There are a whole lot of creatures out there with a taste for stream-born brown trout.
This little 7-inch brownie made the mistake of holding and feeding a little too close to a logjam, where a northern water snake was hunting its dinner. The drama played out on the Chattooga River, which tumbles out of the North Carolina mountains to run the border of South Carolina and Georgia for more than 50 miles before it is dammed up at Lake Tugalo. It is a wild place, protected from development by a 1974 Congressional designation as a Wild and Scenic River.
Yes, the Chattooga is also the place where the 1972 movie Deliverance was filmed. Although, for those old enough to remember the infamous “Squeal like a pig” scene, there’s no need to cut and run when you hear banjos these days.
For the Southeast, the river is a top-notch trout fishery. There are wild, reproducing rainbow, brown and brook trout in the upper stretches of the river. The U.S. Forest Service also provides the vehicle and manpower to conduct helicopter trout stockings of some of the more remote sections of river. For those who would rather do more fishing than hiking, there is an easily accessible section of river under delayed-harvest regulations. It is full of fish this time of year, and some big ones, thanks to the South Carolina and Georgia natural resources departments. Before you go, know that this delayed harvest section is under regulations that permit only artificial lures with single hooks, and catch and release is mandatory this time of year.
Catch and release definitely wasn’t a consideration for the snake in this photo. After clasping the fish in its jaws, the snake seemed to be holding on for dear life as the fish struggled underwater. And they were both momentarily swept downstream in the current before the snake was able to drag its prey onto the sandy bank. It was the kind of drama only those who spend time in wild places are privileged to witness.
For more information on the Chattooga River, contact Karl Ekburg at the Chattooga River Fly Shop in Mtn. Rest, S.C. at (864) 638-2806. It’s a fishery definitely worth the trip for anyone within driving range.