Overwhelmed

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff 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.
 
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.

Delayed harvest stockers on the Chattooga... I figure dry flies are more for warm weather like top water for bass.. is there a big difference between wet flies and nymphs.. I'm looking forward to learning the sport just trying to not look like a complete newbie on the water
 

Cmp1

BANNED
I'm not a fly fisherman,,,,but want to learn,,,,what bugs are spawning at the time,,,,up here we get weekly fishing reports with what bugs are spawning,,,,
 

F.A.R.R.

Senior Member
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.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
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.
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.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Also, finding someone to go with one day who has been at it awhile will shorten your learning curve considerably. Catching delayed harvest stockers on nymphs is pretty easy, once you get the basics down.
 
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.

Picked up some Beadhead prince and some zebra nymphs today
 

615groundpounder

Senior Member
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.
 
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.


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.
 

pjciii

Senior Member
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
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


Thanks Patrick this helps a lot

Spencer
 

splatek

UAEC
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.
 
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.


Thanks, I’m fishing that stream because my wife and I will be in that area ina few weeks
 

almoore

Senior Member
Some flyshops offer free introductory group courses. Orvis in Atlanta has a good class but I don't see any scheduled. Alpharetta Outfitters has one scheduled Thurs night Jan 17. https://alpharettaoutfitters.com/clinics-events/ Unicoi Outfitters in Helen has beginner individual and group lessons for a fee, but you get to fish their tropy water. Or hire a guide for a day that fishes the water where you likely will fish. Plus plenty of good intel on the web.
 

hailsouthern17

New 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

I've only recently gotten into fly fishing this past year and the stuff below has help me be much more successful, quicker than I would have imagined.

Listen to the FIRST 10 or so episodes (the first are only a few minutes long) of the Orvis Fly Fishing podcast with Tom Rosenbauer. Very informative and helpful for the new fly angler. I think it's more important to understand how to read the trout stream waters and how to manage your line in the water than what flies you have on. Obviously it does matter but you can never go wrong with a few different sized pheasant tails with soft hackle and a bead.

Also any of the local fly shops to you (if you live near any) will be more than willing to help you out with fly selection.

Talk to other anglers you see at the parking lot or walking down the trail. People are usually willing to answer questions if you tell them you're brand new to the sport.

Good luck and tight lines!!
 

fishndoc

Senior Member
Agree with reading and watching videos to learn about the sport, but one can over-think it.

GP's advise is on the mark: keep it very basic to start out; just bring a few Wooley buggers, start out fishing them on the swing (cast across and a little downstream, then let the current carry it downstream).
If that doesn’t catch a few fish, or even if it does, then add a strike indicator and a split shot and try casting upstream with a dead drift back down.

And don’t be disappointed if you get skunked the first few times. It took me about three months of steady fishing at Dukes (way back in the beginning there, when fishing was easy) to finally fool a nice trout with a fly.
In about four months or so, top water fishing on smaller lakes will start up. By far, bass and bream on poppers is the best way to get started fly fishing. The fish are not as picky, but biggest difference is not having to deal with line management like you do in moving water.
 
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