Upper Hi Fly Fishing & Outfitters, Hiawassee, GA - Area Information on streams & rivers

Thanks for visiting our website. Please note that Upper Hi Fly Fishing & Outfitters is no longer in business. For all your cabin funishings, gifts and sportswear needs, please visit Buckhead House -- phone: 706-896-0028 -- when in Hiawassee, GA.

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Upper Hi Fly
Fishing & Outfitters

Just a short drive from downtown Hiawassee, GA, you will find some of the best trout streams in the southeast. In the Appalachian mountain area of northeastern Georgia and western North Carolina flow many of the most productive wild trout waters in the U.S. These streams start in the high country and run through some of the only old growth forests left in this part of the country. A two or three day trip into these areas, equipped with a 6' or 7', 2 or 3 wt. fly rod can be extremely memorable and rewarding.

Due to the environment, the fish here are numerous but tend to be small, 6" to 8". However, it is not uncommon to hook a prize 16" to 18" specimen. Wild, native brook trout proliferate in the higher reaches of these streams. These fisheries are some of the only habitats where the southern strain of the brook trout still exist.

Thanks to the Rabun County Trout Unlimited chapter and the work they are doing in the area, this river is rapidly becoming an excellent brown trout fishery. The Chatooga River has everything the fly fishing enthusiast could dream of - starting at a trickle in the higher elevations and flowing into a crescendo of Class 4 rapids. This river is where the movie "Deliverance" was filmed!

This is possibly the best river in the South. Its headwaters begin in the northeast Georgia mountains. Running through mostly private property in this area, it then flows into Lake Chatuge
on the Georgia/North Carolina border. Flowing out of Lake Chatuge it becomes tailrace water that provides an excellent habitat for both trout and aquatic insects. As the river flows through North Carolina, it holds an excellent population of rainbows and some rather large brown trout. In April and May it is nothing to land 30 to 40 fish in a good afternoon. This time of the year is the season for magnificent caddis fly hatches. On the Hiwassee River you are as close as it gets to a western river in the South.

The Nantahala River in western North Carolina is one of the most scenic rivers in the U.S. It is habitat to an awesome number of very large rainbows and browns. This area has some of the largest stoneflies anywhere in the U.S. as well as the only green drake hatch in the area.

The upper reaches of the Toccoa River are made up of many small streams, one being the Noontula Creek. Here you will find the fishing to be difficult due to the downed trees in the creek, but aren't challenges fun? This small stream has a good population of large, brown trout. It also offers a state trophy trout water area.

As the Noontula flows into the Toccoa River it becomes a larger, more fishable body of water. A few miles downstream it flows into Blue Ridge Lake. As it leaves Blue Ridge Lake, it becomes a large, tailrace river offering everything you can imagine for great trout fishing. The Toccoa River has some of the truly great hatches of bluewing olives and other mayflies. This river is a great place to fish from a single man float tube or pontoon craft as you see so much out West.

The Tuckasegee is the largest river in our area. "The Tuck" as it is called is also delayed harvest water. From October 1 until June 1 it is catch and release only, making it a great place to fish all through the winter months. On a good day it is possible to land over 50 or so fish. It can be some of the best dry fishing in the spring, and if you like fishing streamers you may hook 10 pound plus fish that have eluded the bait fisherman of past summers. This river is a great river to wade when Duke Power is not generating. It is also a great floating river for those who have drift boats.

There are many other great rivers, streams and creeks in our area. The numerous lakes in North Georgia and Western North Carolina also offer very challenging fly fishing opportunities.

There is nothing more exciting than a large mouth bass exploding on you popping bug at daybreak. Imagine casting into a school of stripers or hybrid bass and having a 20 pounder come out, smash your fly, and run your line out and get you down to the backing.

Inquire about fly fishing opportunities and visit our beautiful, numerous and varied lakes in northeast Georgia.

The brook trout, or speckled trout as it is called locally, is the only trout native to North Georgia and North Carolina. Considered an Ice Age relic, this member of the char family is found only in cold water streams of the mountains. Often a brightly colored fish, it is readily identifiable by the white leading edge, backed by black, on its lower fins. Brook trout were once widely distributed throughout the mountain areas, but because of changing land use patterns, over fishing and competition with rainbow and brown trout, their range is now greatly reduced. Today they are scarce except in relatively remote headwater steams. Because of the concern about declining brook trout numbers and habitat, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has placed emphasis on protecting and enhancing wild brook trout populations as a special resource. Rainbow and brown trout are not stocked into streams that contain only wild brook trout. The brook trout is easy to catch and when a stream is made easily accessible by new roads, or other development, their numbers can be reduced by fishing or eliminated by habitat changes. The typical brook trout caught today is eight inches or less in length. A 12 inch or longer fish is a rarity. Because of their small size and tendency to be found in small overgrown streams, brook trout seldom put up much of a fight when hooked.

Rainbow trout, native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in the western United Sates were introduced into Northern Georgia and western North Carolina as early as the 1880s. Since then they have been stocked in most trout water in both states, and have become the backbone of our trout fishery. Rainbows are distinguished by the presence of a pinkish to red longitudinal band, varying numbers of black spots and a frequently red or pink gill cover. The typical rainbow taken from our area waters is 10 inches in length. Fish up to 12 inches long are common, and occasionally larger specimens are taken. Rainbow trout do best in clear, cool, cascading type streams, but can survive in waters too warm to too silt laden for brook trout. In streams where both rainbow and brook trout occur, rainbow will usually dominate. Rainbow trout are known as spectacular fighters, and frequently jump when hooked.

Brown trout are native to northern Europe and were imported into this country from Germany and Scotland in the late 1800s. They were first stocked in our area shortly after 1905, but were never as widely distributed as the rainbow. In fact, brown trout are still expanding their range in this area today. Brown trout can be distinguished by their brownish yellow color and the scattered black, red, and orange spots on their sides. The typical brown trout taken from area waters is 122 or less inches in length, but fish greater than 18 inches are occasionally caught. Brown trout are extremely wary and are the most difficult of the trout species to catch. Once they become established in a stream, it is almost impossible to catch them out, even with heavy fishing pressure. Frequently, inexperienced anglers fishing in brown trout water will not get so much as a strike, and are convinced there are no fish in the stream. In actuality, there may be an excellent population of wild browns. Brown trout prefer larger, slower flowing streams with an abundance of minnows. They also do well in some of the smaller, swifter streams. Brown trout are stubborn fighters when hooked, but do not put on as spectacular an acrobatic show as the rainbow. A brown will tend to go to the bottom and run under a log or into a rock crevice.