My
Favorite Trout
Streams /
Fresh Water Fishing
"You can't
catch fish, if you don't have your hook in the water."
Gerald (Pete) G. Sharpe
Blackhawk, North Georgia
Blackhawk
is a private section of the Soque River (pronounced "Soak-we") in North
Georgia. www.blackhawkflyfishing.com
In Georgia, if you own the land on both sides of the river, you
actually own the river that runs through your property. It
costs $250 ($225 if group of 6 to 8) per day to fish, but offers an
opportunity
to catch
unbelievable
trout. It hurts my feeling to pay that much to fish anywhere, but
after
experiencing Blackhawk, You
can
bet, I'll be back!
According to their web-site, they recommend the use of a 6
wt rod as the minimum, and an 8 wt rod is not too much rod. The
average size trout caught at Blackhawk range from 3 to 12 pounds, but
there are larger fish present.
Blackhawk is Fly Fishing only, using single barbless hook and is
strictly
Catch
and Release. Leave your net at home, they will provide a special
low impact net to protect the slime layer of the fish. Besides
the fact that your
trout net is probably not big enough.
I fished Blackhawk on March 12th and
13th, 2004 and the claims on their
web-site are not exaggerated. My first fish on Friday was at
least 10 pounds and over the course of the day, I caught well over a
dozen
fish ranging
from 2 to
12 pounds. On Saturday, we hit the water a few minutes after
8AM. I checked my watch and I had caught four fish by 9:10 AM,
three of which were 10-12 pound Rainbows. When they state that a 6 wt.
fly rod is the minimum, they mean it. I fished a 6 wt, and fully
expected to see it explode on several occasions. A fighting butt
on the rod you bring to Blackhawk will be appreciated, though not
required. This
is challenging fly fishing. The cover is
plentiful, and snags in the water and along the shore
makes a good roll cast a valued skill. The
fish are "educated Trout," due to the nature of catch and release, but
they are not impossible. Change flies regularly and don't be
afraid to throw something unusual at them. Blackhawk has loads of
fish, both Rainbows and
Browns. They lay in pools and holes all along the
river. They are nice long fish, though most of them are extremely
thick. Several of the larger fish I caught looked like you took a
Trout and placed it's head and tail on a football. You will not
believe me until you fish this outstanding location.
Photos from
Blackhawk, March 12-13, 2004.
Blackhawk has a very nice Lodge that started life as a 1800's vintage
farmhouse. It has been renovated and was very comfortable.
It has a well appointed kitchen, a living room with Satellite TV, VCR,
etc, with a
great picture, a bedroom
down
stairs, and a loft with beds upstairs. Their is also a large Sun
Room, and a huge covered porch across the front of the house.
There is a covered patio and grilling/cooking facilities outside and a
Shower and Restroom, separate from the house, but close. It is
heated and
has a large shower. There
is a Chalet with four beds and a Hot tube on the deck, located over
the Shower facility. The
entire facility was clean and well
maintained.
The
Lodge at Blackhawk.
The section of the river known as
the
Nursery and a short section of deep water and two productive holes was
sold by relatives. While this reduced the length of the river
Blackhawk now has, most of the property that was sold was not open to
fishing, so it really had minimal effect on fishing. Abby and
John have done a great job of opening up new roads and adding picnic
tables at the new top, middle and lower sections and opening up the
river to make the middle section more fishable. The upper section
of Blackhawk's Soque
river is a short hike The lower section of the river is a quick
drive, though they have built trails to facilitate walking. The
roads are well graded and covered with Slag stone and
are well maintained. Any vehicle will do. When the water
temperature rises into the mid-60s they close the river to fishing to
protect the fish from stress (typically July-August). So fishing
is limited to Winter,
Spring and Fall, actual dates dependent on the weather. You can
bet, I'll be back again and again!
Deep stretch is the top of the lower
section; IMG0072 is the Upper
Section; Browns are in the middle section.
Blackhawk
MCFF Trip October 1-2, 2005
As an update, I fished Blackhawk again on
October 1-2, 2004.
Blackhawk and the Soque River did not
disappoint! On October
1st, my cousin Gerald and I caught over 40 fish each, most ranging from
5 to 8 pounds, including several fish measuring 27 and 24 inches long,
with 15 inch Girth. On October 2d, 2004, we probably caught 15-20
fish each ranging from 5-10 pounds. There was a cool front
passing through on Saturday and this probably effected the fishing on
the upper section. While we caught fewer fish, we caught larger
fish. Reports from the lower section were incredible. Randy
Blackledge caught a Rainbow measuring 29.5 inches long, with a 18 inch
girth. (See photo below) Thats a huge Rainbow Trout. The
whole river was
very
productive.
Blackhawk is now Orvis Certified as a Fly Fishing School and can
provide this service with prior notification. Blackhawk also has
serveral Guides available to help you enhance your fishing experience
at Blackhawk. The Guides are extremely knowledgeable and
reasonable at $150 per day for up to two Anglers. The Blackhawk
website has a new
email address. For more
information contact them at 706-947-3474 or info@blackhawkflyfishing.com
Photos from Blackhawk, October 1-2,
2004.
Randy Blackledge with a huge trout!
This fish measured 29.5 inches in length with an 18 inch girth.
We developed two really productive flies for Trout during this
trip. Confirming one and creating another really hot fly. See "Mike's Soque Hooker" and
"Mike's Soque Road Hooker - Black" on the Trout / Freshwater Flies page. Several
people of differing experience levels fished these flies and they
produced fish.
Blackhawk
MCFF Trip, March 11-12, 2005
As a further update, Blackhawk is still a great experience. I
just returned from a
trip on March 11th and 12th, 2005.
I caught over 50 fish the
first day, Rainbows and Brown Trout. The smallest fish was about
3 pounds with the largest fish about 12-13 pounds. A newly developed fly Mike's Trout
Candy was irresistible to these fish. The weather was a
challenge. It was a very pleasant 55-60 degrees Friday morning
but by afternoon, the wind was gusting wildly and there were snow
flurries. However, it was not bad enough to stop us from fishing
and in
fact the fishing, while slowing during the fronts passage, we tended to
catch larger fish. That afternoon, I caught a Rainbow Trout 27
inches in length with a 17 inch girth on Mike's Soque Road Hooker - Black.
About an hour later, Syd Smith, MD caught a Brown Trout the exact same
size. Saturday did not disapoint either. The fishing was
great, a little slow that afternoon as another front came through with
wind and afternoon temperatures of 65-75 degrees. Large fish were
still actively feeding and while slower, we still caught big fish.
Photos from the March 11-12th, 2005
Trip to Blackhawk.
Mike with a nice Trout.
Randy with a nice trout.
Joe Wise with a nice Trout.
Syd Smith, MD with a 27 inch in
length, 17 inch girth Brown Trout, caught on a Bamboo rod he built.
Randy with a nice trout.
More photos are coming, the film is not developed yet.
June
20-21, 2005 Blackhawk Trip
I joined Doug Dewitt, Ph. D. and David Stump Ph. D. as their Guide for
a trip to
Blackhawk during June, 2005. I had never fished Blackhawk that
late during the year before. The weather was slightly cooler than
normal with daytime temperatures ranging from 70-75 degrees, and
nightime temperatures running 55-60 degrees. We camped out at the
Moccasin Creek Campground located about 11 miles north on Hwy 197 from
Blackhawk. On Monday June 20th, it was overcast and breezy, with
rain all around Blackhawk, but little on the river. The multiple
fronts and related pressure changes may have effected the fishing
some. It was still better than most Trout streams, but a little
slow for
Blackhawk. We needed to change flies more often, but managed to
catch
fish. Doug and David landed fish like old Pros. The bugs
were
few and the fishing picked up on Tuesday, with sun until afternoon and
then a
little rain. It was a great trip. This was David and Doug's
first Fly-fishing trip. Catching the normal sized fish in most
Trout streams,
I am afraid, will pale by comparison.
David with a nice Rainbow Trout.
Doug with a nice Rainbow Trout.
Mike with a nice Rainbow Trout.
Blackhawk HOSSFly Club Trip,
October 8th - 9th, 2005
A Tropical Storm hit the day before we arrived and dumped a fair
amount of water, so the river was cloudy on Saturday, and began to
clear on Sunday. We had eight people attend and all caught
fish. I saw more Brown Trout caught on this trip than I remember
on any previous trip. There were also lots of really large fish
caught on this trip. Not the largest I have seen caught at
Blackhawk but proportionally, a larger number of larger fish. Say
24-27 inches. We fished attractor flies with nymph droppers and
streamer flies. Both were effective and both caught large fish.
My first fish of the trip!
Gerald with a Brown in the Upper Section.
Doug Lee with a nice Brown.
Pam with a nice Brown
Pam with a nice Rainbow.
Syd with a nice Rainbow.
Reed with a nice Rainbow
Reed with another nice Trout
This ones trying to get away
Mike with a Brown in the Upper Section, caught on top water!
Ed with a nice Rainbow!
Gerald with a nice Rainbow!
Ken Cross with a nice Rainbow!
Blackhawk HOSSFly Club Trip on January 21-22, 2006
Eight members of HOSSFly traveled to North Georgia for some
mid-winter Trout fishing. We had several members who had never
fly-fished and for most, it was their first trip to Blackhawk. It
rained hard the night we arrived and the water was high and stained,
but it did not keep us from catching fish. By the next day the
Soque River had returned to close to it's normal level and the water
began to clear. We used attractor flies with bead head dropper
flies, and some used streamer flies. Both were effective and
caught large fish.
Mike with a nice Rainbow Trout.
Gerald with a nice Rainbow Trout.
Jeff (right) assisting Tim (left) land a nice Rainbow Trout. This
was Tim's first fly-fishing trip!
Blackhawk HOSSFly Club Trip,
October 7th - 8th, 2006
The summer of 2006 was an extremely dry one, even
in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. The drought conditions
created low and extremely clear water conditions. During the two
days we fished Blackhawk, the water level was from a foot to eighteen
inches lower than normal. The low-clear water created different
fishing conditions from what is normal at Blackhawk, but did not make
it impossible to catch fish.
The Guides at Blackhawk stuck to their Dropper rigs, with an attractor
fly and a dropper, such as a midge, tied to the hook of the attractor
fly. These rigs catches fish, but are not the only way to catch
trout. We found good top water action using an Elkhair Caddis
(#20) and a Cahill (#16). Golden Stone flies and Double
Bunnies (tied to simulate a Sculpin pattern) were the most effective
flies on this trip. Wooley Buggers and a host of other streamer
flies were also effective.
Due to the clear water, fluorocarbon tippet was a true benefit.
It is difficult to reduce your tippet size as would be done on most
streams, due to the size of these fish. Doing so will lead to
lost flies and fish.
I am happy to report that the Soque River is in really great
shape. There are loads of fish as always, however, there are now
a full range of different sizes of fish. They range from tiny
fry, to fingerlings and on up to the 30 plus inch fish Blackhawk is
famous for. We caught Rainbows and Browns in a variety of
locations along the river.
Blackhawk Trip March 2007
This was likely the best Blackhawk Trip yet. The fishing
was great and we had all meal provided from Friday through Sunday
lunch. It was relaxing and the weather was perfect.
Abby had a masseuse come in and several people took advantage of a
great massage. The water us slightly stained a light green and
the fish were active. Some top water action, but mostly streamers
were the most effective flies. Stone flies were also
effective. Many Rainbow and Browns were caught and as always
released.
Gerald with a Brown
Mike with Rainbow
Tim with Rainbow
These
fish are a treasure
and
must be treated as such.
They are too valuable to only be caught
once.
Tips to protect the fish:
1. Keep your fingers out of the fishes gills and off it's Gill Plates.
2. Always wet your hands prior to touching a fish, this reduces the
protective slim layer removed by your hands.
3. Handle them gently and return them to the water promptly.
4. Larger fish stress from the fight more quickly than smaller
fish.
a. Use enough rod to land the fish quickly. 6
weight rods should be the minimum and an 8 weight is not too much rod.
b. Revive the fish, keeping it facing upright,
upstream until it is strong enough to swim off on its own.
c. Always use barbless hooks.
5. Do not squeeze the fish. Hold it in the net, in the water
until it calms down and relaxes. Once the camera person is ready,
cup the fish and raise it for the photo and replace it in the
net. Once the fish is revived and strong, ease the net down and
allow the fish to swim away. Do not pinch the tail, or slap the
water. Being caught is stress enough.
6. Use the net Blackhawk provides. It is easier on you and the
fish.
a. Bring a line to tether the net to you, so it will
not float off and it will be there when you need it, which will be
often.
b. I have found that the Orvis Net teather, which
consists
of two magnets and a
polymar curly cord works pretty well with these large nets. The
other item I have used that works well is a huge Zinger,
used to tether Scuba divers computers to their BC. It is made by
"Innovative Scuba Concepts" and is rated "High Force." It is
also helpful to have the eye (for attaching the net to a large zinger)
attached to the middle of the long handle rather than the end of the
handle.
With a retractor, this keeps the net from dragging in the water and
reduces drag.
Chetola Lodge at
Blowing Rock, NC
Chetola
Lodge and Foscoe Fishing Company and Outfitters, Inc. are both Orvis
endorsed businesses and are top rate. The Lodge is full service,
with an indoor pool, a Spa, Tennis, several Restaurants and bars, and a
Lake stocked with Trout and Bream. No license is required to fish
the lake for guests. Chetola Lodge consists of the Lodge, the Bob
Timberlake Inn and Condos on property. Foscoe Fishing Company
consists of an Orvis Shop and Guide Service. They fish the
Watauga River and Holston River in Tennessee. I found our guide
to be extremely knowledgeable about the Watauga River. My wife,
Pat, and I caught between 60-70 fish on the one day trip we took in
August of 2005, not peak season. This was her first trip
fly-fishing. The guide was great. He knew every rock and
limb in the river as well as having patience with a new fly caster and
he was able to assist in furthering her skills in managing the line on
a drift boat. The fish were small, 8-14 inches Rainbow and Brown
Trout, with strikes from a few 17 inch fish, but there were lots of
them.
Norfork Tailwater,
North Central Arkansas
The
Norfork "River" is a tailwater about 4 miles long, converging
with the White River. These are two of the premiere Trout streams
in the central USA. Arkansas has reasonable Non-Resident fishing
license fees and access to both these rivers is very good. The
Norfork River has many public access points and private access is
available in several location for a nominal fee, such as McClellan
Trout Dock, who charged (in 2003) $3 for access per day per person and
$5 per
day per person to camp, access included. The Norfork River is dam
controlled, so the water level depends on generation through the
dam. Typically, wade fishing is available most of the day with
the dam generation starting later evening. Of course, this varies
with seasonal demand--never fish a location that does not allow you an
escape
route should waters begin to rise. The Blue Ribbon Fly Shop in
Mountain Home, AR has a wonderful selection of flies, accessories and
equipment. www.blueribbonflyfish.com
The Two
Rivers
Fly Shop is located in Norfork, AR and has a selection of flies, tying
supplies and
some equipment. Both provide local knowledge and can advise as to
fly selections that produce for the time of year. Support your
local Fly Shop! The record Brown Trout caught in the Norfork
River was 38lbs, 9 ozs. I most recently fished the Norfork River
in
November,
2003. For a map of the Norfork River, see www.ozarkangler.com/river/nfr/nfr_map_nft.html
White River, Northern Arkansas
The
White River is a long river with many access points, and great
fishing. Just downstream from the dam is a State Park and below
that is Gaston's White River Resort, who has great access, rooms and
restaurant. www.gastons.com
The record Brown Trout caught in the White River was 40 lbs. It
is
stocked with Rainbow Trout regularly and a new program now releases
larger fish to improve survivability. A friend of mine, who lives
in Memphis, drives
home wearing his waders and stops along the way to fish promising
holes. Roadways travel near the river much of the length of the
White River. I fished the area around Gaston's White River Resort
in November of 2002 and limited out every day. White River Angler
is located at 577 E. Millsap Road in Fayetteville, AR. 72703
(479)442-2193. They have licensed guides, instructors, a full
line of gear and local knowledge of what flies are hot at the
moment. They also have a great website with current river reports
and fly recommendations. Visit them at http://www.whiteriverangler.com
Little Red River, Central Arkansas
The
Little Red River is located in the middle of Arkansas and
affords good trout fishing. The local Fly Shop is The Ozark
Angler. They have two locations, one in Little Rock and one near
the Little Red River, in Heber Springs, AR. www.ozarkangler.com I have
intentions to fish the Little Red, but have not had the chance
yet. My preliminary investigation revealed that the fishing is
good, but it receives a lot of pressure, so it is less crowded during
the week. This makes sense because the Little Red is only a
couple
of hours from Little Rock. There are several access points, but
to get to the best fishing, you probably need to use some form of
boat. You can wade fish parts of the Little Red, but some hiking
is required.
Talkeetna, AK
Talkeetna Alaska is a great place to catch large
trout in clear
water streams and salmon of differing varieties in the running rivers,
depending the timing of your trip. The salmon's gills allow it to
survive the silt in many Alaskan rivers, giving them a milky
appearance. The cause of the milky appearance is rock flour,
which is created
by crushed rock flushed from under glaciers by melt run-off.
Trout do not tolerate this well
and remain in streams that run clear. These trout streams are fed
by
springs and snow melt. My wife and I fished the Talkeetna River
in August of 2003. More precisely, the Talkeetna River
at
Clear Water Creek and just south of there was where we caught Pinks
(Humpback), a
Silver (Coho) and loads of Chum (Dog)
Salmon. The hot fly was the Purple
Egg-Sucking Leech.
If the silvers
had been running stronger, the Chartreuse Egg-Sucking Leech (Black
Woolly Bugger with a Chartreuse Egg in front) would have been a good
choice. I recommend at least a 6 wt Rod, but an 8 wt. would not
be too big. The average size fish we caught were 12-15lbs, and in
a 22-25 knot current (it had rained for two days), which compounds
forces. Floating line on a reel with a good, smooth drag and a
9-12 foot leader is just the ticket for Alaska. The largest fish
caught while we were fishing was a 25 lb. King Salmon, which was past
his prime, but managed to put up a remarkable fight. So, pack
your Goretex or equivalent and a piece of fleece and enjoy yourself,
rain or shine. R&R Charters provided hip waders, which were
fine, though your chest waders would be better at times.
Photos from the Talkeetna River near Clear Water Creek, August
2003.
The boats in Alaska are different from other places. There are no
fiberglass hulls and we did not see a single prop. All the boats
we saw were Aluminum and had Jet drives, including the outboards.
After a ride up the river, I understood why. The rivers are fast
running, rocky and shallow. Not the type of water for fiberglass
or props. The typical Guide boat would take 5 or more clients,
plus the guide in a covered, heated canvas cabin and will deposit you
onto a sand or gravel bar comfortably and safely. The guides
carry bear deterrents, most in the form of large-bore handguns, more to
discourage a bear rather than kill it. Our guides stated that
shooting in front of a bear, putting sand in its face, usually did the
trick, or at least slowed progress to allow everyone to get back in the
boat and leave the area, should the bear persist.
John and Scotty co-owners of R&R Charters, P.O.Box 147 Talkeetna,
AK 99676 (907)733-5211 took my wife and me on three 5 hour trips over
two days, which worked out well. We left at 4AM and returned to a
good lunch and a nap, and got up refreshed for the evenings 5 hour
trip. With 22 hours of daylight during the summer, your options
are wide open. R&R is a small outfit with only two boats, who
provided personal service. They were always on time, put us on
fish and were attentive to your needs. There were flexible and
easy to work with and I would use them again on a future trip to
Talkeetna.
Mahays Riverboat Service
is a large operator working out of Talkeetna, who provides varied
degrees of service, from drop off to hand holding. I have no
experience with this outfit, but I saw there boats on the river and
provide the information as an option.
The Cahaba River, near
Birmingham, AL.
On my last trip to Birmingham (April, 2004), I made a short visit to
the
Cahaba River
for a hour or two of relaxation, thanks to daylight savings time.
The Cahaba is a small river that runs from northeast to southwest just
south of Birmingham, which provides a quick get
away and some good Spotted Bass, Red Eyed Bass and Crappie fishing on
fly. I
visited the Cahaba during a period when the Bass were bedding,
naturally, so things were slow, but we managed to catch a few
fish. My Guide, Gerald Stough, showed me a beautiful stream with
varied terrain and many opportunities to catch fish. The Cahaba
holds Red Eyed Bass, Spotted Bass, and Crappie.
For the adventurist, it also holds a number of Alligator Gar, so bring
your heavy or wire tipped leaders if you decide to tackle one of these
monsters. The Cahaba runs 191 miles and empties into the Alabama
River. For a list of access points near Birmingham visit this
site http://www.aeconline.ws/index.php?sn=375
I had a chance to visit the Cahaba River again June 15th, 2004 for
about an hour that evening. Gerald Stough took me to another
section of the Cahaba from our previous trip and he put me on Spotted
Bass again. It had been raining off and on in Birmingham and
north, so the river was beginning to become stained with mud and the
flow was up, but it did not stop the bass from bitting.
The Sipsey Fork of the Warrior River,
below the Smith Lake Dam.
The Smith Lake Dam is a huge earthen dam about 45 minute north of
Birmingham, AL and releases water from the bottom of Smith Lake.
This water is cold and allows the state to stock Rainbow Trout into
the Sipsey Fork of the Warrior River. Trout in Alabama? I
could not believe it. There are Stripped Bass in Smith Lake and
in the Sipsey Fork of the Warrior River. So, it is not
unreasonable to fish with a larger sized Fly Rod than you would for
Trout. The local experts use an 8 to 10 Weight Rods when fishing
for Stripped Bass. Streamers with blue and pink tones are great
for attracting strikes from Stripped Bass, since they feed on
Rainbows. There is a number to call an check the flow
and times of water releases, which will dictate when you can fish the
Sipsey Fork of the Warrior River. It is 800-LAKES-11. There
is an "phone tree" that allows you to check releases two days in
advance to assist in planning trips. More to come, when I make
the
trip and the water releases allow me to actually fish this unique river.
We tried to fish below Smith Lake Dam one early morning in August and
the water was frigid, with a thick layer of fog floating on the water
due to the temperature differences. When the dam is generating
the river is way up in the trees. At least on the day we visited
the Sipsey Fork of the Warrior, the flow of off. Not slow, off,
as
in no flow at all, which makes for difficult Trout fishing. We
tried some streamers and had fish follow, but they typically are
opportunistic feeders, looking for food to pass by their location in
the flowing water. No flow is tough.
The
Mulberry Fork of the Warrior River, south of and near the
Sipey Fork of the Warrior River.
Since the Sipey Fork fish were not cooperating, we relocated a few
miles to the Mulberry fork of the Warrior River. In contrast, the
water was almost hot, but free flowing. The Mulberry fork, near
I-65 had good variety, with shallow shoals and deep holes. We
caught nice sized Bream, and several Spotted Bass. Gerald was
testing a Crawfish pattern he is developing and found it very effective
for Bass. Allowed to ease past structure in the current, Bass
rushed to be the first to eat the new fly. Information on
"Gerald's Mudbug" is listed under Trout/Freshwater
Flies.
Cooters Pond, off the Alabama River
near Prattville, AL
Cooters Pond is a backwater north off the Alabama River near
Prattville, AL (just north of Montgomery, AL) There is a pass
reinforced by broken brick leaving the river and entering the
backwater. If the River water level is low, care must be
exercised when entering and exiting Cooters Pond. to avoid damage to
your engines foot or boat bottom. Cooters Pond has lots of Bass
and Crappie action and the Lilly Pad habitat is perfect. It is a
quick get away and surprisingly good fishing close to Montgomery.
The Gator Hole, north of
the Camden Army Corp of Engineers boat launch on the Alabama
River.
Hit the Alabama River and head north (upstream) until you find the
large Bluff on the right side of the River. Look for a small
stream on the left side of the river. It will look small, and
appear to just be a notch in the bank, not anything you could drive a
boat into. Explore the small stream to find the opening snaking back to
the left and then around to the right and into a larger backwater off
the the Alabama River. You have found the Gator Hole. This
large backwater is full of standing and felled timber. It was
also loaded with Bass and other freshwater fish, such as Alligator Gar
and Crappie. We took a 17ft Bass Tracker with a 40Hp engine into
the Gator Hole and had few problems maneuvering with the engine raised
and using the trolling motor. We did occasionally slide over a
log and needed to raise the Trolling Motor to get over it. A Push
Pole or Paddle will be appreciated in the Gator Hole. Spinner
baits and Buzz baits were the ticket to excitement the morning we
visited the Gator Hole. It was worth the effort to find this hide
away treasure.
More to come!
