by James Bradley
September’s norms got blown out of the water with changes in temperature and with the normal rain pattern. This was due to cold fronts and the hurricanes bringing us rain. These cool mornings are bringing fond memories of last year’s spawning brown trout.
First, let’s talk about our annual festival that takes place here in Ellijay, Georgia. It is the Apple Festival and is always the second and third full weekends in October. Thousands among thousands will make their annual trip to Ellijay for this arts and crafts festival. For the first timer, it must be one of the coolest festivals in Georgia and maybe in the Southeast, and then you can go visit the area’s apple houses. One apple house east of Ellijay on Hwy 52 has grown into one of the area’s biggest attraction with tractor/wagon rides, pig races, apple cannons, zip lining through the orchards, etc. Fun for everyone, but let’s not forget about the fly fishing up here in our mountains too!
On the fishing scene, many things are beginning to happen in October. The stream temperatures are starting to cool off which urges the brown trout to begin their spawning activity. Just up the road, North Carolina’s Delayed Harvest streams will be opening. A couple of drawbacks are leaves falling into the streams which can hinder your presentation, and low water that is usually gin clear causes the trout to become increasingly wary. On the bright side, up in the mountains, the fall leaf colors can be amazing and worth the trip itself!
Some worthy tips about the brown trout:
· Spawning takes place during the fall when the water temperatures range between 44-48 degrees. Spawning sites are in the upper portion of the stream or small tributary.
· They have few to no spots on their tail compared to other salmonids. They have color, usually red, on their adipose fin.
· Some refer to them as the German Brown or Butter Belly.
· Browns are primarily insect eaters until they get around 15 inches in length, then they begin eating other fish! They feed on the surface more than other trout with the heaviest being around dawn and dusk.
· Of the salmonid family, they have a relatively short life span with a maximum up to 8 years.
· Preferred water temperature ranges 60-65 degrees. The type water preferred is slow to medium.
· Browns are the most cover oriented of all trout.
October 1st marks the opening of the delayed harvest streams in North Carolina. Many come to mind like the Tuckasegee where we like to do float trips, the Nantahala, Valley River and Fires Creek being three of the closer ones if you are in the central part of Georgia. These DH sections are catch and release with artificial only until June 1st. If fishing the early season of the DH, use junk flies like eggs, Y2Ks, San Juan and Squirmy worms for fast hookups. As the DH season drags on, begin switching back to naturals!
Don’t forget about asking us about our float trips. We are currently doing floats on the Toccoa Tailwater and she is fishing pretty good with some days being awesome! If you want to go after a brown trout of a lifetime – Give Us a Call, We’ll Hook You Up!
Reel ‘Em In Guide Service is the only Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide in North Georgia’s Historic High Country region. They have been offering their services to fly anglers since 2001. They have permits for guiding in North Georgia and North Carolina, offering over 7 miles of private trophy waters across Georgia, and operate drift boat trips on the Toccoa River in GA and the Tuckasegee River in NC.