streams?

[bjensen]

hey everyone I am originaly from north New Mexico so I grew up fly fishing in colorado for trout. I have moved to florida and am having a rough time with no rivers in sight!! im starting to go a little crazy I need a nice little rocky stream with TROUT rainbows, browns, brookies it doesnt matter. I am looking for the closest little trout stream or creek im not a big fan of the real big deep rivers just a nice little stream that I can wade through and do some catch and release. Can some one point me in the direction of the closest trout stream in Georgia from the Florida border.

[Jimmy Harris]

The closest trout stream would be the Chattahoochee tailwater right in Atlanta. The fishing is awesome but it doesn't meet your criteria for small streams. It is very wadeable in places but it's a pretty good sized river. Moving on up north of Atlanta, the Amicolola delayed harvest just outside Dawsonville would be next and will fish good until mid-May. After that, you might as well plan on coming on up to the mountains. Lots of streams here (over 4000 miles of designated trout streams) that you will enjoy fishing. You can learn a lot from the folks on this board. May even find someone to take you with them to their favorite stream (well, maybe not their favorite stream, but possibly their second most favorite).

[bjensen]

Is the Amicalola River outside of Dawsonville a wadeable river and what is the average size of fish cought there?

[Jason]

Depending on were you are in Florida you may want to check out these folks. They fish out of kayaks around the Jacksonville area, some of them flyfish. It's a good time to be sure, I hit the Guana last time I was down there, nothing but smiles all day long.

http://www.jaxkayakfishing.com/

[redmenace]

The Ami maybe closer but it's not a real trout stream. It's heavily stocked as part the Delayed Harvest program and the part that is stocked with trout is not very attractive IMO. Other parts that aren't stocked are beautiful but dangerous and do not hold trout year-round. To fish something that's more representative of Georgia trout water I'd drive a little farther and go to Noontoola Creek outside of Ellijay. It's heavily canopied (7ft or under rod territory) and the fish are wild, not stocked. Special 16" or better, artificial only regs apply so you can usually find good fish there.

Jason is right though. There are tons of flyrod opportunities in Northern Florida. Backwater tidal creeks will get into your blood just like alpine meadow streams if you let them. If I could fish for reds everday trout would just be a diversion.

[S.Trutta]

The Amicalola is a decent sized river, not nearly as big as the hooch, but lots of water in there depending on the section. It can be waded, very comfortably in some spots, with caution in others. The area upstream of the 53 bridge offers nice wading, and so does the short area below steel bridge rd. As for the fish, there is a variety. Some are small, most are medium, and occasionally, there are some true woppers. Just ask some of the guys on here who helped an older gentleman a few weeks ago land a 28-30 inch 11lb rainbow. Although this is far from the norm, there are some above average fish in there.

Rich

[bjensen]

Is the Amicalola River above SR 53 before the bridge been doing any good recently and if so what kind of flies have they been taking?

Is this a busy river? or is there not many people to be found during the weekdays?

[bjensen]

Is there any tent camping on the river?

[Gillseeker]

No camping is allowed on the river. You can camp at Amicalola Falls Park which is not on the DH section but it's close by. Seems some kids have ruined it for everyone. I have done a lot of research on this and the best place to camp and fish is at Unicoi park in Helen. Fish on Smith Creek and camp a the park.

Good Luck

Dan

BTW..I have to disagree with Redmenace about the attractiveness of the Ami. Parts of it are as beautiful as any stream I have ever seen. He is right about the rocks and drop-offs. You need to be very careful where you step but the fishing there is great and there are good opportunities to land a very large trout. The only real ugly part of the stream is at Steel Bridge but if you strart down at Hwy 53 and walk up it is very beautiful.

Dan

[bjensen]

What kind of flies would you suggest for the Amicalola River now and into march?

[Labrador]

I am gonna defend my Hooch. A)any water above Morgan Falls dam holds trout year round (the further north the better the fishing--the DH section probably even holds some trout year round in deep holes, but that water gets hot!). B)The Hooch is a beautiful river and resource running through a huge metropolitan area offering a wide varitey of activites to Georgians. C)The hooch is no more dangerous than any other river I've waded (and I am not about danger really!). D)it's not a mountain stream so obviously you cannot compare scenery, but it it definitely the closest, and very easy access, and very good fishing. E)Don't bash the Hooch (if you have to... bash the release schedules!!!).

[Gillseeker]

I have had good luck on olive and brown Wooly Buggers and on Y2K's. I have tied some hot pink Buggers and have had some luck with those as well. Main thing is to get them down. If you tie your own try adding some lead to the body before you put on the chenile or dubbing.

Dan

[Path_Less_Traveled]

bj... if you could wait until March 25 or after, you'll have a whole lot more choices and better weather to wade in whether it's wet or dry wading... if you come up during feb or early march, imo, it would be best to pick a day that has decent temps forecasted... not saying that you wont catch some on a cold day, but all things being equal, pick your day carefully!, especially since you're driving so far.... you want to have the best experience possible... in general, during the winter, the higher the water temp, the better.

p.s. dont forget about Dukes Creek, one of Ga's trophy streams... it's relatively small and loaded with large, challenging bows and browns... if you're coming all this way, you may as well fish the best stream we have... click on search on the top right and enter "dukes" or "smithgall" and you'll get loads of information... the search feature is where i start when researching something new.

[bjensen]

What is the closest town to Dukes? and is there any tent camping on the river?

[Richie27]

Dahlonega, Helen...and there isn't any camping on that stream...call before you head up that way...and be ready to get on the waiting list

[Windknot]

BJensen,
The town of Helen is part tourist trap, part cool place, and it not only is close to Dukes, Smith Creek (Unicoi State Park), but also has Unicoi Outfitters, which is a terrific source for gear, fishing & dining info, directions and guides. Lots of hotel space. Camping at Unicoi SP, just a few miles away. Google up Helen, GA and see for yourself.
Don

[bjensen]

Is Smiths creek worth fishing? if so what is the closest town to it?

[bjensen]

helen is the closest town to smiths creek. What would you rather fish the Amicalola or Smiths what are the pros and cons of these two?

[Path_Less_Traveled]

The maps on the link below should help you get a feel for the area... the Ami and Smith DH maps are near the bottom... maps by county is very useful too... Dukes and Smith are in White County (very near Helen), the Ami is in Dawson County... some good trout counties are also Lumpkin, Union, Fannin, Rabun, Towns, Habersham.

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ngto/clmap.html

But really the best way to get all the basic information is to do a NGTO search using key words like "dukes", "smith DH", "smiths", "ami DH".

Here's one search... http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/forum/search.php?searchid=118697

Here is a link to Ga. trout regs...
http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=7&txtPage=12

This is a list of the main public year-around streams with a simplified version of their regs...
http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53002

The regs look complicated, but they really arent... if you're not sure of something, just drop a note here and someone will answer.

[Gillseeker]

that if you are an accomplished trout fisherman, go camp at Unicoi, and fish Dukes one day and Smith's the other days. Dukes can only be fished on Sat, Sun and Wed. Smith's is a DH stream and is full of trout. Some are even pretty big. The advantage of the Ami is that pressure is way lighter than Smith's. The other thing about Dukes is that it is barbless hooks only so be careful of what you possess on that stream. You could kill a man in White County and get in less trouble than if you're caught with a box full of barbed flies on Dukes. Dukes is very hard to fish and the trout are wiley and smart. They have all been caught before and the best advice I have ever been given about that creek is to only go into the water if it is absolutely neccessary. And fish small flies. Jimmy at Unicoi or anyone at Unicoi for that matter can tell you what is working up there. Last I heard Wooly Buggers with a Poison Tung dropper was the ticket there. Take a 5wt with you for that creek.

I'm sure my brethren will add more to this but that is my opinion.

Dan

[Richie27]

Dukes Creek = tons of big fish and smart

Smiths Creek = tons of fish....easy to catch....you can go up there and fish from morning to dark and catch 50+ fish

So its just want you want...if you feel like fishing/hunting then get a spot on dukes and you have the opportunity of hooking up with a hawg....but smiths has some hold overs and there is a good amout of above avg fish in that stream

hope this helps...PM me if you want some secrets :D

[Path_Less_Traveled]

Other parts that aren't stocked are beautiful but dangerous and do not hold trout year-round.
There may be some Ami DH holdovers... but will have to check it out myself this summer :) ... i know about where to find them on the DH... recently caught a wild bow in a stream (to the east) that supposedly doesnt holdover any trout... they often "over-summer" in the deep water (and tribs) :cool:... red, pm me if you want some details about the Ami location.

The Ami at 53 looked pretty good today.

[bjensen]

Is there any Dry fly action going on? If there is not when do the fish start feeding on top and what are some good dry flies to have in the box?

[Richie27]

yeah look for the little black stone flies

[bjensen]

Would a small black stimulator be a good pattern to use for the stones?
What are some "HOT" dry fly patterns that are used in spring and summer months on the Ami and smiths creek?

[Richie27]

don't know about the ami but for smiths you can throw a humpy (tree frog)and have a lot of luck...stimulators.....adams...long as you gotta good drift those fish will give it a shot.

[bjensen]

Has anyone fished the Ami? How does it look from the bridge off SR 53?

[THE EG]

bjenson,

I'm just curious where you are from in New Mexico. I toured around there and lower Colorado a few years back but only for a couple of days. What a beautiful area it is. I fished the San Jaun over on the NW corner then drove over and only had time to fish the Red (maybe wrong name) just north of Taos.

If you are familiar with them, the Ami would be in between the size of those two. I don't fish dry flies much so I'm pretty poor at it but I've caught a couple on the Ami with the standard tan Caddis imitations. I usually just use a streamer/nymph dropper combo or a nymph/midge dropper combo and do fine.
Of course this is only during the DH season.

[mediaven]

bjensen:

Fished the AMI yesterday for a couple of hours. Not the best of days (but still beats working!). Caught 4, the largest being about 12". Deep BH nymphs (with splitshot) with a pink SJ worm dropper.

I personally prefer to walk down from the Steele Bridge end of the DH. Easier wading for me. Some of the more agile NGTOers like the Hwy 53 end -- but I've taken a cold bath there on more than one occasion! Baths can be refreshing, but not in February.

It's a beautiful stream once you get away from the bridges. The large pool at the Steele Bridge holds trout always, but is subject to lots of visitors (bank fishermen and women). Yesterday, two young women with spinning gear were outfishing me 4-to-1 from the bank. Unfortunately, they must have been using treble hooks and were having trouble releasing. Pulling fish up on the sand, walking with a fish dangling to the tackle box, disgourging the hooks, and then throwing the trout back (a process taking 2-3 minutes each time). Not a pleasant sight to watch.

So, if you go to the AMI: 1) try to go on a weekday and you may have the place to yourself, 2) walk in a bit for a much more pleasant experience.

For what it's worth....

[bjensen]

The EG,

Im glad to hear that you took a trip to north New Mexico I have fished the San Jaun and Red River some call it the "RED" I grew up fishing Red river and have always liked the smaller creeks and streams I hoped you liked your experience there!!
It sounds like the Ami would be a river I would like to fish. If anyone knows any other creeks or streams that are alot like the Ami please let me know I dont really care if the fish are not 11lbs each. Just a nice, beautiful trout stream would do!

[fishnpreacher]

I see several guys offering Smiths and Dukes, but don't forget the Hooch in Helen. It may not be as scenic as Ami or Dukes, but it does hold a fair number of fish, easily accessable, and if you go up towards the mouth of Smiths you may run into a "nice'un". I caught an 18" brown up that way last year. ;)
If you can wait til after the season opens, then go on up the Hooch to the WMA. Someone else can chime in about the camping, but you can go way up and catch a few wild fish :)

[TheEndlessEnigma]

check your pms