I haven’t posted very much on GON before and I haven’t posted anything in about one year. I’ve been doing a lot of wild brook trout fishing in the North Georgia mountains lately. I’ve been tracking down these streams a few years now. I’ve gone to some very remote streams the past couple months and had a lot of success catching brookies. They are plentiful in the 4 to 6 inch range, and I am still chasing one bigger than that. To no surprise to most of you reading this, they are biting on almost anything from dry flies to nymphs.
Some of the streams that I have been visiting are basically uncharted (or haven’t been visited in years or decades since the logging and mining era), so there are no trails there and the walk usually is down a ravine or up a mountain through thickets of rhodies and mountain laurels. Sometimes I can take the AT or other trails into the general area and then go off the trail at a determined spot. Strategic travel to the stream must be determined. Sometimes this is a game trail or bear trail, maybe an overgrown undocumented double track road, or at the very least, the path of least resistance is chosen. Point is, these streams are in the middle of the wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Accessing these areas is not exactly the safest adventure. I have prepared my gear and myself for all sorts of contingency situations such as injuries, snake bites, or becoming lost. My first aid kit and first aid knowledge has become larger and more proficient. I’ve become versed with a compass, using and making azimuths, and determining distance and location. My compass of choice is the Suunto MC-2 NH. I use a UTM/MGRS scale tool to set my azimuth and mark it on the map. I’ve printed and laminated a variety of satellite and USGS topo maps and ordered several foldable versions from the USGS website. I take a Spot device with me, which is essentially a 2-way satellite phone for texting, location sharing, or emergency situations. A really great app I’ve recently found is GutHook. This app downloads offline maps to your phone and will pinpoint your location without any cell service. So I turn my phone on airplane mode to not drain the battery, and I can still pinpoint and see my location on the map. All of these methods and items combined have really made me feel comfortable about traveling miles off-trail in the CNF.
What I have realized is I can fish more and get my bang for my buck if I backpack into these streams and camp for one or maybe two nights. This way I can cover more ground without having to worry about being back to the truck before dark. I can also be back fishing on the same stream at sunrise. So this has turned into a sort of combination adventure of backpacking / fly fishing for brookies. I like to set up camp at a central location of the stream or watershed that allows me to walk and fish in several directions. I bring all the necessary accoutrements to allow me to camp this way, the typical lightweight camping gear, water and a bear proof cannister for my food. Observing wildlife is another fun aspect of these trips. It’s cool feeling when you spot a natural lick or some bear sign
The fishing is good. The fish are small but I will relish the day I catch a big one. Casting is pretty short and I utilize the bow and arrow cast a lot. There is also a good bit of cane-pole style dipping the fly on the water fishing. But there are usually some spots where I can get in a decent back cast too.
So now, bottom line is, I am looking for some new friends to join me on these trips. If this sounds interesting to you and you aren’t afraid to get off the beaten path, then send me a message!!
Thanks for reading.
- couple fish from Saturday 06/13/2020 -
Some of the streams that I have been visiting are basically uncharted (or haven’t been visited in years or decades since the logging and mining era), so there are no trails there and the walk usually is down a ravine or up a mountain through thickets of rhodies and mountain laurels. Sometimes I can take the AT or other trails into the general area and then go off the trail at a determined spot. Strategic travel to the stream must be determined. Sometimes this is a game trail or bear trail, maybe an overgrown undocumented double track road, or at the very least, the path of least resistance is chosen. Point is, these streams are in the middle of the wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Accessing these areas is not exactly the safest adventure. I have prepared my gear and myself for all sorts of contingency situations such as injuries, snake bites, or becoming lost. My first aid kit and first aid knowledge has become larger and more proficient. I’ve become versed with a compass, using and making azimuths, and determining distance and location. My compass of choice is the Suunto MC-2 NH. I use a UTM/MGRS scale tool to set my azimuth and mark it on the map. I’ve printed and laminated a variety of satellite and USGS topo maps and ordered several foldable versions from the USGS website. I take a Spot device with me, which is essentially a 2-way satellite phone for texting, location sharing, or emergency situations. A really great app I’ve recently found is GutHook. This app downloads offline maps to your phone and will pinpoint your location without any cell service. So I turn my phone on airplane mode to not drain the battery, and I can still pinpoint and see my location on the map. All of these methods and items combined have really made me feel comfortable about traveling miles off-trail in the CNF.
What I have realized is I can fish more and get my bang for my buck if I backpack into these streams and camp for one or maybe two nights. This way I can cover more ground without having to worry about being back to the truck before dark. I can also be back fishing on the same stream at sunrise. So this has turned into a sort of combination adventure of backpacking / fly fishing for brookies. I like to set up camp at a central location of the stream or watershed that allows me to walk and fish in several directions. I bring all the necessary accoutrements to allow me to camp this way, the typical lightweight camping gear, water and a bear proof cannister for my food. Observing wildlife is another fun aspect of these trips. It’s cool feeling when you spot a natural lick or some bear sign
The fishing is good. The fish are small but I will relish the day I catch a big one. Casting is pretty short and I utilize the bow and arrow cast a lot. There is also a good bit of cane-pole style dipping the fly on the water fishing. But there are usually some spots where I can get in a decent back cast too.
So now, bottom line is, I am looking for some new friends to join me on these trips. If this sounds interesting to you and you aren’t afraid to get off the beaten path, then send me a message!!
Thanks for reading.
- couple fish from Saturday 06/13/2020 -
