Here’s a fun one while we all wait for the woods and water to thaw out. How many rises can you spot?
We hope the video warms your soul and gives you some optimism for the topwater action to come. C’mon Spring!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
Well, here’s to a soggy St Patty’s Day. At least the rain is recharging our rivers. I deliberately delayed today’s report so I could count raindrops and then direct you to fishable waters tomorrow.
The north GA/southwestern NC region has gotten about an inch of rain, so the majority of our rivers will be too high for safe wading tomorrow. The better bet is to head upstream to smaller waters, which will drop quickly.
There are a few exceptions however, such as the upper Hooch, Tallulah, and Chattooga. We’ll just have to watch those stream gauges closely over the next 12-24 hours and ensure those flows don’t exceed our personal safe wading levels. When in doubt, stay out.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02178400&legacy=1
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02176930&legacy=1
I always say that March has a split personality. Dr. Jekyll was around earlier, and that mild weather brought us some good, early, shallow action. Last week, however, Hyde showed up and stomped down our water temps, forcing most of us to return to winter dredging techniques for consistent action.
Hyde’s supposed to exit by next Wednesday, so have some hope for spring dry fly action. We saw some early indicators this week, as described in our full report.
Flat water action is improving, according to our lake experts MD and Henry C. From crappie to bass to stripers, March action is on the upswing. It will only get better with the sun’s forthcoming warmth at midweek.
Check the flows before you go and aim for warmer afternoons when water temperatures will climb. Headwaters, ponds, and lakes are safer bets right now, so plan accordingly. See our full report for more details.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: elk hair caddis (#16 tan, #18 black or gray) parachute BWO, March Brown, dark Hendrickson, parachute Adams (#14-18).
Nymphs & Wets:
Jiggy pats, ice pupa, twisted mayfly, Millers plus one, jigged pheasant tail, tungsten soft hackle hares ear, micro egg.
Streamers & warm water:
Complex twist bugger, UV polar jig, Finesse changer, polar changer.
Headwaters:
Headwater action slowed down slightly last week due to the cooler weather. The topwater action wasn’t as vigorous, but nymph droppers still produced for small stream fans. Blueline action will heat up with our midweek temperature rebound.
UO buddy RSquared: “I spent four days in Asheville attending TU’s annual Southeastern Rendezvous. Friday was a fishing day and my NC host & I made a day of it. We went up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and fished two of the many streams along that famous scenic highway. The water was clear & the wild trout were looking up. We both were using a tan Elk Hair Caddis. Size 16 worked better than size 14.”
Delayed Harvest:
UO buddy CDB: “Fished some NC DH waters last Friday. Copper hares ears and rust/brown rubber legs were very productive. Very early was the most productive fishing. The water was still a little stained, but the fish were very willing. Once the cloud cover cleared up a little bit the fishing slowed down. I scored another Appalachia slam, including this lovely brown trout!”
I did a river recon yesterday (16th). Chattooga DH was crystal clear and 48F around noon, and flows were seasonably normal. Inexperienced anglers were picking off a few fish on squirmies and buggers. I watched some occasional, splashy rises, but couldn’t see the bugs. I’d guess small caddis were emerging. It’s a good time to sift the drift with your paint strainer stretched over your landing net. Try some small, natural nymph and soft hackle patterns. When it warms up next week, toss dry/droppers. From tiny caddis to bigger mayflies, make sure you have some gray in your dry box.
I then traveled further, across Wayah Bald, and studied Nantahala DH from my streamside perch.
While naive stockers stayed deep, those smart little wild bows recognized early supper and were cashing in.
Water temp was 50F and three hatching bugs caught residents’ attention: abundant, tiny (#18-20) black caddis,
a handful of #20 BWO’s, and an occasional #16 slate mayfly. Based on my pickled specimens, I’m calling that a Hendrickson dun.
Go deep for the stockers until they learn what natural bugs are. Try some eggs, bright beaded Euronymphs, mops, hares ears, and pheasant tails. If it looks like food, they should swipe at it.
But wild fish fans will have good opps to match the hatches when they resume with next week’s warmth. From mayflies to caddis, throw gray dries above whatever nymph or soft hackle droppers you hang below them.
Hunt before you fish: look for rises and search for bugs at the water’s edge and on streamside branches. Figure out the hatch and then match it, just like the Orvis video showed you this week. Ball caps and paint strainers should get workouts next week.
Hey, and when in doubt, just throw a #14-16 para-Adams and a tiny dark elk hair caddis trailer. Hi-stick it slowly along the banks and in soft slicks behind boulders. If the water’s cold, then switch the back fly to a pheasant tail nymph or soft hackle, and even add a #6 shot six inches above it to fish deeper.
Tailwaters:
No recent reports to our shop. Plenty of fish tales on the web, however, as fresh spring stockers enhance catch rates.
Private Waters:
UO manager Jake: “Despite the cold snap this week, both Nacoochee Bend on the Hooch and Rainbow Point on the Soque fished well. With the increase in flows and the drop in water temps, the fish were hugging the bottom, and the key to success was bumping the bottom with your flies. No one pattern really stood out for me this week, with fish coming on Girdle Bugs, small eggs, soft hackles, midges, and Rainbow Warriors. A good, deep drift was more important than our fly pattern.”
UO guide Ben had some happy clients on both rivers this week. Resident rainbows at our Soque Camp property took a liking to swung soft hackles, while Nacoochee Bend’s rainbows preferred drifted eggs, legs (Pat’s rubberlegs), and mops.
UO guide Caleb: “The Bend fished well this week despite the cold front. Small soft hackles and micro eggs brought rainbows to the bag. We’re starting to see some fish looking up, but nymphing was still the key to success.”
UO guide Israel: “Soque River rainbows really liked the Pat’s rubberlegs that my clients tossed their way this week. Deep drifts on the chilly water brought the most strikes.”
UO guide Devin’s trio of Nacoochee Bend clients did well by deep drifting small and natural nymph patterns like hare’s ears and pheasant tails.
Lakes:
UO buddy Athens MD: “After spending a great weekend in Asheville, NC at the Trout Unlimited SE Regional Rendezvous, Athens Jay and I arrived back in Athens on Sunday afternoon and I decided to hit one of my favorite local lakes. My time window was short, and it was cold and spitting rain, but I managed a nice bass on a gray zonker and several big crappie on the very productive "black euro jig". Ospreys, pileated woodpeckers, paired mallards, and barred owls provided the background soundtrack, which was nice.”
Reservoirs:
HenryC: “Lanier has awakened! The Big 3, stripers, spots, and largemouths, have been eating nicely over the past week. Surface feeding is sporadic but still exists throughout the entire lake. More fish are moving down south while others are staging to go up river. Here's the best advice: JUST GO! Fish are eating somethin else flies better than anything, since they’re primarily on threadfin schools. Both intermediate and fast sink lines are a must as bait and predators move up and down the water column.”
GAWRD did some pros-speck-ting recently and shared their intel via today’s blog. From trout to whites to walleye, the agency has a bit of everything for north GA fishing fans.
https://georgiawildlife.blog/2023/03/17/georgia-fishing-report-march-17-2023/
That’s the latest intel in this very late report. Hopefully our raindrop counts will help y’all decide which way to go tomorrow. When streams subside and when the icy air departs at midweek, north GA fishing should break loose. Spring is about to Break. Are you ready? Let us help. Stop in or give us a call at 706-878-3083 so we can enhance your own spring break-out!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
https://midcurrent.com/videos/learn-basics-of-insect-hatches-for-trout-fishing/
The show is a great refresher for all of us veterans. More importantly, it’s a must-view for any new flyfishers pursuing trout this spring. Have you ever had a more enjoyable homework assignment?
Orvis guru Tom Rosenbauer guides us through the four major insect families in simple and fun terms. He also reminds us how to interpret trout behavior, including rise forms, so we will tie on the right fly and match the hatch. Orvis casting master Pete Kutzer leads us through the reach cast, so that we’ll get that drag-free drift of our flies that picky spring risers often demand.
All that and more in some scenic, exciting onstream video clips - what more could we ask for? Except that thick caddis or mayfly hatch on our very next trip to trout waters. Watch this TV show and you’ll cash in on the action to come!
Special thanks to midcurrent.com for digging this show back up,
and to Orvis for its production.
https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons
Now we’ll all be ready to match the hatch!
Let’s spring forward into the best fishing season of the year. Our region received no more than 1/4 inch of rain last nite, so area streams remain in great shape. Same goes for your favorite creeks just north of the border. Today and tomorrow are prime, Sunday’s a washout, and next week chills down a bit. While dry fly action may slow, your afternoon dropper and streamer action should still be hot as Sunday’s high flows recede.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/uv?site_no=02330450
Ponds and lakes are firing up, too, with bass and crappie cruising the shallows. Reservoir stripers are on the hunt, but hunting them down yourselves remains a challenge. Henry said the spots have turned hot and will mitigate your striper catch rates while you wait out that twelve pounder. Overcast, rainy weather is a striper anglers’s best friend, too.
The weekend time change is a game changer. Now we’ll have plenty of daylight hours left after a school or work day to sneak in a local fishing trip. Weekend warriors can get their chores done in the morning and still have plenty of remaining sunshine to visit distant waters.
Just bring a warm shirt for the chilly mornings, a raincoat for the spring showers, and some good allergy meds for our heavy pollen hatch. May you hookset more than sneeze this week! We have a ton of intel to share in our full report for savvy anglers willing to click twice on the web. Take a look and you’ll set the hook often next week. Good luck!
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: elk hair caddis, Parachute Adams.
Nymphs & Wets:
Squirmy worm, jiggy pats rubber leg, hot rib Duracell, soft hackle Hare’s ear, Sexy Walt’s, twisted Mayfly.
Streamers & warm water:
Complex twist bugger, UV polar jig, Finesse changer.
Headwaters:
Headwaters have been in great shape and have fished well for blueline fans. While droppers have outfished dries, enough wild fish have looked up to excite dry fly fans. The topwater bite might slow a bit with next week’s cool-down, but keep tossing those dries on warm afternoons when waters get past 50 degrees.
UO buddy JT: “Earlier this week, I fished at notellum creek on the national forest, looking to capitalize on the warmer, sunshiny days (and my much-needed off time). Although the water ran quite low in these little streams, I still had some solid luck! Because of the warmer temps, I thought for sure the fish would be looking up, but I caught most wild ‘bows on the dropper and not the dry! My most successful dropper flies were a pheasant tail green flash or a rainbow warrior. The rainbow warrior hooked into a couple of beautiful wild ‘bows. Also, for the dry, the little wild browns and bows preferred a hi-viz griffith’s gnat (size 22 for the spooky ones) or a yellow/orange stimulator with small legs.”
UO buddy Splatek: “The boys and I caught a mess of little wild rainbows at about 2400 feet. Our hot bug was a bright bead egg fly drifted through pools and pockets.”
Delayed Harvest:
Both state agencies redosed their DH waters at the first of the month, so the GA and NC waters have fished really well. Fresh stockers have eaten anything thrown at them (worms, eggs, and small buggers are your top trio) while winter survivors are selecting realistic patterns like hares ears, pheasant tails, and midges.
UO buddy CDB:
“A Tale of Two Tactics
The past week’s beautiful, sunny days necessitated a change in tactics between mornings and afternoons. Be flexible and be willing to change out when your favorite pattern stops delivering the goods.
Private water and DH water fished similarly this week, except the for waters that were stocked last week. Squirmy worms were less productive than anticipated, but girdle bugs and rubber legs were very productive in the mornings. We mostly fished 2-nymph rigs and, given the consistency of the rubber legs, we ended up running 2 rubber legs on the rig, or just fishing a single for simplicity sake. Olive and black or rust and black patterns in size 8-10 were consistent winners. Remember, the water is warming up and the fish are looking up, so they are often suspending higher in the water column. More than 50% of our takes were on the top fly! Lighter body color stone flies also did pretty well, and Copper Johns delivered a few fish, too.
In the afternoon on sunny days, the bite seemed to shut down on water that hasn’t been recently stocked. However, shifting to stripped woolly buggers and matukas worked well until evening. Light colors were best until the sun went low enough to throw shadows across the water. Then we switched to darker patterns like thin mint and fire tiger. Thin Mint #6 and #8 remains a top producer.”
Don’t forget to fish that shallow riffle before you step in it. With the warmer water there are fish holding right there. Note that rainbows will hold in much faster water than many people think. I make a point to check every riffle before I put my foot in the water. Often they’re smaller fish, like a runt that ate my size 6 white woolly bugger, but there are good ones to be had as well.
Enjoy the colors out there, too. The woods are starting to pop during my second favorite time of the year. “
Tailwaters:
UO regular RonW: “Kurt and I fished the dam last Saturday the 4th. We had boots in the water at 10am and fished till 2pm. It was a slow day with only 7 fished landed between the two of us, with just as many LDRs. I hooked up two fish early on the streamer, both of which came unbuttoned. I switched to a dry/dropper, which ended up being the ticket for me. All three of my fish came on the dropper: 2 on a midge and 1 on a #18 BH pheasant tail.
The most interesting part was battling the 6 mph winds, which were more like 15 mph winds blowing in three directions at all times. It's always interesting when your dry fly is drifting upstream. All in all, it was another fantastic day on the water with a great friend.”
Private Waters:
UO Helen manager Wes: “Private waters fished well this week. With the clear flows a big key was changing up flies until you found what they wanted. Small mayfly patterns, eggs, and streamers were the top players.”
UO guide Ben had a great weekend on the Soque with his two Charleston guests. A chartreuse egg and some midge patterns worked on a dead drift, while streamer-stripping was also productive.
Ben’s Nacoochee Bend guests had a big time on Tuesday with resident bows. Young Noah displayed his skills and his smiles. Drifted eggs and jigged jig-streamer patterns put most of the fish in the net.
UO guide Caleb: “My clients had a rainy day at the Bend last Thursday. Several rainbows were brought to the bag using a double nymph rig. Small stoneflies and peach eggs were our top patterns.”
UO guide Israel: “Warmer water has our private waters fish feeding well and they were less selective during our recent warm spell. There was really no secret sauce. They ate everything I tied on, from a size 16 hares ear to a size 10 Pats rubberlegs. Pick a bug and drift it right, and you should find success. We’re starting to to see a fair amount of risers, which bodes well for the weeks ahead,”
Rivers:
UO regular RSquared: “ Sunday afternoon, two of my former student's & I went for a short fishing trip on the Etowah River. The bite was slower than normal but we all managed to boat some fish. The Alabama Bass were on the small side but had beautiful markings! Paying it forward to the next generation of fish & wildlife stewards! Spring is not far away!”
UO regular Landon spin-fished a mid-GA river for a buffet of warmwater species including Bartram bass, crappie, and redbreast sunfish. You can watch his videos here:
https://m.youtube.com/@LandingwithLandon
Lakes:
UO buddy Athens MD: “The crappie are fired up around Athens! My son and I had a great day on a local lake this past weekend, catching well into the double digits with some fat bluegill and shellcracker thrown into the mix. 10" crappie are a ton of fun on a 3wt! Black jig-style flies and brown rubber-legged dragons fished hopper-dropper style worked well. I started throwing small gray composite loop zonkers near the end of the day and had great luck pulling big crappie from very shallow water. The crappie bite should continue well into March.”
Reservoirs:
On his free time, UO guide Como has been restocking his freezer with crappie fillets. He’s dunking minnows under prime Lanier boat docks for some nice slabs and a bonus largemouth or two.
The WRD shocking boats are busy at this time of year. Their Friday afternoon intel, especially for reservoir species, is a must-read.
https://georgiawildlife.blog/category/fishing/
HenryC:”Stripers are still eating some BUT the big news this week is that the spotted bass awoke for fly anglers. They're shallow and hungry! Coyotes, Clousers, somethin else flies and mini game changers will all work.”
There’s your spring buffet table, which sure features a great selection this week. Watch the weather and streamflows and pick your favorite species and fishing method. If Sunday/Monday streams are blown, head to a lake. Just remember your rain jacket and a pocketful of tissues. Good luck. Stop in either UO store for some prime springtime flies and supplies. We sure appreciate your friendship and your business.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
PS: Last call on your chance at a Yellowstone flyfishing vacation for only ten bucks:
http://blog.angler.management/2023/02/win-yellowstone-flyfishing-trip.html
As we welcome spring dry fly season, now’s a perfect time for a deep dive into caddisflies. The Orvis podcasts by Tom Rosenbauer are excellent information sources and can help you pass the time during your daily commutes.
First, tune into Tom’s “Ten Tips for Fishing Caddisflies” here:
https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/podcasts/general-fly-fishing/268-ten_tips_for_fishing_caddisflies
Next, if you’d like to swim deeper, then listen to a recent podcast, “the life cycle of caddisflies,” with expert Thomas Ames:
https://orvisffguide.libsyn.com/the-life-cycle-of-caddisflies-with-thomas-ames
Knowing what insect and life stage to tie on, and how to fish it, will boost your success over the next 2-3 months. Caddisflies bring us great seasonal action, so do a little homework on these bugs now. Your investment of time will pay off handsomely when you step into the stream next time and notice caddisflies fluttering about!
Which caddisflies? Save and use your local hatch charts! Good luck.
http://www.ngatu692.com/Hatch_Charts.html
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
