Mtn Streams this weekend?

[FlygURL]

Thinking of heading to a small mountain stream or two this weekend. Is the water too low, in general, to do this right now? Or, if I head high enough, would it be better?

Trying to make a plan for tomorrow. Appreciate all advice!

[trout whisperer]

whisperer sez: Beth, i was up in the tellico river area hiking and fishing last week and found all the streams down low were warm and low. i hiked up to about 2800 feet and found the streams up there were a lot cooler and the fishing a lot better. i'm not going this weekend, but if i was, i'd be looking for something up high. hope this helps.

regards, TW

[TheEndlessEnigma]

he makes a good point. this past week though the northeast ga area has gotten a bit of rain ..... maybe that helped .. maybe not ... i dunno

[S.Trutta]

I fished a new wild stream for me this morning/afternoon, I believe it was about 2600 ft, water was incredibly low and clear, temp was 67 when I left. Managed about a dozen wild bows even though I was looking for brookies, landed one close to 12 inches, all on a #16 yellow stimulator. Hike up as far as you dare, thats my advice.

rich

[Reel'em In]

Fished two different streams today in Fannin County. Both were extremely low. The temp at both streams was 66 degrees. I hate to see a repeat of 2003. But, looks like it is here. I did manage to catch several small rainbows and also some specs up high. I think I'm going to hang my flyrod back up for at least another month.

[FlygURL]

Planning to head up to a mtn stream near Helen tomorrow morning. We should be
going through Helen around 7:30am. Not sure how this stream is fishing, but...
we'll see. It's been a few years since I've done this type of fishing
in a while. Wish me luck!

[Rocketroy]

he makes a good point. this past week though the northeast ga area has gotten a bit of rain ..... maybe that helped .. maybe not ... i dunno
I live over the "holler" from Dukes.......Sautee area,about 15 minutes from Duke,s,Clarkesville and Cleveland........and caught about 3/4 in. of rain on 2 events,while Dukes recorded little! This brought out the DNR for a stream Temp.check yesterday eve.,according to my source on water conditions! So,if they remain open,working only the morning session is advised: air temp. this morning {04:30 a.m. is a balmy/sticky 70 degrees!} A break in the heat wave is just around the corner,sez.Glenn Burns! Sunday is predicted to be 85 in Atl.. PRAY-PRAY-PRAY for rain! At least my 14 square ft. of lawn has had to be mowed only several times this year!........the deer keep my plants mowed on their own!..........Bummer! Rabbits get the garden........nature, LOVE IT! Regards, Rocketroy

[FlygURL]

My way of finding wild streams is usually to compare the trout stream map to the stocking map. Guess what - what is not stocked is wild! No big secret there.

So, up until about 22:50 last night, I had a plan, until someone offered a new stream name for me to consider. I took his advice. (Thank you! If he wants to name this stream, he may do so.)

Jack, my husband, and I left the house about 06:30 and made it to the parking lot around 08:00. We were able to park next the the stream. (Lucky me!)

After driving around the area for a while, I decided to walk up a ways before beginning to fish. However, the first plunge pool tempted me too much. Much to my surprise, I found a 9" (wild) rainbow hiding there, but he was too tempted my elk hair caddis (EHC).

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/619/IMG_0228_small.jpg

I think I was in the same location and found another rainbow (3") that was too tempted by my EHC...

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/619/IMG_0229_small.jpg

What a good start of the day. Climbed over many rocks and logs, casting in each pool I could find. I did try a pheasant tail with a strike indicator (my confidence still is not back to use a dry as an indicator - too afraid to get tangled, especially in the foliage), but no luck. The tiddlers kept sinking my indicator...

I changed flies to a yellow sally - an EHC with a yellow body and fair hackle on the front (did I describe that right?). These I remember tying myself.

I found stealth and camoflaging my existance to be my best friend today. At one particular time, I was approaching a pool and say a 8 - 9" fish rush for cover before I could even cast to him.

But, luckily, there was another pool after that one.

And another fish - a 10" rainbow!
http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/619/IMG_0230_small.jpg

At this point I realize that the requirement of measuring and photographing may play into the mortality of some fish - it is a lot to do! Especially for a klutz like me. But as the day wore on, my coordination improved. Oh yeah, and I had Jack help me by photographing the last fish. Another 10" rainbow...

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/619/IMG_0231_samll.jpg


At this point Jack decided to head to the road to get the car. He was going to get it for me (what a lucky girl I am!). I kept heading upstream. About 30 minutes later, I got stung, a yellow jacket. It was about time to head home, anyway (11:00). Went to the road to walk back and found that we were not even 0.3 mile from the car!

What a great morning! Who would have thought that I would have caught 3, such large, wild fish? Certainly not me - I was expecting 5, maybe 6, inch fish.

Now, for those of you who don't usually fish these small stream - stealth and camo are very important. All of my fish were on dries - EHC was productive for me, but that is what I have the most confidence in.

(All fish in this tale were returned, unharmed, to the enviroment from which they were caught, except for the small barbless puncture wound in their jaw. The husband, however, I kept.)

[Johnny]

I live over the "holler" from Dukes.......Sautee area,about 15 minutes from Duke,s,Clarkesville and Cleveland........and caught about 3/4 in. of rain on 2 events,while Dukes recorded little!

[snip]

Regards, Rocketry

I'm about 4 miles southeast of Waters and 6 1/2 miles southwest of Dukes and we've only had 1/10" in the last week and 4/10" in the last two weeks. I keep seeing rain on the radar but it petters out before it gets here.

Later,
Johnny