Water for the Pond

If the little pond the boys and I often fish is much of an indicator, water levels may be improving in North Georgia from recent summer rains -- including a seriously heavy shower this afternoon.

I suppose Forrest Wood Cup competitors are paying pretty close attention to rainfall reports and water levels in North Georgia. In three weeks they'll be competing for 1/2 million dollars on Lake Sidney Lanier, and the amount of rain that falls between now and then could have a major impact on the behavior of the fish and on the best fishing spots and patterns. Even on the pond, where structure fishing is not a big factor, we see a lot of changes in the fish's behavoir based on water levels.

3 Paths to Mid-Summer Trout

Sizzling summer days have an impact on trout habitat in many Southern streams and can push fish into survival mode. At the same time, many flows run low and streams turn extra clear. That can make for tough fishing. Don't despair or abandon trout fishing for the summer. Just alter when and where you fish. Here are three specific suggestions:

*Head Up Creeks - High-elevation tributaries generally stay much cooler than the streams they feed and are therefore less impacted by mid-summer conditions. Pick national forest streams with plenty of overgrowth to provide constant shade and sufficiently steep beds to form plenty falls and plunge pools. Know going in that stream cover gets seriously thick during mid-summer and that you must be willing to climb and crawl for your reward.

*Hit Tailwaters - Because many tailwaters get their water from deep in the lower ends of reservoirs, they often remain cold even during the summer, with little change in the behavior of the fish. Dissolved oxygen levels become an issue in some tailwaters very late in the summer and into fall, but many produce well during July. The big variable in any tailwater is the level of the water, which impacts both the behavior of the fish and the ways you can access the river and fish effectively.

*Follow Storms - Vigorous afternoon storm, which happen quite a bit during the middle of the summer, often will usher in a couple of hours of good fishing action. Hard rains bring a blast of fresh nutrients, stained water and at times cooler temperatures to trout streams, and the fish tend to feed really well at that time. Just be sure to wait till the thunder and lighting have finished before venturing astream!

Summer Rain

The good news about that about the rain that has been falling steadily through this morning's early morning hours is that three of my tents are getting dryness tests with no one inside them to get wet if they fail. Yesterday was a basement sorting day for me, and the effort included pulling out various tents I've accumulated over the years to figure out which still have the right stakes, which rain tarps go with which tents, etc. As part of the process, I set up three tents in the yard. I left them up overnight because they provided big evening fun for my three youngest children and I figured they'd like to continue that fun this morning.
The bad news is that Nathaniel has big fishing plans with our friend, Mr. Kenneth, who he often works with in town. They plan to load Nathaniel's johnboat on Mr. Kenneth's utility trailer and haul it to the little lake at Tallulah Gorge State Park. Nathaniel got all his gear gathered yesterday, and Mr. Kenneth took the day off work, so hopefully the rain won't mess up their plans. It looks like the current band will pass in plenty of time, but there could be more regenerating to the west and moving in this direction.

The other good part about the rain, which is more important than our immediate circumstances, is that we can really use the rain in North Georgia right now, and it has been a good soaking rain this morning. If trout streams and garden plots could smile, they'd be doing so right now.