Flooded Rivers

The USGS stream gauge date map shows black and blue dots all over Southern Appalachia (and across much of the South, East Coast and Upper Midwest, for that matter). The dots mark locations of stream gauges. Blue suggests very high flows. Black is even higher.

The rain of late has been crazy. It has actually been seriously rainy around here since mid-fall, so our streams were already running at high levels. For the past couple of weeks, though, the clouds have turned it up a notch, and it has been coming down, coming down, and coming down some more. Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours with a shop vacuum sucking water from the basement area where I keep all my fishing junk, and it looks like I might be doing the same thing again in a few days.

I actually like rainy days, and I really like trout fishing with dark skies and high flows. Brown trout feed best when the skies are extra dark, and most trout position themselves more predictably and become a bit less skittish when flows are high and the water gets a little off colored. The same conditions also tend to lessen crowds, which certainly suits me.

High water has useful limits for fishing, though, and most of are streams are well past those. They are running so hard that most fish are hiding behind rocks on the bottom and are essentially in hang-on-for-life mode. Most streams will have to settle at least a bit before fishing is likely to be good. When that happens, though, it should be really good, with better than normal big-fish potential.

For today, I think my best bet is to do a bit more drying and some sorting in my basement. Getting stuff in better order will let me get on the water faster on those days that will be coming up soon when river conditions are more conducive to good fishing.

Sun Shining this Morning

The rain began a little after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24. I remember because Asher and I were at the Little League fields, anticipating his 7:15 game and hoping he'd get to play. It started as a drizzle about the time the early game started and got gradually heavier as that one progressed. By 7:00, it was apparent that there would be no 7:15 game (first of five consecutive rainouts).

The rain ended with a drizzle this morning, and the sun is shining beautifully now. It didn't rain constantly all 10 days, but it fell the better part of most of them, with some seriously heavy rain in the mix. It began with the edge of a low-pressure system over the Atlantic and another that dragged moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico. A cold front crashed into that low just before the outer edge of the hurricane hit. Finally, high pressure has taken charge.

I like rain. I like rain a lot, in fact. I can't deny, though, that a week and a half of rain got a little wearisome, and it kept us from getting out and playing as much as we prefer. Early rain and plentiful dark skies made me excited about prospects of good brown trout fishing. Time didn't line up during that window, though, and next thing I knew it, streams were blown out. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Division even delayed stocking Delayed Harvest streams so that the newly stocked trout wouldn't all get washed downstream.

All that rain to kick off autumn is actually really good for our waterways, and I'm glad for it now that it is gone. It provides a nice charge for trout streams, which can run mighty low this time of year, and for the reservoirs they eventually feed.

Now I just need to find a fresh window to get out there and go fishing!

Waist Deep in Service

While bouncing around on the web this morning, I found myself on the Calendar page for our local Trout Unlimited Chapter (GA Foothills, Chapter 629). Looking down the page, which lists scheduled events for the entire calendar year, I was struck by the fact that this group is truly about service. The calendar is crowded with doing and giving: regular volunteer time at the nearest fish hatchery, sponsorship and volunteer time for various youth events, stream cleanups, habitat enhancement workdays, Healing Waters events, teaching at local schools... The list goes on an on.

Actually, except for monthly meetings and a couple of fundraising banquets (which are designed to raise support for all those service projects on the calendar), everything on the list is some sort of a service opportunity for chapter members and friends they are able to gather. And in truth, not everything gets listed. When the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division needs extra hands stocking trout or some other project, they might just pass along word to someone in the chapter and a mention at a meeting or note on the website will bring out volunteers.

Too many organizations and chapters of organizations, even organizations founded with service as the main objective, seem more about talking than doing (and about gaining recognition for whatever projects they volunteer for or sponsor).  GA Foothills TU seems the opposite to me.

Don't get me wrong. This crew has a common passion for streams and trout and fishing for trout, and the social aspect is of chapter involvement is super valuable. They also get together pretty frequently to fish, as they should, and like any group of anglers, they enjoy trading fish stories. When I attended a meeting not long ago, though, I noticed that the fish stories fairly quickly took backseat to discussion about upcoming events that needed volunteers and opportunities to back worthwhile causes.

Like many organizations, Trout Unlimited accomplishes a tremendous amount of good with big projects on a national level. Even more important, though, in my opinion, is the hands-on work that only can be accomplished locally by an active chapter with good priorities, and that definitely seems to describe GA Foothills.

Stream Camo?

Realtree MAX-1 XT was designed for hunting
more open terrain. Photo courtesy of Realtree.

An email I received this morning delivered details about a new Realtree camo pattern. Being a fishermen, but not much of a hunter, stuff made mostly for the hunting market doesn't normally catch my eye. This one did because I immediately thought about fishing applications.

Max-1 XT was designed to blend into open more open landscapes, such as brushy areas and fields, as opposed to a deep-woods setting. Many streams I fish cut through the woods, but even when I'm working along edges, I'm rarely quite in the woods, so many traditional camo patterns would make me stand out more than they would allow me to blend into the background.

In big streams with even a hint of stream, I don't think too much about the color my clothes. For fishing clear trout and smallmouth streams, though, I try to dress in natural tones, and I definitely put a premium on stealthy movements. I work from the edges or use in-stream boulders to break my silhouette, and I try to stay low and move slowly. I don't normally go as far as dressing in camouflage, but for some extra clear streams, especially ones that don't tumble a lot or push really hard, I think the right camouflage pattern could make a substantial difference some days. And from what I see, I think the Max-1 XT might be the right camouflage.

Look for yourself at the photo above. Look at the background and the hunter and think about the streams you wade. If you agree that Realtree Max-1 XT might help you blend in better and sneak up on more fish, keep an eye out for clothes that fit your stream fishing needs that come out in this pattern.

One & Done Rainbow

First trout of the morning, a rainbow, came on the morning's fourth cast, and I got two more hits from the same pool -- an overfished, featureless hole that normally doesn't produce much. Good prospects for the day's action, one would think.

One would think.

At day's end, we visited the same pool one final time, and had high hopes that I could catch one more and double my day's catch. Didn't happen. I did have plenty of other opportunities with fish that hit, and the friend I fished with caught a handful of fish through the day. For some reason, I just couldn't quite connect. The fish were there and hitting my lures. I just couldn't catch 'em.

That's OK. I had a great time sharing a beautiful mountain stream with a friend and doing my best to outwit a fish. If plans remain unchanged, I'll get another chance on another stream on Friday.

Standing on Rocks

When I peek at what Asher is doing while we're trout fishing, I usually find him standing on a rock. And if he isn't actually on a rock, he's likely on his way to one or stepping off one.

It's not that he's trying to stay dry or warm. He trudges right through the creek with little regard to depth to get to good rocks. Climbing rocks and fishing from them is just part of the fun of trout fishing for a boy, and the bigger a rock is, the better it is as a fishing platform!

Gear: Hodgman Hickory Swale Waders

 

My last few trout trips have provided fine opportunities to put my Hodgman Hickory Swale Waders to work. The Nantahala was still pretty chilly last week, and it was downright cold in January when we arrived at the river with air temps in the upper teens. The waders themselves are lightweight, so they'll remain comfortable when the days are warm, but they've performed beautifully, and with fleece wading pants beneath them and the built-in neoprene stocking feet on the waders, I've stayed completely dry and plenty warm.

Almost as important as keeping me dry, the lightweight material used for the Hickory Swale Waders allows for great mobility. My favorite Appalachian streams have steep beds, and getting to good spots calls more than a little rock climbing and rhododendron tunnel crawling. That's a tough task in bulky waders, and I've been thrilled by the mobility I've enjoyed in these. I'll still shed 'em as soon as I can stand to do so and will wade wet when water temperatures allow; however, for most trout tailwaters and for cool-season fishing days, waders are necessary, so I'm grateful for a good comfortable pair to wear.

These waders are also really well designed in terms of stuff like gravel guards, padding, reinforcements in high-wear area and strap adjustments, and the Hodgman folks obviously gave good thought to practicalities of fishing with a removable fly patch (which works nicely for spinning lures too, by the way), lined hand-warming pockets and a full length, fully waterproof front zipper. Those seem like little things until you spend a few days in a pair of waders. Having stuff well designed and in the right places allows you to be more comfortable and more efficient, which can result in more opportunities to catch fish!

Trout Need to Wait

USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Map

 

Yesterday at this time, I was still dreaming about slipping out one day later this week and doing a bit of trout fishing, imagining the rain that has been falling to have been just enough to provide good conditions for gathering high-water trout photos. I even imagined trout having been made aggressive by the high flows and holding in predictable locations. Well, after another full day of rain yesterday and more still falling this morning, I've admitted to myself that any trout plans will have to wait until next week. Access will be nearly impossible in most places and the trout will be hiding in deep eddies, just trying it survive the flood.

 

I looked a the some USGS stream-flow maps and charts this morning, and the rivers are absolutely rocking. The Chattooga River in North Georgia is running right at ten times its average volume for this date based on 40 years of data and at the highest level on record for January 16. The streams I fish in North Carolina are all in the western tip, and if you look at the map above, a blue dot for a stream means the stream flow is at above the 90 percentile mark. Black is even higher. Because our streams are steep sided, the levels raise quickly and they absolutely roar through their gorges under flood conditions.

 

Creek kayakers love to see USGS maps that look like this one. For fishermen, such a map suggests sorting lure boxes, respooling reels or tying flies.





Fishing in Georgia?

Maybe the question I hear the most frequently when I travel is how fishing has been in Georgia. Ironically, that's a question I often cannot answer - at least not from my own experience. The flipside of getting to fish in so many great places and in different parts of the country is that most of the work days I can afford to spend away from the computer get filled on trips to other places.

I do a fair number of quick, in-town pond trips with my children, and I do slip out to a North Georgia trout stream when I get the opportunity. I also try to pay attention to reports and weather conditions, so I do have an idea about what is being caught from waters close to home. Still, I've spent significantly more time fishing in Minnesota and in Arkansas than in Georgia this year.

Of course, I have no travel plans for the next couple of months, and I don't intend to add any. Our next child (Holly) is due in mid-July, so I am going to stay close to home all summer. Most of my time will be spent with my family or working at my computer, but after Holly has been born, I probably will take a few more day trips than I normally find the chance to take. Therefore when I start traveling again and people ask how fishing has been in Georgia, I might actually be able to offer a good answer!