by Capt David Hulsey
Over the years October has become the “beginning” of trout season for fly fishers here in the mountains of the Southern Appalachians. When I was a younger, April was all I lived for after deer season. Trips to the Chattahoochee, Chestatee and Toccoa River headwater streams to catch a stringer of stockers with my dad was about as much fun as I could stand! Now the anticipation of fall fly fishing keeps me up at night planning trips and tying flies.
The Toccoa River tailwater here in Blue Ridge usually fishes well before the annual turnover starts, which is normally this month. This can mess with the fishing for several weeks. The higher elevation wild streams are now cooling off, and it’s business as usual with small dries and nymph dropper combinations doing their magic. Georgia stocked stream sections normally don’t see much more fish being planted until springtime unless they have Delayed Harvest sections contained within their stream sheds which open in November. Private waters such as Noontootla Creek Farms in Blue Ridge, Georgia is on fire at this time, and the chances of hooking into a monster is very real in each pool on the property. Check out their website at www.ncfga.com for contact information.
The awesome Delayed Harvest streams of North Carolina open this month and are simply amazing. Huge numbers of big beautiful rainbows, browns and brookies are stocked within the first two weeks of October. The Tuckaseegee, Nantahala and Fires Creek are all within a days fishing time slot of the North Georgia area. These are great places to get a beginning fly fisher hooked on the sport with many chances at fish during the day. I’ve guided on these streams for many years and look forward to many more.
Hatches in the fall here aren’t too awesome in general with only a few giant October Caddis, Grey Midges and Blue Winged Olives fluttering around on select days. The nymph fisher will usually have better luck tossing general nymph patterns such as Prince, Pheasant Tails and Hares Ears all about size 14 – 18. Adding an egg or Y2K Bug ahead of these nymphs will make them twice as effective, especially for newly stocked trout. Stripped Wooly Buggers in olive or black will also produce fish when they are looking for small baitfish. Big Rubber Legged Stones are always on the menu for larger than average fish along with articulated streamers that mimic our plentiful sculpins and various darters.