Jack's River Report - June 28

[SuwaneeDawg]

Me and a buddy backpacked from Dally Gap on Hemp Top Trail for 2.3 miles which leads to Penitentiary Branch Trail for another 3.6 miles. Penitentiary Branch drops about 1400 feet down to the Jack's River Trail. There are 3-4 large camping sites at the trail intersection. We fished upstream on Jack's River Trail for about 3.5 miles where the trail crossed the river approximately 11 times in this section. We didn't see another soul fishing all day and the scenery was some of the best for trout fishing in Georgia. It is definitely one of my favorite locations in the state along with the Chattooga.
The fishing was not the best that day. We only saw 4-5 trout between 6-8 inches. We did catch about 10 redeye bass on the day which provided a little excitement for the day. We found several pools that looked like they would produce some trout and possibly some sizeable ones, but to no avail. Saturday night provided a large downpour which makes 6 camping trips in a row for me.
Next week I am headed to Cumberland Island for 4 nights and hope to catch some dinner for at least one night.

[TroutManJoe]

Shame

I think the rivers of the Cohuttas are really being hit hard by this second year of drought. I fished the Connie about the same time you hit the Jacks and experienced much the same as you did, plenty of red-eyes, hardly any trout.
However, on a trip in May, I caught tons of trout on the Jacks.... Lets just hope and pray they're all up tributaries and have their noses stuck in the spots where cold spring water feeds the river... My guess though, they've lived in both rivers since the middle 60s without any stocking, they'll make it through the drought....
just may be a few years before the younger ones who survive the drought to grow up.....

[justDrivin]

The river temps are really high now on Jacks and the Conasuaga

[SuwaneeDawg]

Yeah we didnt have a thermometer but it seemed very warm during the wade. The water levels seemed adequate for holding some decent sized fish. I wonder if the river just gets fished out by this time of year although it didnt seem like it gets overfished. I hope you are right TroutmanJoe about the little guys hanging out in cool water until next year. I hope to fish this area a few times per summer as I am originally from Chatsworth and still love the area.

[TroutManJoe]

Fished OUt???

I don't think the Jacks or the Connie could ever actually be "fished out." Both rivers have had self sustaining trout populations since the 1960s and no additional stocking has taken place since. Therefore, any fish you catch in either river is truly a stream-bred fish. I don't worry about total obliteration of the trout population, we just may be in a flux where the larger fish will be gone for a few years. But you're right, there's plenty of holding water on both rivers even with the drought. Those pockets have just been replaced with red-eyes instead of trout.

[SuwaneeDawg]

You are probably right about it not being fished out since it has been regenerating itself for so long. It is one of the most beautiful areas to fish in GA and I hope the population continues to sustain itself. I was hoping that the Connie was doing a little better.

[TroutManJoe]

me too

I'd hoped the connie would be in better shape too. It's a bigger river, holds more bigger fish, in my opinion. I probably should've went in the Betty Gap way and fished the very upper end. May have had better sucess. But god, I can't imagine the hike out on the Betty Gap trail with 45-50 pounds strapped to your back.....

Joe

[MariettaMike]

Cumberland Burning

Are you sure you can go there?

I could see it burning from St Simons Island last week.

http://www.news4jax.com/news4georgia...12/detail.html

Good Luck!

[SuwaneeDawg]

Mike,

The fire is only burning on the northern end of the island and as of 7/7 it was 90% contained. Cumberland is the largest island off the GA coast and the fires were about 10 miles from where we will be camping. Thanks for the heads up.

[SuwaneeDawg]

I'd hoped the connie would be in better shape too. It's a bigger river, holds more bigger fish, in my opinion. I probably should've went in the Betty Gap way and fished the very upper end. May have had better sucess. But god, I can't imagine the hike out on the Betty Gap trail with 45-50 pounds strapped to your back.....

Joe

It was tough enough doing the steep portions of Penitentiary Branch with a 50 lb pack. but somehow my bud and I hiked up faster than we hiked down. I still am perplexed by this.

[Milton]

It was tough enough doing the steep portions of Penitentiary Branch with a 50 lb pack. but somehow my bud and I hiked up faster than we hiked down. I still am perplexed by this.

Funny how that works. The last time I was there, I was so whipped from the downhill hike in that I was afraid the hike back up the trail might be too much for me (I was 52 or 53 at the time, and my pack was over 50lbs.) I considered taking the Jacks River Trail back to Dally Gap, instead of the Penitentiary Branch Trail. Did it anyway (after two nights), and felt good the whole way.

While we’re on the subject, heed ye this: No one should EVER take the Sugar Cove Trail.


-Milton