The Georgia Council takes pride in offering one of the best Trout Camps in the country. Each June the Council hosts 24 teens between ages 12 and 15. Six girls and eighteen boys attended this year's camp. Last week I had an opportunity to join other TU volunteers from around the state to help with instruction at this year's camp. I was impressed with the quality of instruction and the number of volunteers for events throughout the week. Roy Gingrich, Mack Martin, Ed Chamberlain, Ryan Hartley and Mimi Harvey from UCCTU were among those who volunteered for the week, in addtion to others who joined on a per day or per event basis.
In addition to providing instruction on the fundamentals of fly fishing, Trout Camp teaches attendees about the importance of preserving cold water fisheries and engages them in related activities throughout the week. While it is probably unrealistic to expect that every camper will totally embrace fly fishing and conserving cold water fisheries, there can be no question that each of these teens as well as the adult helpers left camp with a better understanding of fly fishing and appreciation for our environment. Thank you to all the volunteers that made Trout Camp possible.
We invite you to join us Saturday, June 20 for a stream restoration project in North Georgia. This is an opportunity to have a direct impact on stream habitat for native brook trout. We will meet at the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Dahlonega between 7:00 and 8:00 am and car pool from there to Jones Creek. Please call Conservation Chair Bill Lott at 770-641-0942 with the number of attendees from your party so we know how many lunches to prepare.
Jimmy Jacobs has been fishing the trout waters of the Southeastern States for almost 50 years. He was the editor of Georgia Sportsman Magazine for a quarter century before retiring in 2014. Currently, he is the Georgia Editor for Don Kirk's Southern Trout Online Magazine.
He also authored the guidebooks Trout Fishing in North Georgia, Trout Streams of Southern Appalachia and Tailwater Trout in the South.
Jimmy is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association, and Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. In 2015, he was inducted into the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association of Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame.
UCCTU Fly Rod Raffle
Starting at the Meeting Tuesday, UCCTU will be selling raffle tickets for a TFO BVK 5,6,7,or 8 weight fly rod with a matching BVK reel. Tickets will be available on our Facebook page and website and are $3 each or 4 for $10.
Guide's Angle- Pass it On!
Chris Scalley
When taking children fishing there are some guide lines that I follow which I have developed during my 21 years of guiding on the Chattahoochee since 1994. "Small doses" As many parents know too well the younger the kid the shorter their attention span. The duration of the trip should be no more then 3 or 4 hours. See how they liked it. Do they want to go again? Maybe we can fish longer periods of time next trip. This will likely cause them to be anxious with anticipation for the next adventure. "Success" Again back to short attention span for most children so set them up for success as much as possible. Consider going with an expert guide or someone who has done their homework on the body of water your going to fish. This will up your odds of catching dramatically. Us guides call it the 15minute rule as in the youngster should at least get a bite or catch a fish in the first 15 minutes then you will have captured their interest which will help tremendously. "Forced march fishing" Do NOT force the fishing experience for a child. When the child shows frustration often times this behavior will worsen so move on to another activity related to the body of water that your fishing. Find a shoreline with rocks maybe have a throwing contest and skip a few. While your looking for rocks check out the other critters that live in the water such as turtles,frogs, tad poles, dragon flies, fish etc. "Weather" It may not seem that important but if kids experience weather that makes them uncomfortable it will simply cause them to lose interest in the outdoor experience. Extreme cold or hot weather can be avoided by carefully planning the best window for that day of fishing. Tight lines!
Nacoochee Bend Trip
On May 12 Tim Yeager and I took advantage of the fundraiser donation from Unicoi Outfitters to fish the trophy trout section of Nacoochee Bend in Helen for the day. Above is a picture of Tim landing a nice rainbow. We had a blast! The weather was good and the rainbows cooperated pretty well.
Thank you to Jimmy Harris and Unicoi Outfitters for the donation.
Is there a better way to end a good day of fishing than to drive into Helen to enjoy a faux Mexican dinner in a faux Bavarian village??
-Jim Harvey
News Bites
Don't forget to pay your UCCTU Voluntary Dues
Here
Contact Fulton County's Georgia DNR Officer Mark Puig if you see any poaching or violations while your fishing next time.
Monthly Fly Tying Dutch Earle will be hosting Fly Tying this month. Email Chris Smith for information about the event if you are interested.
Welcome to UCCTU
We have 17 new members:
Daye Brown Adam Clevenstine TJ D'Meza Bobby Dixon Paul Ettari David Fischer Connor Goble William Henderson Ham Henson Jason Laubersheimer E Loos WR McGilvary Chris McWilliams Will Moody Michael Overwyk Mark Price Penn Rogers
Backcasts
Hal captivating everyones attention at last month's meeting.
Another great brown from the Chattahoochee via River Through Atlanta
Orvis Buckhead's store manager with a young Chattahoochee brown
Great to see new faces at the TU Meeting
River Through Atlanta's Introduction to Fly Fishing Class
Upper Chattahoochee Trout Unlimited | |
president@ucctu.org 30 Golf Circle, NE
Atlanta, GA 30309