GaBowhunter87
Member
I’m new to fly fishing and there are so many different flies... when do you know what type of flies to fish with
Experience and talking to other folks. It's not hard, but it takes some time on the water to learn. Are you fishing for wild trout, stockers, delayed harvest stockers? Trout fishing can be very, very tough this time of year compared to the warmer months.I’m new to fly fishing and there are so many different flies... when do you know what type of flies to fish with
Experience and talking to other folks. It's not hard, but it takes some time on the water to learn. Are you fishing for wild trout, stockers, delayed harvest stockers? Trout fishing can be very, very tough this time of year compared to the warmer months.
This. I would add #12 Tellicos, maybe some #14-16 rainbow warriors, and some #14 Pink Weenies or Pink San Juan Worms. Fish them under an indicator.Any of the delayed harvest streams are good places to fish over the winter.
Just get a handful of flies to start---#10 Wooly Bugger, #10 Pat's Rubber leg's- #14 Beadhead Prince Nymph----#14 Beadhead Phesant Tail----and some #16 & #18 Pheasant Tails would be a good basic start for winter trout fishing.
Any of the delayed harvest streams are good places to fish over the winter.
Just get a handful of flies to start---#10 Wooly Bugger, #10 Pat's Rubber leg's- #14 Beadhead Prince Nymph----#14 Beadhead Phesant Tail----and some #16 & #18 Pheasant Tails would be a good basic start for winter trout fishing.
Small weighted wooly buggers. Olive, black, brown, or white. No wrong way to fish them. Dead drift them, swing them, strip them, pull them upstream or down. Rainbows tend to hit them on the swing or slowly pulled upstream. Brookies like them when they are pulled faster than the current downstream. And browns tend to like them more when they are stripped.
Overall size. 12 and 14 are perfect.When you say small do you mean hook size or overall length of the wooly? I think I have some size 12 and 14 in black and brown.
GaBowhunter
no need to get overwhelmed. i think alot of us were at first. there are a few basics that to get started and if you check out this web site i think it will help.
http://rabuntu.org/site/about/educational-programs/for-beginners-a-rabunite-101-primer/
find somebody to go fishing with. join a trout unlimited chapter. there are alot of people that will share information with you and you will make friends in the process.
here is a link on how to fish a woolly bugger
here is a good oldie on fly casting
here is a good one on what trout see and their world
and if you want to meet some great folks attend this
http://rabuntu.org/site/2018/12/03/jan-19-32nd-annual-rabun-rendezvous/
last but not least the DNR has all the information you want with a little poking
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/GADNR/bulletins/223b4db
patrick
GABowhunter: You and I are in opposite boats - I'm overwhelmed trying to bowhunt/crossbow, actually, my first deer. Been really close a few times, but just can't seem to get a good shot, an ethical shot. It's been driving me nuts. At any rate, I digress: fro flyfishing, don't over think it. You've gotten some great advice here, particularly for where you are going to fish.
NCHillbilly recommended one of my all time favorite flies - the tellico nymph. Man, I used to fish that thing everywhere, hooch tail and headwater, wild streams in the unknown up north, the local bass/bream pond and my experience is that if it's a fish, it'll get eaten. Also, native brook trout will absolutely blow one of those things up if drifted below a nice juicy similarly colored fly.
Why are you fishing the Chattooga DH? Just curious, but that's a big stretch of DH. Smith ck at Unicoi has been fishing unbelievably well. My 8 year old and I went up there and slayed them with a hot orange bead head pheasant tail.
The thing you have to think about with DH fish, although everybody says "junk" flies, is that, in my opinion, those are simply aggression hits. They've been raised in a hatchery eating brown fish chow and they see a pink, red, green, yellow, orange thing float by and whammo. They have'nt been hand fed in a few days, weeks, etc. they aren't letting a free meal pass them by. Also, trout aren't as picky as most people thing. In my study of the hooch browns we've found plenty of small pebbles and rocks in the stomachs; they literally try anything. The chattooga DH is a great place to get some fish. Check out, as others have suggested the Rabun TU site, consider joining TU and/or meeting some guys that fish that stretch a lot and ask questions. I've found deer hunters much more willing to give advice than fly anglers, but a few will give you great advice.
In fact, the best advice I think I ever got about flyfishing was: "90% of what trout eat are brownish black and small. In some cases very small." I fish a fly that is simply a size 20, 18, 16 hook; silver tungsten bead, black thread. OCcasionally, I'll put an orange hot collar on, or yellow for those wild fish, and it's produced.
Anyhow, sorry for the long post; good luck and consider some of the other DH Streams such as Smith, Toccoa, or Amicalola. I'd steer clear of the lower hooch DH, it rarely fishes well.
I’m new to fly fishing and there are so many different flies... when do you know what type of flies to fish with