by Jimmy Harris
November is the month we’re reminded of things we’re thankful for, and I’m thankful for some of the year’s best fishing! When it’s fall with great fishing and great weather, it came to me to be ThankFall. Think about it. The Georgia Delayed Harvest streams are open again, the year-round streams have good water levels and temperatures more conducive to healthy trout, and the environs we’re in are at the peak of their beauty. As my friend JD is fond of saying, “Trout don’t live in ugly places.” No sir, they do not.
Fall colors, brisk temperatures and hungry fish make for perfect angling conditions here in North Georgia. Tie on an orange Stimulator (seasonal colors!) with a soft hackle dropper like a Partridge and Orange or Yellow and you’re good to go on all but the coldest days. At the end of your drift, allow your fly to draw up on a tight line and slowly swing across the current allowing your soft hackle to give the impression on an emerging insect. There have been times when this technique turned a slow day into a highly successful one. When using this technique, remember to never point your rod tip directly at the fly. You need the bend of your rod to soften sometimes violent strikes. If your line is tight with no chance of a bend in your rod, even a moderate size fish can break your tippet. Give that expensive piece of plastic you’re holding in your hand an opportunity to help you catch the fish.
On those days when the weather does turn off cold, don’t stay in the house. Grab a rod and rig it with a Woolly Bugger or leech pattern and the ubiquitous dropper. Dropper flies can be small Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs or Hares Ears. Finally, add split shot until you are absolutely certain your rig is near the bottom.
There’s one other reason to be ThankFall. On those cold, nasty rainy days when no sane person would venture outside, you, my friend, should be loading the truck and looking for a Blue Wing Olive hatch. You’ll have the river to yourself and it could be epic! Tight lines, everybody.