Trying Out Trout

Nathaniel, Asher and I camped with the men and boys from our church this weekend, and I had the opportunity to share a bit about North Georgia trout fishing at the campsite and then to spend a couple of hours astream with the crew. We camped beside the Tallulah River, which is a popular stocked stream, and fished the big bend in the river that wraps around the campground.

Between it being well past the normal stocking season for a Georgia put-and-take stream and us choosing a highly accessible run just footsteps from a popular campground, I'm guessing we were not around many trout. Still, the boys managed to catch one nice stocker that had surprisingly good colors, one pretty little wild rainbow, and a few willing chubs. More importantly, the crew seemed to enjoy casting into the creek's cool, clear waters and hopefully discovered something they'll want to try more of in the future. And while that bend in the river probably wasn't the fishiest place in the North Georgia, a flat gravel bar that fronted a long, deep run created a perfect setting for new anglers of a range of ages to fish together without crossing each other's lines too much or having to battle too many complicated currents.

At times we had lines going in every direction, and together we caught more than a few rocks and rhododendron branches. That's all part of the adventure, though, and I believe all the boys enjoyed themselves. Nathaniel was a big help tying knot, freeing snags and such, and Asher was impressively self-sufficient for an 8-year-old who has fished a fair amount but had spent any time in a trout stream.