MARCH 2012 NEWSLETTER Next Meeting March 6,2012 PAGE 1 PAGE 2 PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8 PAGE 9 PAGE 10 PAGE 11 PAGE 12 PAGE 13 PAGE 14 COVER MEETING PLACE PROGRAM OF THE MONTH DIRECTORS MESSAGE UP COMING EVENTS FLY OF THE MONTH ACTIVITIES AND PAST EVENTS CONSERVATION FISHING REPORTS MORE REPORTS MORE REPORTS TIPS AND ANTIDOTES LINKS & SITE PHOTO GALERY
MEETI NG PLACE We meet the first Tuesday of the month at Camp Glisson just north of Dahlonega. Dinner is served at 6:30 PM. while it lasts, and programs start around 7:00 PM. All members and guest are welcome! Camp Glisson is just two miles north of Dahlonega on Highway 60. Turn left onto Camp Glisson Road and continue about one mile through the camp to the bridge on your right. Cross the bridge and Ivie Lodge is 100 yards on the left. See you there! Dinner $5 to 8 ( dependent on the menu) is served at 6:30 PM for those who wish to eat. Program begins at 7 PM. We also do FLYSWATTERS You bring two flies that you have tied or bought, one fly is donated to the chapter for a future raffle at the cookout; you will receive a ticket for the other fly which is placed on the FLYSWATTER. The Flyswatter Flies are raffled that night. Tickets may be purchased for $1.00. visitors welcome. NEXT MEETING MARCH 6,2012
PROGRAM OF THE MONTH Featured speaker will be Mike Joyce Mike have been the Forest Fisheries Biologist for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, since March 2009. Prior to that I worked as a Zone Fisheries Biologist for seven years on the Huron-Manistee National Forests, in Michigan. I have Bachelor degrees from Virginia Tech in Biology and Fisheries and Wildlife Management. I received my Master's degree from the University of Wyoming where I did research on Snake River Cutthroat Trout. When we met back in December you asked that I talk some about stewardship contracting and opportunities in that area. I also plan to discuss some of our fisheries projects/partnerships. Mike Joyce Forest Fisheries Biologist Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests 1755 Cleveland Highway Gainesville, GA 30501 mjoyce@fs.fed.us phone 770-297-3032 fax 770-297-3034
DIRECTORS MESSAGE GOLD RUSH IS STILL IN SEARCH OF A MEMBER THAT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE POSITION OF Vice President. Still looking for feed back or suggestions that you as a member would like to see the club to undertake, in the form of programs, or outings,dinner menu, to classes to help with casting,knot tying. We do have a fly tying class the second Thursday of the month ( at the American Legion Hall), we have all the tools necessary for those of you that do not have fly tying tools. The class is geared for the beginner but also have some experienced tiers. The club would like to send out a big thanks to Ben Trail for the third year doing a great job with the Dream Trip Tickets sales despite the fact he was battling through some tough injuries he suffered in an accident.
Upcoming events Dream trip ticket deadline is now We are happy to announce that the next Georgia Fishing for Vet Day has been set for Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 9 AM to 3 PM at Paces Mill Park. So mark your calendar, and let me know if you want to volunteer and fish with a vet or help out in some other way. As we get closer to the event we'll post more information on our web site. There directions and some information there now. So check it out at; www.flyfishingforvets.com TOCCOA RIVER CLEAN SWEEP On Saturday April 14 th friends of the Toccoa River will gather to collect trash, tires, water bottles and more from the banks and tributaries of the river. In connection with Trout Unlimited National River Clean Up Day we will join with Scouts, social organizations and the Toccoa River Watershed Coalition to get this done. The event will begin at 9am at Tammen Park, Horseshoe Park, and the Shallowford Bridge off of Aska Road. All groups of volunteers will return to Tammen Park for lunch at 1pm. Please arrive by 8:30 to get signed in and ready to work by 9am. Please come dressed appropriately, bring gloves, bug spray and your willingness to make the river a better place. Trash bags, water and lunch will be provided by the Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited #696. For more information contact Carl Riggs at 678-371-7191 or 7turns@tds.net Fly fishing for vets --- April 21 st Council meeting at Atlanta fly fishing school sat. March 3 Hoot on the Hooch March 19- see TU web site for details The Ga. Women's fly fishers fundraiser is March 17 details are on Council calendar along with additional events www.georgiatu.org. NGTO SPRING FL;ING at Buford Hatchery March 24,2012 see NGTO web site for details FFF South Eastern Council Festival April 27th thru April 29 th to be held at Unicoi Lodge Trout Camp June 10 thru June 15
FLY OF THE MONTH NEXT FLY TYING CLASS March 8,2012 Fly of the month Parachute Adams Great time at fly tying with Mike Thornton demonstrating the Parachute Adams
Activities and past events Tuesday Jan 31,2012 the Gold Rush Chapter helped with a Clean Up at Frog Hollow. We had beautiful weather and covered the entire stretch of river as well as removing several items from the river. Items such as 3 tires, a tire rim, lawn chair, and flower pots were just a few of the items removed. Gold Rush had 6 members support the effort. Pat Pattillo, Fred Ruppel, John Simmons, Kenny Simmons, Bill Hess and Gordon Brand spent the morning helping with the Clean Up. At the monthly Chapter meeting, Kenny once again thanked us for our support Thursday Feb 2 gave us another opportunity to help DNR with the stocking of the Amicalola. This time we had beautiful weather and another great day. Over 3,000 fish were stocked between Hwy 53 Bridge and the Steele Bridge. We also had a visit by Carly Sharec, News Editor for the Dawson News & Advertiser. Carly provided some great pictures and will pass along her article when completed. Once again Gold Rush was well represented with 6 members helping out. The members were Sherman Head, Fred Ruppel, Ralph Ripley, Bill Hess, Gordon Brand and Scott Surles. Thanks for your support and keep an eye out for our next opportunity
conservation and items of interest On January 31, the forest supervisors of the Sumter, Chattahoochee and Nantahala national forests issued decisions notices and findings of no significant impacts regarding management of recreation uses in the upper segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River Corridor (see Update Jan. 31, 2012: Final Decisions). http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/scnfs/home/?cid=stelprdb5253595 Alternative 13A allows boating for 5 months (December thru April) from Green Creek (NC) to Lick Log Creek (SC) any day the flow just reaches or exceeds 350 cfs at Burrell's Ford (from 1/2 hour before sunrise to dark 30). This flow is equivalent to 2.0 feet at the US 76 gauge. No boating will be permitted from Lick Log Creek to Highway 28 Bridge The Georgia Water Coalition has posted a new Legislative Update. At www.georgiawater.com Take note of SB269 roll backs of EPD Clean Water Enforcement and SB 415 Permission to build Sewer Plants before permission to discharge the waste
FISHING REPORTS SAVANNAH FLY FISHING or A DAY ON THE FLATS It s been a while since I have fished in salt water for redfish with a fly rod, so I was excited about the upcoming opportunity to do some fishing on the Georgia coast (first time). My wife was scheduled to attend an educator s conference in Savannah in late January, and I was tag along, not to mention the trip covered by birthday, and what better way to celebrate your birthday than to treat yourself to a day on the water with a flats fly fishing guide. A couple weeks before I received a e mail with a free pass to the Atlanta Boat show, so why not go down and see what the latest gadgets are available for boats off I went also thinking there is usually a number of outfitters that have a booth, it s never too early to plan that trip out west. But unfortunately there were only two or may be fortunately. I struck up a conversation with Greg Davis of Savannah Light Tackle Fishing Company who was offering a show special of a 1/3 reduced rate for, I could not resist and book him (weather permitting) for Thursday Jan 26th. I rose on the 26th at the hotel to meet the guide at 8 Am at Bull River Marina on Tybee Island. I Flipped on the TV to check the weather something about Fog the girl said so I looked out the window and Oh Boy!!! Fog. I decided to leave a little early beings I was not familiar with the roads or traffic patterns in Savannah. While on my way Greg called and said we better push the trip back to 9 AM due to fog. As I drove to meet Greg the fog only got thicker the closer I got to the river. By 9 the fog had lifted enough for us to cast off for our 30 minute run to the magic spot. We were cruising along on plane until we came upon the main Savannah River. Talk about a fog bank, you couldn t see 25 feet, Greg said keep a eye out for freighters. We may not see them but should hear them pushing water ( swell??). Anyway we made it safely across the river and on to the fishing hole. As luck would have it the sun finally popped out which made it much easier to see the fish hiding in the shallow grassy area dotted with sandy breaks. Greg climbed up on the polling platform and poled us close to the shore line. I made a few cast to get the feel of the heavy (Carolina Critter) fly he had tied on, much heavier fly than I had become use to since relocating to North Georgia.
CON T Ok he said..50 feet at 12 o clock strip.strip pick it up and a little to the right.strip.strip..strip..strip. there he is!!!!!!! Woo Hooo fish on!!!!, he a nice fish.. let him run if he wants to., he did run, three times..bring him to the right I ll get the Boca out, see pictures below. That s how the next 1 ½ hours went lots of nice fish caught on a 9 wt St Croix Avid with WF line. Due to the weight of the fly and the possibility of wind the 9 wt was a good choice, besides it is my favorite salt water rod. We moved to another location (my arm needed a rest anyway) and landed one nice fish, action was slow so moved across the river as we were back inside now, the wind had picked up and it was becoming hard to pole the boat but switched over to some jig fishing as need a lot more distance to reach the fish. We hit a couple more spots along oyster bars with no luck and decided to call it a day, a great day, site fly fishing for red fish on the Georgia Coast. I plan to go back late March or early April when the sea trout move in. The weather was great 70 degrees for late Jan., wind was light at least until about noon then 10 to 15 out of the east ( made for an E ticket ride back to the dock), sure glad I did not wait to go till Friday ( my birthday) because the wind blew 30 knots out of the east. In summary Capt. Greg Davis is a nice young man to fish with and knows his stuff and does both fly and light tackle. I would definitely recommend him if you are in the Savannah Tybee Island area 9912) 398-8134
MORE FISHING REPORTS With the unseasonably warm winter we have had, fishing has been really good for the most part. When we have a few days of mild weather with the temps in the 50 s and 60 s, the fish really turn on. Combination of dry/dropper rigs are working well and the warmer it gets the more action you will see on the surface flies. With the regular rains we have gotten through out the winter months, the water levels are in great shape and the heavier rains have helped in removing some of the silt and sand. Some of the normally deeper sections are noticeably deeper now. Throughout the winter, I have caught some really small trout which indicates a successful spawning season and the overall health of the stream. Catching these small trout is very exciting to me even though we all like to catch the larger fish. Cloudy, warm days before a front comes through is when I have had my best luck on the larger fish, especially browns. With the warm weather, water levels, less crowded conditions, etc, there is no reason not to fish every chance we get!! We have some local water that is open year round, other water that is under the delayed harvest rules, and seasonal water opening up on March 31. Google trout fishing in Georgia to find all the information you need on our local water. Fish when you can, work when you have to. Sherman Head
TIPS AND ANTIDOES Old age and fly-fishing One of the problems of getting older is difficulty in seeing those 6x tippets and tying them to the end of my leader. (Heck, it can be difficult to see 4x). I hate to use valuable fishing time trying to add a new tippet. My solution is to use loop-to-loop connections. In the end of my leader, I tie a perfection loop and when I need to replace my tippet, it is a simple, time saving matter to simply loop another tippet on to this loop. Of course, I must also have a pre-tied loop in the tippet material also. Before going fishing, I take my tippet spool and tie a series of loops about every 30 inches and then rewind it on the spool. Now when I need to replace my tippet, I grab my tippet spool, find a knot, clip it off just beyond and loop it on my leader. If I m fishing a dropper, I clip the tippet about 5 or 6 inches beyond the knot, leaving enough for the dropper. Trim to the length desired. You can use perfection loops or surgeon s loops for both the knot in the end of the leader and the tippet. The surgeon s loop is easier and faster to tie but not as tidy. Getting the end of the tippet and dropper through the hook eye and tying the knot is another challenge. Try this: Get a bottle of white correction fluid (White Out). Tie the loops in the tippet as before and use the White Out to paint about an inch of the tippet end. (The end where you will be threading it through the eye. After clipping the knot, if some White Out remains on the tippet it is easily removed with your finger nails. You can also carry some flies with tippets already tied and loop them on your leader. Pat Pattillo
LINKS AND SITES Of course the best place for information is our own web site goldrushtu.org For those with a face book account : Federation of fly fishers R&R fly fishing Fisherman s handbook Also U Tube ( fly fishing ) has great videos on fishing and tying The Itinerant angler podcast Askaboutflyfishinhg.com ( another pod cast) NGTO ( North Georgia Trout On line)
PHOTO GALLERY Worm fly