Kennesaw Fly Fisher - New to Area

New to Kennesaw. Just moved here from North Carolina in May. Looking for places to go fishing for Trout. I have a tried a few places with no success so far. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

If there are places near to Kennesaw, great. If not, I am fine driving north 1.5 - 2 hours.
 

rnfarley

Senior Member
Can't agree with this book enough. The raccoon creek thing in paulding county is ok if you're just desparate - so is pine log/stamp creek but you're just going to catch little put and take stockers. Your best bet is to get comfortable with maps of no-cell-cervice areas of cohutta and rich mountain wilderness below blue ridge and north west of ellijay.

I think the updated version of this book is actually this one he released last year: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1795413476/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i2
 

rnfarley

Senior Member
That said - if you're in kennesaw and want to expand your horizons, the chattahoochee and the etowah are both excellent fly fishing for spots and striper at times of the year. you can get good trout in the ATL and up sections of the Hooch but I don't like fighting the crowds to get out on that side of things.

Honestly - bank fishing top water hoppers/poppers for bass on allatoona isn't horrible either if you can get away from the yahoos and jetskis - typically after labor day you'll have a solid october fishing at the lake if you have a kayak/canoe and can get out and just work the brush piles on the banks
 
All good suggestions. I order the recommended books and a couple others:
Georgia Delayed Harvest Trout Guide

Trout Fishing in North Georgia: A Comprehensive Guide to Public Lakes, Reservoirs, and Rivers

Flyfisher's Guide to North Carolina & Georgia

Hopefully these get me pointed in the right direction. I was surprised to read on this forum that Noontootla was over fished. I thought heard the opposite and I have tried it a couple of times. The runs look appealing, but I only hooked grubs and a few small trout. I think the challenge there were people walking around in the water with their dogs.
 

RFJ25

Member
Welcome to Georgia! I think this state has great trout fishing. It's different from out west and NE and not as robust as mid-Atlantic due to elevation and logging impact, but there's some good water to fish.

Hopefully these get me pointed in the right direction. I was surprised to read on this forum that Noontootla was over fished. I thought heard the opposite and I have tried it a couple of times. The runs look appealing, but I only hooked grubs and a few small trout. I think the challenge there were people walking around in the water with their dogs.

If you interested in catching wild trout (stream born trout) and don't mind hiking a little then my suggestion is visit streams on state Wildlife Management Areas and National Forest recreation day use areas/camp sites and then hike a ways upstream. You'll be passing the areas that spin anglers and bait fishers frequent. Usually 15 to 30 minutes will put you somewhere decent to test out the water. Keep in mind if there's a road immediately adjacent to the stream/creek like in the case of Noontootlah this doesn't always work as well since spin and fly anglers have to just climb up and down a summary hill too hop from pool to pool and run to run

Personally I love fishing small streams for what are usually tiny trout by almost all standards, 4"-7". The catches are typically rainbows, and if the elevation is high enough, above 2000', occasionally a brookie. I haven't caught many browns on Georgia small streams which may be just me.

I think the post Covid season has been tough because so many people are out in our state and national parks/areas. Some are fishing but many are just cooling off in the water. If you get some distance from the parking areas and crowds then you can get on some trout. Keep in mind stealth is always important on small streams and look for protective lies while it's still summer weather: e.g. broken water (more oxygen and cover from above), shade under limbs and rocks, etc.

Good luck!
 

Jimmy Harris

Senior Member
One of the best things you can do to learn more is to meet the folks at Cohutta TU. They meet (or will when Covid is gone) right in your neck of the woods. They're a very active group and willing to share information with newbies.

https://www.tucohutta.org/
 

Wifeshusband

Senior Member
Get yourself a copy of Jimmy Jacobs, "Trout Fishing In North Georgia." That book covers the main North Georgia streams and has put me on stringer after stringer of trout, and I'm a mediocre fly fisherman.
 
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