Toccoa Tailwater
Fishing is starting to pick up on the Toccoa Tailwater. The water coming from the dam has cleared up as we come out of turnover. It is still running warm at 68 degrees, but the creeks are cooling the water off downstream. Curtis is temping at 62 and Horseshoe is at 60 in the mornings, so plan on fishing lower down on the river. The lower temperature lets fish recover after being caught, and also has the fish feeding better. Midday fishing has seemed the best. Tan Caddis and a few October Caddis start to pop mid-morning as the sun gets on the water. Later in the day we’re seeing some small BWOs hatching as well.
As far as flies go, fish caddis patterns on a dry dropper rig. Flies like Holy Grails and Swing Caddis have been working great. For the BWO’s fish small. Size 20 soft hackles, Pheasant Tails, and Hare’s Ears work great for these little mayflies. A great combo has been a sz14 Blowtorch for the caddis with a sz20 soft hackle Pheasant Tail trailing behind. As water temps continue to cool, fishing should only get better and better.
Upper Toccoa
The Upper Toccoa DH starts Nov. 1st. Until then, water temps there are much cooler than what is coming out of the dam on the tailwater. You may be able to find a few fish on the Upper Toccoa at some of the more upstream accesses. But expect fishing to be slow at the DH until the stockings start on Nov 1st.
Small Streams
The creeks are really low right now, but fishing has been pretty great here. Tan Caddis, October Caddis, and BWOs have been hatching, making for some great dry fly and dry dropper fishing. This time of year on the wild trout streams, pretty much all you need is an Elk Hair Caddis, or one of my favorites from the shop, the Fluttering Foam Caddis.
The Fluttering Foam Caddis has a foam abdomen that really helps float through some of that rougher pocket water where those wild fish hide and can even support a dropper. With some rain starting to roll in this week, expect some higher flows that should only make fishing even better.
