Etowah River: The popper bite for bass is on! Boogle Bugs in Olive, Yellow, Chartreuse, and Fire Frog will all produce well, but all of us at the shop have our own favorite color. Use heavier diameter 0x leaders to the fly to prevent line twist. I like to drop a fly off the back of my poppers – Large Pat’s Rubber Legs, small crayfish patterns like Joe’s Crayfish Jig, Carter’s Rubber Legged Dragons, and small baitfish patterns imitating shad. Bass can also be caught on a variety of streamers imitating baitfish and creatures like crawfish.
The Striper fishing has been good. 8, 9, and 10 weight rods rigged with Intermediate and Full Sinking Tropical core lines rigged with 15-30 lb leaders have been the ticket. Fish baitfish patterns like Cruiser Shad, Major Mullet/Anchovy, Big Fish Decievers, Dan Blanton’s Flashtail Whistlers, and Pole Dancers will all work well. Call us at the shop if you have any questions regarding this style of fishing, or book a trip with us. We’re approaching peak season for these river monsters.
The Blue Ridge Area Report courtesy of our outfitting partner, Fly Fishing North Georgia.
The Toccoa Tailwater has been releasing water from the dam consistently this week from 9:00am-12:00pm and then 4:00pm-9:00pm. This split generation has been making it possible to get out on the water in between the generation times. Also, rain has returned this week and hit hard. Luckily, when TVA generates the river, it will flush out all the runoff we’ve received from the rains. If you are looking to do some fishing the day after a hard rain, Tammen Park will be relatively clear because it is closest to the dam and there isn’t much runoff into that access point. As you move along to Curtis Switch and Horseshoe Bend Park, the water will get progressively dirtier. Looking ahead, they will continue generating at the same schedule; however, around Saturday they will lessen the generation time. For the most recent generation schedule, contact Cohutta Fishing Co. in Blue Ridge, GA to get some help. Right now the topwater bite isn’t as present as the subsurface bite. I would fish Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, Squirmy Worms, Pat’s Rubber Legs, and Y2K Egg Patterns.
The Delayed Harvest has been registering at 512 as of Wednesday. When the rains came in a few days ago, it has raised the water level slightly. The DH is likely to look like chocolate milk. With the combination of dirty water and higher temperatures, the DH isn’t a great option to catch trout this weekend. If the rains hold off for the rest of the week, then it might be worth fishing but the forecast has been calling for more rain.
Smaller Mountain Streams would be a good place to go this weekend. With the rains from this week, the waters might be slightly stained and high; however, the smaller streams will flush out quicker than the main water of the Toccoa. Coopers Creek and Rock Creek would be decent places to go this week/weekend. Fishing heavier flies will be good if the water is still slightly high. Tungsten flies like Pheasant Tails, Tungsten Squirmy Worms, and Y2K Egg Patterns. If the smaller water clears out, fish more natural imitations like Pat’s Rubber Legs, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, and Hare’s Ears.
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