bottom.  Found out there is a difference between ticking the bottom versus dragging a lead anchor.  Used 50% less weight throughout the day, drift was a lot smoother and I was ticking the bottom.  The weight is placed 12" above the point fly. Point fly is the attractor - second fly 18" from the point fly is the meal. 80-90% of my catches were on the second fly.  A weight too heavy will reduce the ability to feel light takes.

Lesson 2 -  Hook Set

All rigged up and ready to go - point fly was a blue Y2K with an ATOMIC orange tungsten bead.  The second fly was a size 16 rainbow warrior.  Prior to the taking the first cast Jake was reading the water to me, where the seam was, possible places where the trout maybe lying in wait.  Great theory, but does it work - 1st drift -  fish on - fish off.  Uh-oh - here comes Jake.  Time for another lesson.  Fly above me, hook set to either right or left while facing upstream.  Fly below me, swing the rod across while facing downstream.  What I was doing when the fly was downstream and a hit occurred was moving my rod tip upstream pulling the fly right out of the trout's mouth.  Old habits are going to hard to break . By the end of the day that old habit was somewhat gone; it was either hook or not hook.  Jake was able to show me in some clear water the position the trout was taking as my fly approached.  I would have missed the hook set with my old method.

Lesson 3 -  Let the Fish Run

After a hooking large trout, it is important to give your net man time to get positioned to make the net.  Five seconds is not enough time.  If you try to out-power the fish, the size 16 hook will just pull out.  Here comes another lesson.  Jake then explained how to let the trout run, apply some pressure and use the drag on the reel.  Maintain pressure.  I knew all that, but the thought of a large rainbow in the net just did me in.  Spend time practicing on any fish hooked as if it was a large fish.  Later that day, a big one was landed!  

I had the opportunity this past week to guide a wounded vet that was participating in a Project Healing Waters event.  Using the same techniques, I was able to instruct the vet to land a 7 lb rainbow on 4X tippet and a size 16 orange soft hackle.  

Lesson 4 - It's Not the Fly - It's the Drift

How many times have you heard someone asking the guy who is catching the fish "What fly do you have on?" and then wonder why they are not getting any hits.  Watch their drift instead.  Jake did a little experiment with me.  Once I got the hang of the drift, it did not matter if I was using a Rainbow Warrior,  Pheasant Tail or a Hares Ear, they all caught fish.  Mending the line is fairly easy to do and is important to maintain a good drift, when I saw the belly of the line start to get below the indicator I would raise my rod tip and flip the line upstream, what this did is move my indicator 6-10".  After getting instructions from Jake, I was able to mend with only a slight movement on the indicator.  Hold the rod parallel to the water and quickly rotate your wrist in an upstream direction - slack will follow the roll and end upstream.

Then I learned about the unknown "L bend" (as least I was not aware of it).  This is where the line near the indicator would be upstream of the indicator and the main belly of the line downstream.  What happens is the belly pulls on the upstream line and stops the drift.  A slight mend downstream will remove the L bend and the drift continues.  If needed, mend the line back upstream.

Lesson 5 - Sensing the Hit

It was unbelievable that Jake was able tell me I had a hit before I saw it on the indicator but, sure enough, by reacting to Jake's call a fish would be on.  For the next hour all we did was play a game to see if I could detect my indicator move before Jake called out.  He won that game.  However, it was amazing to learn the subtle movements of the line or indicator of a take.  Some hits were so light only the leader would move slightly while the indicator just bobbed along.

Lesson 6 - Time for the Streamers

Forget the wooly buggers, bring on the streamers for big trout, sinking line, 7wt rod, 4" streamer with a skull cap.  This was really interesting.  It took all I had to pick the line out of the water, toss a heavy fly behind me and throw it 40-50'.  No false casting here.  Strip moderately fast with 12" strips, pause after a few strips, strip, pause and wait for a hit, strip, pause.  The side hits were the best and happened right at the pause, a violent hit to say
the least.  The hits from behind could hardly be felt.  Jake would see the fish chase the streamer, inhale it and let go with me never feeling the hit if I was stripping the line.  Big streamers are for the pros and I'll leave it up to them for now.


Did I learn anything?   Yes, a lot of things I thought I was doing correctly were not as correct as I imagined and the things I didn't know I learned.

The guides at Unicoi Outfitters are all outstanding teachers.

How was fishing?  I really was paying more attention to learning and never kept count.  I believe Jake had me down for +30 healthy trout averaging around 18" and a couple of 20"s before lunch.

What's next?  Saving up for a spring trip with Jake.

Mike

Great Autumn Fishing at Nacoochee Bend!

From Ron Thomas:

Click for large photo of a large fish!

I fished Thursday and Friday at  Nacoochee Bend with Don Barfield and Matt Hummel.  Our North Georgia fall weather was unbelievable Friday, and so was the fishing.  We had some break offs, but landed several big fish.  This one caught by Matt has to be the biggest trout that I have netted anywhere in quiet a while.  Even though this was Matt's first time fly fishing for trout, he played the huge fish like a pro.  What a pleasure to fish with Don and Matt and to enjoy God's creation--we had a blast.  It's hard to beat fishing in our mountains this time of the year--see you on the water. 

Nacoochee Bend is Open!

...for the fall/winter season - and apparently fishing well!

Sage Circa In Stock!

Sage's new line of Circa rods combines old-school feel with new technology for a new class of slow-action fly rods. We've got both 7'9" and 8'9" 4 weights in stock now!

  Sage CIRCA - Fly Fishing with Advanced, Slow-Action Performance. from Sol Duc Buck on Vimeo.

The CIRCA rod with Konnetic technology is a game changer in the slow-action style of dry fly fishing. Its hypnotically smooth slower tempo combined with crisp and precise loading and unloading of each cast results in unmatched accuracy and delicate presentations. The CIRCA is a perfect addition to your rod collection, allowing you to approach a river with stealthy, short-range accuracy.

Orvis Silver Sonic Waders Have Arrived!

We've really been looking forward to getting these in the shop, and now, they're here!  The technology and design are awesome, as you can tell from the video above - what you can't tell is how comfortable they are (which is very!), and what a great value they are:  at $259, they're the best value in waders on the market today.

We've just received a shipment in Helen in an assortment of sizes, so come up and try them on - just in time for the fall fishing season.  And if we don't have your size in stock, or if you can't make it by the shop, we'll happily have a pair shipped to your door, and we'll pay the shipping!

Come check 'em out!

My Position On Our Responsibility

Okay, I'm not sure why I feel led to make this post other than to impress upon our readers the commitment we have to the precious resources we all love and use to one degree or another and the heartfelt passion we have for not only passing along our tradition to the next generation, but to helping ensure that generation has access to quality resources.  I realize that this may only be read by one or two of our friends but I'm stating it regardless.

In the past week, I have posted a couple of things on Facebook regarding issues that we hold near and dear to our core, the most recent being a link to a blog post by the President of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (which Unicoi belongs to).  It concerned the proposal by the White House to  invest $450 million in the Land and Water Conservation Fund for fiscal year 2013.  From the comments I received, you would have thought I was advocating a ban on moms, baseball and apple pie as we all goose step off into the future.  Not because they were opposed to the LWCF.  There wasn't even an indication any of them even know what it is.  Their ire was directed at me and the president of AFFTA for being so blind as to not see the dangers of giving President Obama credit for trying to do something positive.  We live in the most amazing country that has ever been conceived.  Somehow we continue to be the strongest nation in the world while very little over 50% of the voting public ever supports one party or the other.  I've always thought it grand that almost half the country will disagree with one candidate, or party, or the other and yet, we put our shoulders to the grindstone after every election and keep working hard to move forward.  Interesting, isn't it.  Regardless of who you vote for and who's policies you support, half the people in our country disagree with you!  So please, no more attempts to use our Facebook page for political commentary.  Just remember, one of every two people who read your vitriol (liberal or conservative) are going to disagree with you.  And beyond that, they probably don't care what your personal opinions are and you have almost a zero chance of convincing them otherwise.  Whew!  Feels good to get that off my chest.

A little history here only because it was the issue du jour.  The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established by Congress back in 1964.  It's sole purpose was to use mitigation money collected from offshore oil and gas drilling for projects which would benefit the American public:  specifically to conserve irreplaceable lands and improve outdoor recreation opportunities.  These were not taxpayer dollars.  The Fund had broad bipartisan support in Congress (yeah, imagine that!).  For almost 50 years now, the funds have been being collected and deposited into the U. S. Treasury to the tune of $900 million each year.  Guess what!  Every year, with the exception of 2 of the 50, Congress has raided the LWCF cookie jar and spent it on their own pet programs.  Now, Congress passed the LWCF legislation, even wrote it up to declare that it was to only be used for the specific purposes mentioned above, but habitually took the money and used it elsewhere.  They stole our LWCF money and continue to do so!

So here's where I am.  As long as I'm one of the owners of Unicoi Outfitters, I will continue to focus of being a good steward and a good conservationist and will share whatever information available that I feel is important and noteworthy in this area.  The LWCF issue happens to be one of them.  I may be taking a stance but I may also simply be passing along information of interest to other anglers and conservationists.  Verbally slamming me and those I work with can be done on a private level if you feel absolutely bound to tell me how unpatriotic I am for giving the President (any president) a platform.  I'll be more than happy to discuss with you how blessed I feel I am to be an American, the dedication I have in my business as well as my personal life to helping create a better life for servicemen both on active duty (that's part of how I earn my living and I'm proud of it) and those who have sacrificed their bodies and their lives in our defense.  You can reach me through the shop phone or email.

Until then, I plan to concentrate on positive things like teaching kids and adults about the outdoors I have loved and respected for as long as I can remember being aware of them.  I hope I can instill some of the same awe in you.  Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Jimmy

Tying the "Original" Pheasant Tail

This is pretty cool.  Frank Sawyer, the English gentleman who was the originator of the famous Pheasant Tail Nymph is shown tying one in this old "film".  You can make up your own voice over and appropriate accompanying music if you need it.  Enjoy!

Finally Got To Trout Fish!

After several weeks of, essentially, not getting my weekly fix of fishing in I made up my mind this past weekend to find me some water to fish.  Now, I'm not one to complain about rain, particularly during the hot summer months, but the recent pattern of thunderstorms every afternoon have put a serious cramp in my style.  Muddy waters in the Chattahoochee downstream from Helen have made shoal bass fishing tough to accomplish.  The Jekyll and Hyde personality of the Little Tennessee River make trips to North Carolina a poor odds game.  If someone in Franklin spits in the Little T, you can't fish it for three or four days until the mud clears.  Even redeye fishing on the lower Chattooga has been curtailed due to high water conditions.  My lovely wife has threatened to fill the bath tub with water just so I can get some casting in.  It's a serious psychological issue at my house when I don't get to fish.

Jake with a nice rainbow

So this past Friday I conned Jake and my friend Chris Borders into floating the Toccoa.  Our plan was to get on the water by 9 AM, float from Curtis Switch to McCaysville, riding the generation wave out the last few miles.  It worked perfectly!  Lounging in the shade eating a great shore lunch prepared by Chris, the water caught us at 2:45.  Our success had been so-so up until that point, mostly because we were too hard headed to switch from dries to nymphs.  Well, you know how it is; when you've got your heart set on chocolate pie and you're served strawberry, you're just a little disappointed.

A nice 'bow (lower left center) diving
back to the depths

We were also suffering a little bit from Bill Kelly syndrome.  My late friend, Bill was famous for having quoted to everyone within hearing distance, "If I ain't gonna catch em, I'd just as soon not catch em on dry flies!".  This was our mind set Friday.  When we did dredge deep with lead and indicators, we caught fish just "bam, bam".  Mostly Rainbow Warriors and Pheasant Tails but a couple were caught on a Lime Juice bream fly bouncing the bottom. 

Mark on unnamed stream

On Saturday, I succumbed to the pressures of another of my fishing buddies, Mark Whitney, and drove to the Smokies for some wild trout fishing.  What a magnificent day!  I don't think the air temperature ever got above 73 or 74 degrees.  Water conditions were perfect and we had the stream to ourselves.  Although Mark was hard headed about fishing dries only, I did give in and fish a dry dropper most of the day.  Big Royal Trudes, Elk Hair Caddis and even a Rubber Legged Tarantula brought them to the top.  The biggest fish of the day, Mark's 14" rainbow, actually took the Tarantula.  Looked too good to pass up. 

I

When you can spend time casually taking photos mixed in with a little fishing and a good fried chicken lunch, you can't ask for much more.  I understand it was hot, muggy and raining down here in Georgia on Saturday.   No, you don't mess with Mother Nature but you can sneak one by her now and then if you need to preserve your sanity.  

New North Carolina Regs?

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission held a meeting recently where they were presented with a few potentially interesting changes in fishing regulations.  The Commission was presented with staff proposals to make portions of Big Snowbird and Fires Creeks Delayed Harvest streams among other proposed changes to the fishing regs.  These changes are proposed for the 2013 - 2014 seasons and are subject to public hearings, so it's still a good way out if the changes even happen - but worth keeping a watch out.  The complete list of proposed changes is available here in Exhibit C:  NCWRC 7/12/12 Meeting Agenda

Hot Weather Relief - Enjoy

Fly fishing in Brittany, Part 1 / Pêche à la mouche en Bretagne

I realize this isn't from north Georgia but it's a cool video with no hyperbole & no vulgarity that really makes me want to go stand in a small stream and cast dry flies.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

You May Be In The Smokies If....

...this is your morning shower.

...this is your office.

...this is fine dining.

...this is your mid-afternoon sleep number mattress.

...this is your Damsel in distress.

...this is your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Father's Day

Father's Day is this weekend!

Forest Services Waives Fees for National Get Outdoors Day June 9

Forest Services Waives Fees for National Get Outdoors Day June 9

Gainesville, GA- The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is waiving fees at most of its day-use recreation sites as part of National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day) on Saturday, June 9, 2012. GO Day is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with participating partners to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.

"Through this fee waiver we hope to reach some first-time visitors to Georgia's national forests," said Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Supervisor George Bain. "It's a perfect opportunity for reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors. Go for a hike, cast a fishing line, look for wildlife, paddle a canoe...just get out and explore your public lands," said Bain.

Most day-use recreation areas in the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests that are open for the season and operated by the Forest Service will waive any normal day-use fees. Forest visitors may check with their local Forest Service office for more information. Specific sites with fee waivers in place on each Ranger District include:

Blue Ridge Ranger District Office (Blairsville, GA - 706-745-6928)
• Beasley Knob OHV Trailhead
• Deep Hole Recreation Area
• DeSoto Falls Recreation Area
• Lakewood Landing Boat Launch
• Toccoa River Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area
• Whissenhunt OHV Trailhead

Chattooga River Ranger District Office (Lakemont, GA - 706 754-6221):
• Frady Branch Trailhead
• Oakey Mountain OHV Trailhead

Conasauga Ranger District Office (Chatsworth, GA - 706 695-6736):
• Chestnut Mountain Shooting Range
• Dry Creek Trailhead
• Houston Valley OHV Trailhead
• Lake Conasauga Day Use Area
• Sumac Creek Shooting Range

Oconee Ranger District Office (Eatonton, GA - 706 485-7110):
• Dyar Pasture Day Use Area
• Lake Sinclair Day Use Area
• Miller Lake Day Use Area
• Ocmulgee Bluff Trailhead
• Oconee River Day Use Area
• Redlands Recreation Area
• Roberts Bike Camp OHV Trailhead
• Swords Recreation Area
• Town Creek OHV Trailhead

Additional information about the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, including details and status updates for all national forest recreation areas, is available on the web at www.fs.usda.gov/conf.

This is the second of four Forest Service fee waiver events in 2012, with others scheduled for National Public Lands Day - Sept. 29, and Veterans Day Weekend - Nov. 10-12. The fee waiver days support the goals of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move Outside" program. For more information on the Forest Service's recreation fee program and how these funds are used, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/passespermits/about-rec-fees.shtml.

The pilot effort of National Get Outdoors Day was launched on June 14, 2008, and has grown every year. Building on the success of More Kids in the Woods and other important efforts to connect Americans, and especially children, with nature and active lifestyles, the USDA Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) led an inclusive, nationwide effort focusing on a single day when people would be inspired and motivated to get outdoors. For more information about GO Day, visitwww.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Encompassing around 867,000 acres across 26 counties, the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests provide the finest outdoor recreation opportunities and natural resources in Georgia. Featuring nearly 118,000 acres of designated Wilderness, more than 800 miles of recreation trails, and dozens of campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreation activity opportunities, these lands are rich in natural scenery, history and culture. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is part of the Southern Region, with the Forest Supervisor's office in Gainesville, Georgia, managing four District units in Blairsville (Blue Ridge District), Lakemont (Chattooga River District), Chatsworth (Conasauga District), and Eatonton (Oconee District).

Media Contact
Judy Toppins (770) 297-3061

The Details

Click on Collage for the Details

Like most anglers and others who enjoy being in the outdoors, I am often moved by the world around me and try to capture the images in my mind as I soak in the panorama.  Mountain ranges fading into the horizon, the silhouette of a grand old walnut tree against the mist of a cool morning.  Being a part of these scenes gives me pause and reminds me of why I feel more at home here than in my office.  But even beyond that majestic canvas, I find so much beauty in the details of God's Green Earth.  Common things become uncommon when viewed in minute detail.  Patterns and colors emerge that often go overlooked.  When we slow down and take the time to absorb what's right in front of us, it can turn a good day afield into a day of discovery.  The scale pattern of a common shiner suddenly resemble silver jewelry.  The tiny dark eyes peering at you from a cluster of salamander eggs sequestered just below the water's surface look as innocent as a newborn baby.  Are the rusty dots and dashes decorating the sides of a long-eared sunfish some form of Morse Code or a reflection of its DNA?

The photos in this collage are just a few that I have collected that bring a special memory to mind every time I see them.  You may click on the image to see them in a larger format but be warned that these are not professional quality photos.  They're mine and, actually, they're parts of mine taken with a variety of mostly point and shoot cameras and slightly edited with iPhoto before pasting together.  Remember, it's the details of the moment that caught my attention.  I hope this encourages you to stop and look for them on your next adventure.