Blue Ridge, Ga 11/25/11

[Chalk]

Been in Blue Ridge for the week of Thanksgiving - suppose to be relaxing...seems I spent most of the week eating pills and taking medicine trying to shake a cold. Got to feeling better on Thanksgiving day and we hit the mountains checking out some local hiking spots. Set up a guided trip for fly fishing for some trout on Friday with Blue Ridge Fly Fishing Guides. Read the owner Mike was retired from the Corp - so I knew he would treat me right. Ended up getting another Guide - Steven...as with most guided trips it is like a "blind"date - you never know what your going to get. Steven is a senior at UGA finishing up his last semester in Environmental Engineering - he has been guiding since he was about 16. We meet up in town and he took me off to the creek. They supplied everything - waders, shoes, rods, flies, etc. All I needed to do was show up.

We fished the Toccoa river on the North side of the dam - the creek is stocked but has it's own trout that are born and grow in the creek. The Brown's were spawning while we were there. You can see the difference in a stock and wild trout by looking at the fins. Anyways - Blue Ridge Fly fishing guides motto is "to teach each client all they need to know to do it on their own". Interesting concept, but if you have any fishing ability - it is not all that hard - yet it can be very challenging. Hook sets seemed to be my short coming - missed a ton of fish or either pulled it from them. Missed a couple of studs that would have been over the 15" mark...the line went tight and the weight was felt then nothing...would like to have had seen those monsters.

Had a blast fishing with Steven - he cured my rainbow and brown trout virginity in about 10 minutes . Ended up getting about 20 or so Browns & Rainbows in a half a day trip. Fishing with stone flies and woolly boogers. Biggest fish were about 15" and all were released to fight again another day. Fishing juices are flowing for the moment...maybe the cursed golf sticks will not tempt me too hard when I get home

Few pics from fishing.

Rainbow Trout

Blueridge3 006.jpg (235.77 KiB) Viewed 7659 times

Brown Trout

Blueridge3 015.jpg (241.67 KiB) Viewed 7659 times

Another Brown

Blueridge3 023.jpg (273.24 KiB) Viewed 7659 times

[FHC]

[Joe]

Nice change of pace. I love flea flickin for trout.

[Flint River Pirate]

Nice pictures old friend! No pics of you on the golf course?

[CSMarine]

Nice Chalk,
My daughter lives in PC now so I go there fairly often. Just spent a week there for Thanksgiving. How bout turning me onto one of your secret fishing holes there in your neck of the woods.

[Reel Navy]

Nice fish Chalk

[KyTrkyHntr]

Those are some purty fish!!

[MudDucker]

Have not been in years, but there is nothing more peaceful than wading up there fishing for trout. Need to make a trip soon!

[Terrier]

Looks like fun - catching a trout from a mountain stream is on my 'to catch' list

[tin can]

Glad to see ya still kinda know how to fish.

[dolphinatic]

You must be following me

I'm still here in the Blue Ridges of NC. Gotta go home tomorrow

[hmaadd29]

I fished it for the first time beginning of this year myself. There are some studs in the Taccoa if you have access to it. Next time take a float trip. Nice report.

[Chalk]

Nice Chalk,
My daughter lives in PC now so I go there fairly often. Just spent a week there for Thanksgiving. How bout turning me onto one of your secret fishing holes there in your neck of the woods.

You have my number call it....I'll be glad to show you how to fish again

[CSMarine]

Chalk, with the way my fishing has been going lately, somebody needs to give me some lessons. Bumper crop of Reds, record low catch for Trout for me this year. Using a different boat now, hope to do better this year.
Also I'm fishing with my youngest son this year "Hard Knox" out of his boat. He's anxious to meet you, and take a few PC/Chalk lessons. I've told him for years about how I taught you every thing you know about 30" Trout! Especially how to measure them. Even the FWS finally decided to start using the pinch tail method.

[BearsFan]

"Missed a couple of studs that would have been over the 15" mark..."
You shouldn't compare those trout to the redfish you catch.