February 2021 - Footnotes |
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FOOTHILLS TU
A Message from our Chapter President
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For the past 15 years Georgia Trout Unlimited has conducted the “Dream Trip” raffle to raise the funds needed to support Trout Camp and other conservation items to support our TU mission.
This is truly a “Dream Trip” in that for a $10 ticket you can win a weeks worth of Guided fishing and lodging with TU member John McGarity at his place right outside Yellowstone National Park. This raffle is open to EVERYONE not just TU members. There are lots of great runner up prizes also. Please consider this an investment in Georgia TU Projects. The money raised from this stays here in Georgia. The drawing will be held at the Georgia TU State Council meeting in March. So hurry and get your tickets before time runs out.
Because of restrictions due to the pandemic we are unable to sell the Dream Trip tickets in our normal fashion. This years Dream Trip raffle has been moved online. Here is what we need to do:
- Go online to the site below and purchase your tickets. https://go.tulocalevents.org/georgia-trout-unlimited-dream-trip-2021
- Please make sure you check “Foothills Chapter”
- There is a fee for the purchase. The council passed this fee to the purchaser in order to maximise the donations.
- Note that you can purchase ANY number of tickets. Also this is not just for TU members, anyone can buy tickets and win the Dream Trip. Please ask your friends and family to purchase tickets also to help support our Georgia TU mission.
Each of the state chapters is expected to sell our quota of 150 tickets. So far Foothills has accounted for 30 tickets sold. I want to thank those of you who have purchased tickets. I am asking all of you to help in Foothills reaching it’s quota of 150 tickets sold. Any number of tickets you purchase will greatly help and be greatly appreciated. Again, Thank You to those that have already purchased tickets and Thank You to those that are going to do so.
The Council has asked for us to submit the name of our Trout Camp camper by February 1st. I have sent emails to the kids on our wait list from last years canceled camp to see if any of them are still interested in attending. As I am writing this, I have not received any responses. Each chapter gets to send (1) camper to this years Trout Camp. It is a day camp, the weekend of June 5th & 6th . If any of our members have a young person that would like to attend Please let me know.
Please do everything you can to keep yourself and your family safe and well as we negotiate our way forward. Better times will return and we will be able to meet again soon.
Thanks for All you do
Bruce
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GA TROUT UNLIMITED 2021 DREAM TRIP
Tickets Sold Online
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At the September 12, 2020 GA TU Council meeting we voted to conduct our 2021 Dream Trip raffle online. TU National has partnered with Eventgroove to offer us this service. The link below will take you to the site, it is very easy to navigate.
Our goal is to sell 2,000 tickets = $20,000. If all the tickets are sold, each Chapter who sells a minimum of 150 will receive a $500 rebate. If each member in your chapter participates we will easily make our goal.
This message is going to all Chapter officers (Bcc). Thanks for working together on how you would like to market the raffle to your Chapter and beyond. Do note, there will be a small online fee added to the purchase.
The winners will be announced at the Council meeting on Saturday, March 20, 2021.
Thanks again to Laine and John McGarity for their generosity in providing us with this opportunity!!!!
Let’s go for it!
Kathy
Kathy Breithaupt, Ph.D.
GA TU Council Chairman
194 Kitchins Lane
Clayton, GA 30525
706-782-6954 or 706-244-4495 cell
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ANNUAL RAFFLE QUILT
Fundraiser Item
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Check out this year's raffle quilt, yet again another work of art. Get your tickets as soon as they go on sale as this one is a beauty. |
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No further calendar events |
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PROPOSED 2021 CONSERVATION EVENTS
Georgia Trout Unlimited
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March 6th - Raccoon Creek- GA DNR- Cohutta Chapter and NPHS 5Rivers
March 27th - Sweep the Hooch: CRK, NPS, All TU Chapters Welcome
April 3rd - Rock Creek, Murray County: Lead- Coosa Valley. Supports: Blue Ridge Mountain and Cohutta
May 1st - Kids Fishing Day- Rock Creek; TBD
June 5th and 6th - GA Trout Camp: Atlanta Fly Fishing School
July 10th - Lovinggood Creek: Lead- Oconee River. Supports: UGA 5Rivers, Gold Rush, Foothills
July 17th - Wilkes Branch: Lead- Upper Chattahoochee. Supports- Rabun, Savannah River, Middle Georgia
August 14th - Pretty Branch or Cooper’s Creek: Tailwater with Boy Scouts
August 21st - John’s Creek- Floyd County: Lead- Blue Ridge Mountain. Supports- Coosa Valley and Chattahoochee-Nantahala
September 25th - Outdoor Adventure Day: Georgia DNR
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CRAYFISH CREEK
Upper Chattahoochee Conservation Project
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The Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited has an incredible conservation project going on Crayfish Creek a few miles downstream along the Chattahoochee River from Buford Dam just below SR 20. This project is gaining a lot of attention on the local, state and national stages.
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PROJECT HEALING WATERS
Oakwood VA Clinic
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The Project Healing Waters group meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at the Oakwood VA Clinic (4175 Tanners Creek Drive, Flowery Branch, GA) at 9:30 AM. Right now, they are currently tying flies and building fly rods. As the weather warms and the rains hopefully fall, they will start offering some fishing opportunities. They have a great group and good time at their meetings. All Veterans are invited.
This program could not be offered to our Veterans without the support of the Foothills TU Chapter, the Gold Rush TU Chapter and Unicoi Outfitters. They have really began to grow in numbers and programs because of all of the hard work by the volunteers who are TU members.
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AMAZON SMILE
Charity Designation
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Did you know that you can make on-line purchases and designating our TU as a charity to receive a donation from Amazon as part of the purchase?
To access amazon for the charitable donation you need to go to this link. Your purchase will generate a donation to Foothills TU. Go to the attached link and then save it to your favorites bar and each time you access it and purchase the donation goes automatically goes to us.
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GEORGIA DNR
Fishing Information
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Are you new to town? New to fishing? A terrible fisher?
Fear not, help is available thanks to the Georgia DNR.
Below are a few links to get you started on your way to becoming a professional fisherman or fisherwoman.
Reservoirs:
Trout:
Follow GA DNR:
You can also check out NGTO for Dredgers Weekly Fishing Report"
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NC DELAYED HARVEST
Stocking Dates
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Due to the fluid situation caused by COVID-19, some Public Mountain Trout Waters may not receive normal stockings this spring. The full stocking schedule for the season has been temporarily removed. However, please check this page regularly to find locations of stocked waters by week.
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FISHING REPORT
Clear and Spooky
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This month and probably the next few, I will probably have to live vicariously through others to get you some reports due to the arm still recovering from last month's surgery. That being said, I do have some info for you. Midges. Midges and more midges. Throw them. Oh and some small eggs. Tis the season for some of our wilder rainbows to push up some streams and start to spawn. Other fish will be keying in on that new food source in the river along with feeding on what's available now. This time of year, you really can't go wrong with dropping an egg or midge under your other fly. I like to either drop my midge behind a BWO style nymph or behind something larger like a mohair leech or rubber legged stone imitation. In some places like the Nantahala DH, you'll start to see where the black stoneflies have crawled up on rocks, so it's a great Fly to have in front of your smaller offering this time of year.
We've had a warm spell, but the time this gets out, it will go away so all that fun that happened with a caddis hatch, has been blown away and you're back to deep holes. In all honesty, the water is still pretty cold, so fish really didn't go too far from those deep holes. We just feel that warmth and think the fishing will be hot. DH fish have gotten used to the pressure and the available food sources (not pellets), so start focusing on smaller natural offerings and light line there. Wilder streams are (were) running clear and cold, so midges and eggs can work well there.
Get out there and good luck.
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FLY OF THE MONTH
Sucker Spawn
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Every now and then, I like to expose the rest of you to a little bit of culture. You know, high class stuff. Some might even say...elite. What I have for you here is something a little outside of the norm, but I promise you will work. I give you: The Sucker Spawn. Sucker spawn you say, why would I want to catch sucker. No, this is not for catching suckers, but you do stand a chance at catching one. This is what you call matching the hatch. Just like every other wild or wildish fish in the stream, there is the need to spawn. Well, so do suckers. Now, we do have some rather large suckers in some of our bigger rivers, maybe the Chattooga where this fly might have worked many times. Tie some of these up also for some smaller DH haunts as well. Try many colors and get crazy with it. I have substituted finer egg yarn with the angora without issue.There are no rules with this fly. It's ugly and it works. Add a bead, use a marker mix colors, whatever. Just be sure to add these to your match the hatch box and not your junk box. This is legitimately something that can be in the water.
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- Hook: 2X Short Emerger Size #12
- Thread: Red, 70 deneir or 6/0
- Tail: Pearleascent Krystal Flash
- Body: Salmon-egg and Flesh Angora yarn
- Head: Tying Thread
Courtesy of Tightline Productions
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LOCAL FLY HATCHES
February
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GEORGIA FOOTHILLS CHAPTER WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK |
If you haven't looked at the website lately, check it out. It is up to date and packed full of new information. Check us out. It's where we post all of our information and updates about chapter meetings, projects, fishing outings and any other items pertaining to Foothills.
Also, for even more up to date information, check out our Facebook page. Our Facebook page editor, Ted Jones, does an excellent job at adding new information almost every day. Be sure to "Like" it and share with your friends.
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For all information regarding Trout Unlimited in Georgia, check out the Georgia Council website at: http://georgiatu.org/
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Thank you for your interest in the Georgia Foothill Chapter of Trout Unlimited. We are always looking for new members from the area to join us, so please tell a friend and have them join us at our next meeting. |
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