Smith Creek report

[skibum]

6 days into the DH season and no reports yet?? Someone's holding out!!!!

[Path_Less_Traveled]

Allright... i'll go ahead and give mine... 22 fish in 2.5 hours last thursday :D... the guys at the DNR deserve much praise for providing us a winter fishery such as Smith's.

[dug]

I fished Smith's on Thursday. Got there around 10:00 and fished til around 1:30. Landed around 35 all between 8"-11". The fish were hitting anything red. Scuds and san juan worms is what I caught most on. Water was low and clear. The tornado sure did change the landscape and several holes up there. Over all a great day to be out since I haven't had a chance to fish in a couple of month's and I only saw two other people up there fishing.

[Path_Less_Traveled]

hmmmm... just looked at the Joe's Fly i was using... it's red...interesting.

Dug... we were there at the same time... i was wearing a NGTO hat.

Yea... there is some downfall in/around the stream making some areas difficult to access, but it's totally fishable... there are so many holes in that stream.

[chrisfish]

Any fish of good size? I love that stream!! Josh got me hooked on it about 2 years ago!

Chrisfish

[pschlemm]

I fished it Saturday for about 4 hours - ended up with 35 or so. Smallest was 10", biggest probably 15" -16". Most of the fish were chunky and all of them were bows. All caught on Y2K's.

[chuckwagon]

pschlemm, how crowded was it Sat AM?

Will be in helen sat am and wondering wether to hit Smiths or the Cootchie bend?

Trey
CW

[Grateful Sam]

Anyone want to go Friday? I am off since its Veterans Day, and I plan to go to Smiths.

[pschlemm]

CW - The crowd was unbelievable sparse on Saturday a.m. I got there at 7:30 and there was only 1 other car in the lot. When I left at 11:30, there were 4 -5 folks fishing and 2 more getting ready in the lot. The thing that was most incredible, though was that there was already evidence of bait fishing - corn on rocks, worm tubs caught in blow downs, etc.

[ROOKIE5]

I to am off on Friday, and might head up that way. GS, what time are you thinking about getting up there?

[Grateful Sam]

Anytime, I would think sometime in the morning. Believe it or not, I have never fished Smiths, I have been there many times, but I always bring my dog (black lab) so as you can imagine, its impossible to fish with a dog that wants to swim. PM me and we will figure out when and where we could meet. I dont have anything to do all day until about 6:30pm, thats when the wife gets home, might need to be home by then. ;)

[Path_Less_Traveled]

Does the catch rate fall as the season progresses due to "education"? (i realize there is some mortality and migration).

[Windknot]

Maybe a better way of thinking about that is to treat it more like a wild stream as the season progresses. The fish will have seen lots of flies and lots of presentations after a few months.

Right now you can be less than accurate and have some drag on your nymph. That won't last long!

[huntfish]

Does the catch rate fall as the season progresses due to "education"? (i realize there is some mortality and migration).
Yep. That is where experience comes into play. I usually don't start fishing Smiths until January and am presenting at Josh's chapter later this month. See the TU section for information.

It's really not that hard, but you have to realize the changes.

[S.Trutta]

...on Smith's is more technical than at the opening of the DH. For the first month or so from the original stocking you can catch hordes of fish on just about anything you throw at them, even if the presentation is somewhat sloppy. As the weather gets colder and the fish have been in there longer and have seen more flies they get a little more challenging. I usually go down a tippet size and like fluro anytime I'm on heavily fished waters. I usually do better on smaller flies as well, using a #18 or #20 as a dropper. In general the fishing in the dead of winter is a little slower than november and the spring months, but still can be fantastic. My best day ever on Smith's came 4 years ago on Xmas Eve day. I was the only car in the parking lot, and caught so many fish that i lost count by mid-day. My day ended at about 4:30 when a ranger on a 4 wheeler approached me way downstream to tell me a HUGE bear had just crossed the bridge upstream. Needless to say i did an about face back to the car. Overall Smith's is a great stream throughout the entire DH season, and great days can be had right through the coldest months. My advice is if your having a slow day and not getting much action, try going lighter on the tippet and throwing some smaller flies. See ya on the stream

Rich

[Hollis]

I'll be wearing either a brown or straw cowboy hat (depends on the temp). I just need to get in some water and have some fun. You guys don't be afraid to holler and introduce yourself. I enjoy meeting folks up there as much as I do fishing.

Preacher...you there? I'll be there Friday!
-Hollis

[Grateful Sam]

I should be there on friday, not sure what time though. I will look for the hat.

[chuckwagon]

Gents, I will be there friday for the after lunch session. I am having to find a new lucky hat so I could be wearing 4 or 5 till I find the right one. If you see a fool standing in the water changin hats frequently say hey.

Trey
CW

[Grateful Sam]

Well, I have yet to decide what I will be wearing, but I will be driving a tan toyota tacoma 4x4 with an AT sticker on the back window, so if you see that in the parking lot, then you know I will be there. I will be the guy with long hair wandering around trying to look like I know what I am doing. :rolleyes: I plan on being there sometime between 10am and 5pm. Maybe earlier. Never fished Smiths, so if one of you guys can find me and show me whats up, that would be great.

[fishnpreacher]

I'll be there. Simms waders, NGTO hat, throwing Bamboo

Sam, I'll be glad to show you around,
but that Chuckwagon guy is on his own ;)

[spinboy]

that I always have to earn my living and everybody else is fishing on Friday?? I don't have much to complain about though...school teacher....work around 35 weeks a year and now with modified year-round schedules, I get to fish during every season for longer periods of time :)

[Path_Less_Traveled]

Dang!... got there around 3:00 and there was a school-bus-full of kids there fishing, plus the parking lot was full (on one side)... had a crowd of 10 myself, so couldnt do much fishing anyway... maybe only 10-20 casts... got fed up when someone walked in front of me and hit one of my favorite holes :( ...

May hit it again next week... or may switch to the Ami... we really really need some rain guys... the Hooch thru Helen is starting to look like creek.

Smith's DH wasnt the only crowded place up there... there were crowds everywhere today in the mtns.

[fishnpreacher]

Friday, around 30 fish in 6 hours, most on Y2K, some on black wb
Saturday, 12 fish, big fish a chunky 16" bow that inhaled my booger
Saw Chuck Morris, Hollis, Trout Wisperer, Chuckwagon, Chris Hulsey, and a couple of hundred (or so it seemed) like minded fishermen

[Hollis]

Something about the phrase "inhaled my booger" that makes me laugh.

I did OK. Got 10 from 11:30 until 2:30. I missed a bunch and was really rusty. I didn't get one fish on a Y2K. Got all mine on flashy droppers behind either the Y2K or a BH Prince.

I wish I had arrived earlier and could have visited with Preacher a bit longer. I just felt rushed all day trying to get up there and get to casting. We need some rain guys! Man it would help everything out.

[spinboy]

We got some rain over in West Cartersville over the weekend but I didn't get out. Does anyone know if our fisheries caught some of that?

[Path_Less_Traveled]

here's the 12-hour looop and it doesnt show much precip for NE Ga. overnight...
http://intellicast.com/IcastPage/LoadPage.aspx?loc=katl&seg=LocalWeather&prodgrp=RadarImagery&product=JavaLoop&prodnav=none


Here's another link verifying no measurable precip yet in NE Ga.... it's the "storm rainfall total"...
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/radar/latest/DS.80stp/si.khtx.shtml

However, there is a good chance of rain in the forecast :D
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?CityName=Dahlonega&state=GA&site=FFC

[Johnny]

We got some rain over in West Cartersville over the weekend but I didn't get out. Does anyone know if our fisheries caught some of that?

I live 10 miles from Unicoi, as the crow flies, and we got 1/10" late yesterday and none today.

Later,
Johnny