Local Fishing Report 06/15/23

Local Fishing Report 06/15/23

By Matt Morrison

Cohutta Fishing Co. – Blue Ridge

Toccoa Tailwater: We have finally transitioned into our Summer time fishing here in Blue Ridge. What this means on the Toccoa Tailwater is that you have to be out there early in the morning to have a successful day. Dry fly activity has been great and is catching just as many if not more fish than a typical dry dropper rig. A few tan caddis can be seen flying around first thing in the morning, a

nd as the sun gets higher, you will see more sulphurs and light cahills. Some days there have been some BWO’s around as well. Bring some spools of 6x and make sure you’re stocked up on yellow and cream colored mayfly dries and emergers from size 12-16. Dry dropper rigs have been working well too with a variety of bugs. Pheasant Tail variations have been king, while smaller Pat’s, Perdigons, and Rainbow Warriors have been catching some fish as well. As the day gets hotter the fishing starts slowing down. Once the air temperature hits 80 degrees, the fish seem to shut down all together. If it’s a cooler day, you may notice the bite lasting longer. For anyone looking to learn how to streamer fish, this time of year can be a killer time to learn. With plenty of different shiners, creek chubs and other fry in the river right now, there’s plenty of food for those bigger fish that like to feed on highwater. With TVA generating every afternoon, there can be some good windows to chase a trophy. Throwing sinking lines with big flies isn’t the easiest thing to do, but booking a streamer float can go a long way with learning how to cast and work these big flies to catch some of the bigger fish in the river.

Upper Toccoa: Delayed Harvest season is over and water temps on the Upper near Sandy Bottoms are starting to warm up. Temps near Sandy Bottom Canoe Launch are starting around the low 60s and possibly hitting the mid 60’s on a hot day. Early morning fishing is suggested here not just because of the temps, but crowds of tubers and kayakers are often floating through in the afternoons.

Small Streams: Small streams in the area should be fishing great. The water most of the time is low and clear so stick with dry flies or dry dropper rigs. The nice thing about these streams is that they will fish steadily throughout the day. For wild trout streams yellow sallies, smaller terrestrials, sulphurs, and caddis have been working great. There are still some good hatches going on on these streams and even when there is not, there are tons of terrestrials around for these fish to feed on. Ants, beetles, and hoppers can be killer on these streams. For some of the other stocked streams, if they are reluctant to come up to a dry fly, try a dry dropper rig. Pat’s or any other flashy nymphs should work just fine.

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