A lot of this report is going to sound like last week – if you’re coming to Blue Ridge to do some trout fishing, know that your options are going to be limited through September! The Toccoa Tailwater and Small Streams higher in elevation are the only refuges we have with good water conditions right now. The good news: river and creek bass fishing is fantastic! Georgia is full of bass creeks and streams that are closer to home than many realize. Break out the 4-6 weights, a box of boogle bugs or your favorite terrestrial trout patterns, and give these fish a shot.
The Etowah River below Allatoona Dam is fishing great right now. Popper fishing for spotted bass is hot! Take a 6 or 7 weight rigged with a tropical floating line like Rio’s Bonefish or Scientific Angler’s Grand Slam and a 7.5 foot, 0X Powerflex Leader and a cup full of Boogle Bugs. We’re also throwing white and olive gurglers, clouser minnows, Lunch $’s, and Sparkle Minnows in gold or copper. Bass fishing should remain good through October on the river, and this time of year and topwater activity is a guide favorite. There are still some striper around, so if you want to catch one of these fish you can take a 9 weight with you and some bigger patterns, but the striper fishing should start tapering off.
The Toccoa Tailwater is still fishing well in the early morning, but the fishing slows down as the sun gets over the water around 10-11 o clock. You may be able to get some good fishing in the afternoon if you don’t mind fishing in the weather, as we’ve had fairly consistent afternoon showers that cool things off a bit and give us some cloud cover. Take a 4 or 5 weight fly rod rigged with floating line and a 5x 9 foot leader (or lighter), and try smaller, natural patterns like unweighted soft hackle pheasant tails and BWOs, TungStones, Flashback Hare’s Ears, Wooly Buggers with no flash, and Tungsten Jig Assassins. If the water stains from rain, switch to bigger profile patterns (stonefly nymphs, streamers, squirmy worms) and beef up your leader to 4x. Bring some yellow sally dry flies, midge patterns (Griffith’s Gnat), and Blue Winged Olive imitations in case of a hatch!
Small Streams are probably your best option to fish all day long for trout. Go up to higher elevation streams that have enough canopy to keep the sun off the water. We’re fishing 8 foot 3 or 4 weights, small 5 and 6x leaders, and wearing drab colors to camouflage our profiles when the water is low. Stay back off of pools and fish methodically – start at the tail out of the pool and work your way up, rather than casting to the very top of the pool immediately. You can get away with a dry-dropper consisting of a small Parachute Adams, Purple Haze, Yellow Stimulator, or small 12-14 Chubby Cherynobyl for the top fly, and drop an unweighted pheasant tail or hare’s ear below! If you’re using split shot, use the foam flies (chubby) and the largest shot you can get away with to keep the fly in the strike zone but without sinking these small dry flies, if possible. If the water level jumps from the rain, high stick wooly buggers and pat’s rubber legs with split shot in eddys near fast water, and don’t forget a net!
Call us at the shop for guide trip details! Bass fishing is great, and we’re already booking fall trout trips in October. We’re also going to start seeing fall gear and clothing shipments beginning this month, so come by and see us if you’re looking for something in particular.
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