North Georgia Trout Streams
The trout fishing has continued to pick up as waters across the state warm. The recent rains have brought the water levels of rivers and creeks up causing the trout to spread out. Streamers are an excellent way to probe large areas for trout. Hatches have begun to pick up around mid-morning and with it, the trout activity. The best hatches have been happening on the windy days following a passing front. The hatches of blue wing olives, black caddis, and march browns have begun shifting to yellow sallies, grannom caddis, golden stoneflies, and quills already, with sulfurs showing up later into April. Size sixteen to eighteen dry flies have been the best imitations when you begin to see the trout rising but, larger patterns will become more effective in coming weeks. When things are slow, large nymph patterns (stonefly and caddis) have worked well. Many other local fish in streams and rivers will begin their annual spawning ritual so don't overlook egg patterns if suckers and chubs are around. The end of the month should see all of these patterns pick up as well as the fishing. Not everyday has been best for dry flies. Though hatches may be in full swing, the trout are still swinging and missing on a fair amount of their rises. In these situations, adding a dropper or emerger pattern will lead to more hook ups.
Best Fly Patterns for Spring Trout
Check out the latest videos from Fish North Georgia on the fly patterns you will need out on the water for our Spring Fly Hatches and stocked trout season. Mayfly Patterns, Stonefly Patterns, Caddis Patterns, and a handful of other popular fly patterns are all on the table this Spring. We discuss each of these with Danny in the Trout Fishing How-To playlist, as well as some other tips that will land him more trout this year as he begins his journey into fly fishing.
Trout have been stocked in nearly all of North Georgia’s seasonally stocked streams. The crowds in these areas have been heavy no matter where you’re fishing in North Georgia. You can take a look at what streams have been stocked in our Clayton Trout Fishing Guide, Blue Ridge Trout Fishing Guide, Helen Trout Fishing Guide, Ellijay Trout Fishing Guide, or Dahlonega Trout Fishing Guide. After visiting several popular waters following the initial late March stockings, these heavily trafficked streams have already been mostly cleaned out. The streams stocked weekly have had more stocked trout find refuge than others which has limited much of the catch and keep anglers' hauls and dispersed the trout into areas with less pressure. Junk flies are still the go to for these stocked trout, especially when the water is high following rains.
Tailwater Trout Fishing
The tailwaters of the Chattahoochee and Toccoa have both been fishing well with recent stockings. Generation on the Chattahoochee below Lanier has made wading difficult at times with the more frequent releases of late. This will likely continue for the next month as wet weather keeps lake levels up. Rainbows have been stocked prolifically in the river so expect heavier visitors on the days the river is fishable. And as always we highly recommend releasing any of the wild brown trout caught in the river. Midge hatches have been excellent following periods of generation.
The Toccoa River has been seeing a wide variety of bugs showing up in recent weeks with the best hatches still being ahead of us. While floating the river is still the best way to get in front of more trout, recent stockings have made fish more abundant in the river. Smaller streams will still be more productive for most anglers as the heavier angler traffic and limited access along the river make for tougher conditions on weekend anglers.
Georgia's Trophy Trout Streams
The trophy streams are fishing very well at the moment. If you manage to happen onto one of these rivers or creeks as the water is rising or falling you can have an unforgettable day on the water. While junk flies tend to be the go to patterns here, the spring months see a plethora of bugs on the water making them more likely to fall prey to a well drifted dry fly.
The Striper have begun their heavy run up the lake. While some remain scattered throughout the mid and upper end of the lake, look for the rains over the next week to push these striped bass upstream on the Chestatee River and Chattahoochee River. Striper moving upstream will stage along the deeper outside bends of the main channel and just below creek confluences. Look for white bass to be mixed in whether your fishing the Chattahoochee, Chestatee, or Etowah River. Clousers and other small baitfish imitations will see more action from all species on the river while the larger fly patterns, such as a drunk and disorderly or hollow point, will catch the eye and entice the larger striper.
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For anglers looking to learn more about trout fishing and fly fishing North Georgia, our latest articles on Fly Fishing the Appalachian Trail and What Trout Eat will teach fly anglers the insects and other food items that trout are looking for in the local rivers and creek as well as some of the most scenic wild trout destinations in the state.