Moon / Spawning Conditions and Streamer Fishing on Hooch

[TC]

I've done a fair amount of streamer fishing on certain western tailwaters this time of year and have caught some big fish casting in to the banks from a driftboat. I've also heard and read some bits and pieces about how this time of year can be great for catching spawning Browns on the Hooch. (Among other things I'm thinking of one past post by either Hooker or Flyguy in particular, I can't recall who.) I guess I have several questions, all are about the Hooch:
At which moon stage is the streamer fishing best during spawning season?
Is there a noticeable improvement in the streamer fishing for Browns this time of year?
Are the shoals the best place to locate the bigger fish during spawning or should one try in/around submerged trees near the banks?

Thanks for any and all advice and tight lines.

[Hooker]

TC,
It is my experience that the Brown spawn on the Hooch peaks during the full moon in November. Also, it is my understanding, that if the conditions are not right (high water), that the fish will reabsorb the milt and eggs and try again later. It is not unusual to catch Browns with eggs or milt on into January.
I'm not a die hard flyfisherman, and I use whatever I can catch the most fish on, and this time of year, that is crankbaits. Right now the water is heavily stained, and the bait has to be seen and heard to get results. Crankbaits send out a vibration that trout can home in on, and also, they present a large profile that can be readily seen.
Last year, I had great success with a gold muddler minnow with a gold spinner called a Halfly, but I haven't tried it this year yet. The Halfly has the large profile, plus it produces some sound and threw well on a 5wt.
Streamers ought to work well. Even though it doesn't produce sound, it still has a large profile. Also, one thing you could do, is glue a gl****rattle onto the hook to create some noise. In addition, the color this year seems to be silver. Last year, the fish wouldn't hit anything other than gold. This year, gold doesn't even get a follow, and I don't understand why that would be.
It's probably not a good idea to fish bank structure and blowdowns. There are too
many great blue herons that hunt the river, and those bankside blowdowns are their favorite ambush points. The trout that try to inhabit these areas, are the first to join the food chain. Most of the spawning Browns are in the middle of the river in shoal areas. Also, the bite during cloudless
high pressure days is early and late. I start fishing in the dark and usually do well until about 8am. After that, the bite gets sporadic. In addition, since about 80% of the trout in the river are the nocturnal Browns, fishing early and late is probably a good idea.
As far as bigger fish go, I'm having a tough time breaking 15" this year. The 12" to 15" fish are numerous, but there is just too many fish in the river, and not enough food to go around to make them grow. When a river is managed as a "put and take" fishery like the Hooch, and nobody takes, than ya gotta problem.

Hooker

[Flyguy]

TC,

Being a streamer fisherman from Michigan I would say that right now would be an ideal time to fish the streames. The Micky Finn is probibly one of the best brown trout flies that I have used and as Hooker said the Muddler aint bad either.

As Hooker stated...He was getting most of this fish on crank baits... you would have to think the best thing a fly fisherman had to match a crank bait would be a streamer minnow pattern. You could even weight the streamers down a little if needed.

Most of the bigger browns I have caught w/ Hooker and by myself have come from two areas on the river....The shoals being the best place and the the wood on the banks is a good second choice. Slow water seems to hold better fishing then the faster runs, but don't fish by without tossing a fly in them a couple times.

Good Luck....



Flyguy

[Drifter]

Hooker flexes his fingers and types:
>When a river is managed as a "put and take" >fishery like the Hooch, and nobody takes, >than ya gotta problem.

Hey Hook,
You must have been listening to Lisa Bohm of DNR while flippin' those burgers at the Fling ;)
She made the same point. The food supply in the Hooch is pretty much constant so it will only sustain "X" number of trout. You can have fewer bigger trout, or more smaller trout.
She says that approximately 70 % of the anglers on the Hooch are C&R fisherman. She says that the stockers, or "pelletheads" as she called them will not survive if some of the stockers are not cosistantly removed (not enough food).

So to increase the fish quantity and/or size, we must find a way to increase the food supply. She says the Corp is looking at ways to improve the habitat, ie : weirs, baffles on turbine blades.

She is managing the fish tagging program and emphasizes the importance of turning in the tags. A lot of her data comes from that program. Hopefully her study will be a big help.

Re: Herons fishing from the banks.
Sunday was quite fruitful for the herons. I saw two nice rainbows taken by two different birds. Both birds were fishing from downed timber along the banks.

When's the next Fling???
Good fishing.
Drifter

[Loren]

Hooker,

Sounds llike you fish the Hootch at night. Where can you access the Hootch after dark?

Loren

[Mr T]

Hooker -- When you gonna write a book? I think you have to be the resident expert on the Hootch and trout fishing in general.

Yuo've already posted enogh stuff here to have a good start.

As usual thanks for your wisdon and contributions.

len

[Hooker]

Drifter,
I have been against the catch and release mindset on the Hooch for a long time, and occasionally I do get on my soap box about it. Unfortunatly many anglers feel that trout can be stockpiled and recaught at a later date when they get bigger, but that's just not the case on the Atlanta Hooch. There is simply not enough food. In addition, the situation has been compounded this year by a good brown trout spawn last fall.
I am very impressed with Lisa. She is very professional, very knowledgable, and she is going to make an big impact on trout fishing in Atlanta.
I hope that you didn't think from my last post that I was disenchanted with the trout situation on the Hooch. Bill Couch and the hatchery has created a fishing phenomena in here. There are few rivers in the southeast where an angler can catch the quantity and quality of trout that are available in the Hooch. However, I think with the data that Lisa is collecting, the system can be tweeked to make it even better.
Also, fishermen could also help by taking some of these trout home and eating them before they starve to death this winter.

Loren,
The gates at Jones Bridge and Abbotts Bridge are open 24 hours a day. The Duluth police patrol Abbotts Bridge, and get a little upset if your coming off the river too late. However, I haven't had any trouble launching early in the morning at either place.

Len,
Thank you for your kind comments. The book is on the way.

Dave

[Erik]

Dave,

What brown trout spawn last fall? I know that they attempt to spawn, but was under the impression that no one has ever documented successful spawning events in the 'Hooch. Has Lisa or some one else I'm not aware of been able to verify young of the year browns in the river?

[Hooker]

Eric,
I've been catching young of the year browns up and down the river all summer and fall. All of these 3"-4" fish didn't escape from the hatchery, so I just assumed that they were spawned last fall. In your professional opinion, is that an invalid assumption.

Dave

[Bill Couch]

Hooker and others,
I have "backpack" electrofished some of the shallow gravel bars and edges of the river and turned up 1.5 to 2" fingerlings many years ago. Additionally, the number of 3-4" fish electrofished by Lisa and caught and reported by anglers lends very strong evidence that in some years natural reproduction occurs in the Chattahoochee, or some of its tributaries.

To my knowledge no one has documented reproduction. But this may be because no one has really put significant effort towards finding out. I have looked very casually, but never scoured the river. Lisa will compare otoliths (ear stones) of hatchery and suspected river born fish this year. If she demonstrates differences in growth between the two, there will be more evidence. Finding redds (trout nest) in the river with viable eggs, and following the development of these eggs will be the only clear demonstration of natural reproduction.

Redds are dug into gravel by trout and appear to be different colored rocks, often in a slight depression. Sometimes there is a "fan" of rocks downstream from the center. I would be pleased if anyone noticing disturbed areas of the stream bed which look redds would call (770 781 6888) or e-mail me.
Thanks,
Bill C
Hatchery Manager