Unicoi this weekend- and other questions

[russbledsoe]

hey fellas, i'm planning to take a buddy fishing with me this sunday 9/25, i've got him half-bit by the flyfishing/trout bug and i'm hoping this'll seal his fate (he's really into it, but has yet to catch one on his own), and i had a couple questions.

1. i know the unicoi adventure day is saturday, and it'll be packed, but i was hoping there would be less pressure sunday. A) can anyone confirm whether there are planned events for sunday as well? also, if the absence of planned events, B) would anyone feel comfortable hazarding a guess as to how bad sunday would be mobbed by post-adventure day anglers who stuck around/anglers looking to cash in on leftover stockers? i'm planning to show him a couple different streams, and was hoping to use smith's creek as a last-ditch spot to catch some 'easy pickin's' just in case we're skunked, i don't wanna send him home without at least a nibble. to that effect:

2. i assume there'll be a fresh stocking on smith's for the adventure day. A) can anyone confirm or refute this? if yes B) can anyone tell me if the stocking will be above/below the dam, or both? C) if possible, does anyone know if they plan to heavily stock the stream, or just hit it with the regular dose? i ask this because:

3. A) does anyone know if adventure day anglers will be allowed/encouraged to keep their catch? B) would anyone be comfortable hazarding a ballpark percentage of fish taken out that day vs. fish put in for the event. i guess i'm wondering; if encouraged to keep caught fish, given high pressure that day, would it be likely that we show up sunday to a fairly wiped-out stream? in that vein, C) would anyone be able to advise on how spooked/shut down the remaining trout would be the next day, due to all that traffic through the stream? i'm still a novice to trout behaviour, and have no idea how long it takes them to recover from a good spooking, in case that question sounded dumb.

4. does anyone have any other, prettier-but-still-easily-accessible streams in the area to recommend, where a newbie has a good chance at catching fish? wildcat is out for me, as the storm damage is depressing. planning to hit moccassin. dick's may be a bit low. ditto upper hooch, and i've never really fished there so i know no good spots. if i'm gonna flail the water and get skunked, i'd rather it be out of the way and in a beautiful area, the better to increase my friend's 'wow' factor. to that effect:

5. the chattooga is close, and you can't argue with the scenery, but i've never even been there(really want to), so A) could anyone give good directions to well-stocked/easily accessed spots there? i know access is limited, and have no idea whether they even stock there, but i've always wanted to go. also, B) would wet-wading be possible in these places, as we've no waders, just cleated hiking shoes.

thanks so much for any info you guys could give this relative novice, so i can spread 'the disease' to a great friend who deserves as great a passtime as i know southeastern flyfishing to be. if any answers to the above info is deemed sensitive, i welcome pm's instead of reply posts. also, though i plan this trip for sunday, the info on any other streams than smith's i wouldn't consider time-sensitive, and would be very helpful to me. so if you have a suggestion that occurs to you after sunday, don't hold back! i hope to monopolize this friend's free weekends, until his fiance kills me!

tight lines n high times,
russ

[russbledsoe]

i know shenanigans get pretty thick around here, and i delight in them as much as you guys, but i'm really trying to do a nice thing for a great friend who has been a real source of love and support for me. so please truthful responses only :). the problem is that sarcasm doesn't register online very well.

if you would post 'no there ain't no fish in there' just to discourage me from fishing your spot or otherwise misinforming me, register your discouragement by refusing to inform me, rather than misleading info.

references to swamp ape, cobras, crocs, gators, mermaids, manatees, etc., while hilarious, would also derail my focus, and i've only got a day to really plan this out. i'm not against a good laugh, but i want to do the best for my friend by being as reliably informed as i can. i don't mean to be a stick-in-the-mud. i hope you understand. this is short-notice, and i only get to see this person every 3-4 months.

again, eternal thanks for any help you can give me!

[Buck Henry]

Wow, this has got to be a new record for the most number of questions asked in a single post! :)

Look I am betting they will stock plenty of fish for OAD. But how many and exactly where, who knows! My recommendation is head up there and have a good time! Hard to go wrong with this one as there is so much to see and do there. And if you seek some solitude, head over to the Chatooga and fish Burrells Ford area. This time of year, there is not much seasonal stocking going on anywhere (they are gearing up for DH season), but I am betting you will find fish in the upper Chattooga if you try hard enough. And if you do not catch any fish, the trip there is still certainly worth the effort.

[Jimmy Harris]

Stop by the fly fishing venue at the Outdoor Adventure Day and we'll help you get pointed in the right direction. No activities planned for Sunday but probably will be a somewhat popular place to fish considering that no other streams in the area have been stocked in a couple of months.

[russbledsoe]

thanks buck, sage advice! yeah, i have a LOT of questions, but i don't expect any one person to answer all of them at once(though that would be awesome!), just whichever one could or felt like answering. i didn't really expect exact numbers on the stocking, just whether it was expected to be heavy, but knowing they're gonna stock at all is reassuring. i was wondering about which section because the lower section, the DH section, is a bit prettier, imho. so hopefully there'll be somethin in there.
i hadn't thought about how late in the season it is, and the stocking slow-down, so thanks for that heads up. luckily, my friend isn't totally fish-centric, and would enjoy the chattooga either way. i was uncertain how much of it was wadable, but it sounds like burrell's ford is a good place to start. thanks!

[russbledsoe]

Stop by the fly fishing venue at the Outdoor Adventure Day and we'll help you get pointed in the right direction. No activities planned for Sunday but probably will be a somewhat popular place to fish considering that no other streams in the area have been stocked in a couple of months.

good point jimmy. unfortunately i have a wedding i can't get out of attending on sat, or i'd be up there for sure. is unicoi outfitters open on sunday? if so, we'll probably stop by around lunchtime for some advice and a fly or two. i plan to hit the places i know first, then after lunch go hunting for new places.

[Windknot]

Sunday would be a good chance to do a buddy a favor. I urge you to go early; even if that means waiting for the gate to open by having breakfast at the lodge.