Info Provided by: Jeff Durniak, GA DNR North Georgia Region Fisheries Supervisor and North Georgia Region Fisheries staff

Fishing - pass it on!

Fishing – pass it on!

Not much has changed from last week, except for the cooler nighttime temperatures that are just starting to hit north Georgia.  They should drop trout stream temperatures enough to restore good fishing throughout most of the day, especially on our headwater streams.  For hillclimbers, take several degrees off the temperature gauge  for the Hooch in Helen to get a good idea of the thermal regime of your favorite headwater areas.  River bassin’ will still be good as long as these pop-up storms don’t muddy the rivers too badly.  Again, the USGS gauges and calls to local tackle shops will let you know if you want to burn the gas.

For our flatwater fans, small lakes and ponds will cool off faster than large reservoirs, so consider some trips to places like lakes Russell (near Cornelia), Unicoi,  Tralyta (Vogel State Park) and Winfield Scott for bass and bream.  Lastly, our smaller reservoirs at higher elevations will be cooling off quicker than our largest lakes, so plan on some road trips to scenic locales like Tugalo, Yonah, Nottely, and Carters in the next couple weeks as fall officially arrives and our fishing improves with declining water temperatures.

Here’s some more news:

This group is a great  “adoption agency” for new metro trouters.

  • Trouting best bets

Best bets this week will again be the two big tailwaters (Hooch, Blue Ridge) and the headwater, wild trout streams.  A few other, larger waters at high elevations should cool off, too.  It might be time to reconsider that hike back into the upper Chattooga or Jacks.

Kayak fishing on Unicoi.

Kayak fishing on Unicoi.

Watch Out for Elk! – These may be of interest to any road trippers who want to accelerate their  fall season NOW by simply driving north this weekend.

Ken’s Weekly Reservoir Reports

Lanier Lure How-to – Heard of “fish head spins?”

For All Bulldog Fans – I saw this photo and thought many of you Dawg fans would enjoy it, too.

Benefit Bassin’ for a Great Cause (this Saturday) – “Jeff as always good to see you this morning. Here is the info on the tournament being held this weekend to benefit the 3 guys hurt in the tower accident. Also a couple of links: 1.) Access North Georgia, 2.) GON Forum.” -B.J.

All right guys Yonah Mtn. Bass Club is putting on a Benefit Tournament for the 3 injured Firefighters from Hall County. Ya’ll come on out and have some fun, while helping out the guys while they recover. I work with and know these guys well ,all 3 are great guys and would (and have) gladly helped others in a time of need. Please spread the word so we can make a difference.

  • Laurel Park Ramp Lake Lanier, Sept. 20, 2014 from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. $50 per boat. Call Michael Meaders at 706-969-1613 for more info.

Shout Out – The north Georgia fishing community wishes a speedy recovery to our friend, Rabunite Ray.  For decades, Ray’s been at nearly every trout stream work project, Adventure Day, and kids fishing rodeo in his neck of the woods.  Annually, for many years, he has serviced and re-lined a hundred used reels donated by Pass Pro Shops.  He’s then given those reels as door prizes to Rabun County Girl and Boy scouts who attend his TU chapter’s annual “Scouts Fishing Picnic.”    He’s a great example of Georgia’s angler-conservationists and we wish him the best as he bounces back from a major tune-up job.  The fish are waiting on you, Ray.

Reminder – DNR’s September 27 Events

Good luck to everyone as we finally slide into fall and enjoy the great opportunities of this new season.