By: Marshall McDougal
A few years ago, I had no idea that the state of Georgia held wild trout. It wasn’t until I made a few connections on Instagram that I started to believe this state could be one of the lesser known trout fishing destinations in the south. Sure enough, after spending a long weekend out east and meeting up with a couple of awesome guides did I realize this is a bucket list destination for any trout angler!
River Accessibility
The “Hooch” dumps out of Buford Dam and winds its way under heavily trafficked bridges lying in the shadows of some of downtown Atlanta’s skyscrapers. This urban jungle environment is home to some of the most consistent trout fishing as well as largest trout in the state!
The tailwater section of the Chattahoochee River is stocked annually by the Georgia DNR but the cold water provided by Lake Lanier allows many stocked fish to hold over even during the hot summers. They also have a healthy population of self-reproducing brown trout and one of these browns in the 16”+ range is a true Hoochy River stud!
While the river offers good public access and is very wadable at low flows, the large slippery rocks and muddy banks make fishing from a boat more ideal. This tailwater offers multiple boat ramps and plenty of food access maintained by the national park services. Anglers should take caution to the dam release schedule as it is unpredictable and can easily put both wade and boat anglers in danger quickly. Check the release schedule before you take a trip to the river and monitor it throughout the day in case they dump water randomly.
Fly Box
This tailwater is going to fish similar to most with your indicator rig being the primary set up offering the most consistent success throughout the day. Some dry fly fishing is another option as well as some well placed streamers for those large browns!
Dry Flies
- Plan B – Olive – Size 8-12
- Chubby Chernobyl – tan – Size 6-10
- Amy’s Ant – Olive – Size 8-12
Nymphs
- Pat’s Rubber Legs – Brown or Black – Size 8-10
- Rainbow Warrior – Size 16
- Perdigon – Black or Olive – Size 12-14
- Zebra Midge – Black or Olive – Size 16-18
Streamers (There is a reason Eric created these two)
- Eric Hursts Thrasher – Size 2
- Eric Hursts Agent Scully – Size 4
Guide Recommendations
Since this was a combined birthday trip for both my dad and I, we decided to take a few guides out on some private water one day and then a float trip on the Hooch another day. The third day, we did a little public walk and wade just to experience it and still had success but nothing close to the prior two days. The best way to consistently catch fish in this region is floating the river. We spent a full day on the water with Eric Hurst floating one of his favorite sections of the river. We were rewarded with a 50 plus fish day, multiple double ups and some wild fish stories with a few very nice browns to show for it. The other option in this region is private walk and wade trips which we did up on some property NE of Lake Lanier. The benefit to this is land owners that care about their fish population. Gabby Alverez took us up to an awesome little stretch of river where we got into some true monsters!
Eric Hurst – (770) 313-0030 – @erichurst – Eric is not only an extremely impressive guide but one of the most creative fly tyers I have met. We connected on Instagram a few years back when he had just come out with his “Thrasher” and “Agent Scully” streamer patterns. It was only right to throw a few of these on our day out with him and trust me, they are extremely productive at moving larger browns out of the shadows. Eric’s bread and butter is floating the Hooch which he knows like the back of his hand. He also does some private water walk and wade trips but his float trips are top notch and the way to go!
Gabrielle Alvarez – (770) 639-8471 – @gabs_bows_browns – Gabby has some awesome connections with landowners in the North Eastern part of the state and if a walk and wade trip for trophy sized trout is on your bucket list, this is the way to go! She had us on 20”+ trout in the first hour of our outing. She does these trips year round as well as a few hosted trips to some very salty places if you are ever interested in taking a destination to chase some saltwater species!
Notable Fly Shops in the Area!
The Fish Hawk
Fly shops in Atlanta? Ya, I had my hesitations too but these dudes know what is going on. There is some incredible fishing going on in this state and everyone here is in tune with what flies you need. They offer some amazing destination opportunities as well. It’s truly a one stop stop in a city surrounded by fishing options… Just be mindful of the traffic!
Alpharetta Outfitters
If you ever imagined a foothills fly shop in Colorado, these are your dudes. Great service, lots of local options for guided trips and an amazing selection of flies, gear, and equipment. My favorite thing, and I’m slightly partial to this, is they have fly tying nights often so if you’re in town go check them out and maybe even learn how to spin up a few bugs in the process!
Gear Recommendations
Being able to sling larger hopper droppers and the multi nymph rigr in the early morning before the fish become active on the surface requires a little extra backbone in your rod selection. My recommended setup is a 5wt or 6wt paired with weight forward floating line. I preferred the 6wt and only switched to a 5wt when throwing smaller dry flies such as midges or BWOs. A 9-foot rod will work just fine but a 9’ 6” or 10’ rod can help with mending your line as well as fishing from a raft should you be taking a guided trip or bringing your own. For fly line, the Rio Elite Gold has always been my go-to for trout fishing and I really enjoyed throwing the new Bank Robber from Rio. I had both spooled on all of my reel setups for this trip. Pair this with a 3X – 9ft leader and 4/5X tippet for your droppers and you will be set for a full day on the water!
Rod: Sage R8 Core 690-4 or TFO LK Legacy 06 90 4
Reel: Sage Spectrum 5/6 or TFO BVK II
Line: Rio Elite Gold WF6F or Rio Premier Bank Robber WF6F
Leader: Rio Powerflex Trout Leader 3X
Tippet – Dry Flies: Rio Powerflex 4/5X
Tippet – Dropper Flies: Rio Flouroflex 4.5X
Final Cast
I would highly recommend getting a guide for a Georgia trip. There are some great public options as well but it is always nice getting to know the river first with someone that fishes it year round. The river access is plentiful but be careful you are cautious with where you step! There are some very slippery rocks and muddy banks that will leave you on your butt(trust me, I took a few tumbles). This style of fishing is very beginner friendly as well so think about making it a father/son, daughter/father, mother/son or daughter/mother trip! You will not be disappointed by the fishing in this hidden gem of a trout state!