Jimmy Harris
Senior Member
Welcome to a warm, soggy, and spongy northeast Georgia. Yesterday’s 3.5-4 inches of rain had our streams rocking. We could have roll-cast off the porch yesterday afternoon!
Headwater flows have already dropped to fishable levels today for careful waders, while rivers are still flooded out.
Another inch or two of rain is expected late tomorrow (Saturday), so your weekend trouting window is very narrow. The good news is that a) fall’s droughty watersheds are recharging nicely and b) some nice weather is due next week.
Your better bet is flat water. Try some small lakes and big reservoirs. While we have no recent reports, bass and crappie should move into the muddy, warmer shallows. For more good lake intel, check out Capt Mack Farr’s weekly fishing report. We did and are going today.
Tie some flies, watch some football, and stock up now at your favorite fly shops for your spring trips. I know of a couple in Helen and Clarkesville. And if you can’t make it north this weekend, we’re coming south next weekend. Stop in at booth #436 next Friday, Saturday, or Sunday at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show in Duluth.
Check out our full weekly report and Wes’ hot fly list:
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
Dries: Gray Elk Hair Caddis, Parachute Adams, BWO, Cream Midge, Griffith’s Gnat, small Micro Chubby Chernobyl as headwater dry for your droppers.
Nymphs & Wets: Twister Egg, RS2, Micro Flexi Girdle Bug (black), Brown Pats Rubberlegs, Squirminator (during high water), Duracell Jig, Frenchie.
Streamers & warm water: (Trout) Wooly Bugger, Sparkle Minnow, UV Polar Jig. (bass & stripers) Clouser Minnow, Cowen’s Somethin' Else, Finesse Changer.
Headwaters:
They were ripping yesterday (Friday), but have already dropped this morning to fishable flows for careful waders. Spoilcane ran a nice, warm 49F at 9 AM due to a mild night, and had cleared significantly.
On headwaters, try a dry/long dropper combo down to a #16 tungsten beaded nymph and hi-stick the soft water. Or follow Rodney’s lead, below. Dukes should fish well tomorrow for reservation holders and lucky “walk-ons” with good raincoats. Match fly size and shade to water clarity.
RSquared braved the elements last week: “It was spitting snow, the wind was howling, the guides on my fly rod were constantly freezing up, the air temp never rose above the mid 20’s, and I had a blast catching wild rainbows somewhere in North Georgia this past Friday. Subsurface tandem-rigged nymphs proved to be very successful. For my lead fly, I used a "Pats Rubber Leg." (Girdle Bug) I dropped various nymphs behind it with some success but most of the fish I caught, came from the PRL. Six of the stream-born rainbows I landed were over 8 inches, with the longest being 11 inches. I did not use a strike indicator and all of the takes were very subtle. Managing your slack line and paying close attention to any unusual movement in the leader is essential when the water temperature is low. "Stocked fish are great, big fish are better, but wild fish are the best!!!!"
My friend Spangler marked a personal milestone: “Hey Dredger, I had hoped to send you this in time to have for last week’s report but didn’t get a chance to. Some Friday recon for headwater streams: very cold. Warmest water temp I got was 39. BUT…I finally got my brook trout I’ve been chasing. Actually 2. They were both in a relatively deep plunge pool and the first one (who was camera shy and released himself) actually hit a dry (Orange Stimulator) but was hooked on the dropper, clearly not very well. This one (the bigger of the 2) hit a Micro Bugger just jigging it through the hole. There was some nice snow flurries coming down too once I got above 3k feet, I was really digging it! I found this spot the old-fashioned way too: looking over top maps and boots on the ground. Definitely a proud moment in my fly fishing journey!”
Public Water Streams:
The bigger watersheds are blown out and unsafe for wading. Go farther uphill on the national forest and WMA’s to find wadeable flows and maybe a few stockers or wilds with better appetites due to this warm spell.
Delayed Harvest:
It’s the normal slim winter pickings in most regional DH streams. High flows, cold water, and few fall stocking survivors typically decrease our catch rates this season. Right now most DH streams are roaring from the storm runoff and will roar again after Saturday’s rains.
Next week looks good, though. Flows will recede and we welcome February, which may bring some Georgia DH stockings near the first of the month. Note that Ami already got redosed last week. Keep an eye out for any WRD stocking news later today. Also, note that NC’s DH stockings usually don’t resume until March. Well, lookie here, the new year’s schedule has been posted!
Your trouting key remains “flood refuges.” Find the slow, deep stuff, fish it low and slow, and you can still have some great days afield this winter. Legs, Eggs, and Pheasant Tail droppers in big pools and Euro rigs in pocket water are our favored winter recipes.
Smith DH roared yesterday. It had dropped a bit and cleared when I revisited it at 9 today. Water temp 46F. Skip the riffles and fish the deep, slow spots in hopes of discovering a flood survivor or two. While your catch may be slim, it will still get you out of the house and you might even spot an eagle at dusk.
Nan DH:
Dredger saw online indications of a potential winter window last Tuesday morning and decided on a road trip. Warm weather had de-iced the shaded mountain roads, and the radar loop projected some dry afternoon hours. Stream gauges showed that some favored waters had dropped to wadeable flows. He hedged his bet, though, by picking a stream right next to a road, in case the rainfall didn’t heed the forecast.
He rode up to the Nan DH and, to his surprise, found much more whitewater than flat water. There were more whitewater yakkers plotting their runs than anglers donning waders (2). But there was still an opportunity to fish from the bank or right next to it. A stream temp of 42F gave him hope.
He rigged up his 10ft/3wt Clearwater rod with a long tippet down to a heavy (4mm) Walts Worm, with a Copper Frenchie dropper. Hitting the soft pockets along the bank and behind boulders and ledges within reach, he found fish. Wild fish.
Enough to make him very happy for two hours before he netted his first stocker. He ended the day with a bunch of pretty wild bows, two wild browns with a dandy, jumping 11-incher, and six stocker browns and bows.
Most of the wild fish ate the Frenchie dropper, while the stockers like the bigger, brighter anchor (Walts, Tan Mop)
He uncapped a hefty, retired brood rainbow at his feet. Despite that loss, it was a great 4-hour afternoon, topped by an eagle siting as he quit at 5. He was glad he followed the “winter window” data to success.
North Georgia Private Waters:
Between cold weather and floods, most anglers were sidelined last week. Those untouched fish should be fine targets next week when rivers recede.
Small Lakes:
No reports.
Reservoirs:
No reports from our hibernating flyrodders as they wait for warmer water to bring Shad and Stripers within reach. Watch Capt Mack Farr’s weekly reports for some great midwinter intel. We just read it and we’re going on a Lanier “trip of hope” this afternoon. Hey, a boat ride beats sitting at home.
Midwinter Rendezvous:
We’re short on reports because it’s been too dang cold, and Dillard House was a much better weekend deal. Thanks to all 174 folks who attended last Saturday’s banquet that helped Rabun TU raise ten grand for their 2024 good deeds. Congrats to Sawyer Maddux on his Outstanding TU Youth award appropriately entitled, the Young of the Year. Sawyer gives us great hope for the future of our sport and aquatic conservation.
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That’s your skimpy helping of fish tales this week. Just have hope for next week, whether you venture outside or choose some indoor adventures at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show. Don’t forget to stop by and share some lies with us:
Atlanta, GA | The Fly Fishing Show
flyfishingshow.com
Good luck this week as we make it through the midwinter blues together.
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