The Blue Ridge Area fishing report courtesy of our outfitting partner, Fly Fishing North Georgia.
The Toccoa Tailwater is still spilling water at 1700cfs with no end in sight. Wade Fishing is definitely not an option; however, you can still float the water. With the deep water, you’ll want to do some streamer fishing in order to draw fish out of cover and eat. With the warmer weather from last week, there has been some hatch activity. Last week, FFNG guide Will Hickman witnessed a nice black caddis hatch; however, the water is so high and the current so fast that there wasn’t much topwater action. Looking ahead, it looks like the Tailwater will continue to spill 1700cfs, so everyone get your streamer rod out and get a guide to float you down the river!
The Toccoa Delayed Harvest was on it’s way to getting to a comfortable wading level, and then….the rains came. Wednesday had some light rains bumping the DH up to around 750cfs. According to the weather forecast, this will be the only day of rain this week so hopefully by this weekend, the DH will be at a good level to wade. Last week, it seemed a lot of people had cabin fever and decided to get out there and float the DH, regardless of the water level. I would suspect this weekend will be a good opportunity to fish the DH; however, it is all dependent on what the weather does. Continue to keep an eye on the level, and also call Cohutta Fishing Co. in Blue Ridge, GA (706-946-3044) for updated water levels.
Smaller Mountain Streams, like Rock Creek and Coopers Creek, are the best options for good fishing waters if you are wading. Last week, we had a lot of good reports from Coopers Creek and Rock Creek, and would suspect it would be the same this week. Even with the rains from Wednesday, the creeks should clear out quickly and be productive. Pat’s Rubber Legs in a Tan Variant are working great right now. With the cold temperatures about to hit again, small zebra midges would be good to throw. I particularly like the reds and blacks; however, play with the color. Rainbow Warriors, Pheasant Tails, and Hare’s Ears are standards that will work just about anywhere. Another fly that has started to become a staple in my box is the Waltz Worm or the Sexy Waltz. This fly can look like many different things, so when the fish don’t seem interested, I’ll typically put on a Sexy Waltz and have some decent luck. At the end of the day, fish what you’re confident with. I find that when I have confidence with the fly I’m presenting, I tend to do better.
Check the generation schedule before you plan your trip! We do not recommend that you float the Etowah if Allatoona dam is releasing water. We do not recommend wading the Toccoa if the TVA is releasing water. Check the release schedules and be safe!
Toccoa River Delayed Harvest flows
Allatoona Dam Release Schedule- (706) 334-7213