NOVEMBER

9 Foothills Meeting: United Community Bank, Clarkesville, Georgia

DECEMBER

14 Foothills Meeting: TBD

Foothills members Lamar Cannon, Bob Parker, Kevin McGrath, Jimmy Harris, & Bruce Johnson put on a beginners fly fishing class today at Smithgall Woods State Park.  In addition to class room talk on equipment and entomology, we had fly tying demo, casting instruction and an in stream demo. It was an enjoyable day for all involved.

We had a great volunteer turnout for our conservation project on the Chattahoochee River at Hardman Farm on October 28. 40+ native trees and 120+ plants and bushes were planted to help stem the erosion along the river bank. Our partners included.  Rabun TU, Gold Rush TU, UGA 5 Rivers, UNG 5 Rivers, Ga Tech 5 Rivers, Master Gardener, Boy Scouts, Project Healing Waters, Riverkeeper, 4H, & UGA Extension Habersham & White counties. 

Thanks to everyone for coming out.

On November 1st, members from GA Foothills TU assisted the GaDNR with their stocking efforts to kick off the DH season here in Georgia. Around 2,000 fish were released into the stream. Thanks to everyone that helped out.

Our very own fearless leader Bruce Johnson made his way over to the National Fish Hatchery to collect some rainbow trout eggs to be used in schools that are enrolled in the Trout in the Classroom program. Thanks for helping out Bruce.

The winners will be drawn at the Hoot on the Hooch on March 23, 2024

My name is Rodney Tumlin and I am the Chairman for The Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited. Thus far, I have attended the first 3 meetings you have held. Thank you for allowing me to speak today. I will be brief. We have over 4,000 dues paying members in the state of Georgia and over 300,000 members nationwide. We are a cold-water conservation organization that was formed 64 years ago to ensure the health of trout, their habitat and the sport of angling.

Our Mission is to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.

Here in Georgia, we have a long and successful working relationship with the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, Park Service, and Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources. Each year, we work on stream restoration projects, youth education programs such as TIC. We support college and high school 5 Rivers clubs, we conduct clinics for veterans, first responders, cancer survivors, scouts, seniors, handicap anglers and the list goes on. I tell you this, not to brag, but rather to show you the commitment we have to our mission.

You also have a mission. A difficult mission! We understand and appreciate the monumental task that you have before you. Your decision will have an impact on fishing in Georgia for generations to come.

From what I have gathered in my research on this topic, the question of property rights and fishing access will be determined by how this committee defines navigability. On the larger rivers and streams in the piedmont and coastal plain, the question of navigability seems somewhat straight forward. However, in the trout water of North Georgia, our smaller, faster, colder rivers and streams pose a different set of considerations. We have a trophy trout fishing industry that has developed on many of our smaller rivers and creeks which by common sense, are Non navigable. This multi-million-dollar industry is dependent on the ability of property owners to restrict access to waters that flow through their property where they own both sides of the stream bank. I urge you to consider this as you determine navigability.



Here in North Ga., We are blessed with tens of thousands of acres of public land that offer access for over 170,000 licensed trout fishermen. State and federal hatcheries keep the rivers and streams on these lands stocked with over a million trout each year! 

As you move forward in the decision-making process, I pray that you consider the uniqueness of our part of Southern Appalachia. I pray that you can come up with a reasonable and defendable definition of navigability that protects both property rights of landowners and public access to our rivers and streams. You have a monumental task before you that will have a generational impact. Thank you for your time and hard work on this difficult job! 

Rodney Tumlin

Chairman, Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited

Over the summer, we received the following request. See the message below:

Dear Georgia TU Chapter President:

I am writing you Chapter Presidents this evening to introduce myself as the new Georgia Council Social Media Chair. While new to the Upper Chattahoochee Chapter, I was a member of TU for years at an earlier time, am a dedicated and experienced freshwater angler.....fly, spinning, and Tenkara.....and am familiar with the basic functioning and objectives of the national organization. In this new role I will be working closely with Guy Eroh, who is our very talented videographer for the Council. Guy's videos will show all of us off in our best possible light. Don't be surprised if Hollywood comes calling......

The basic idea is for me and Guy to apply our complimentary skills toward the basic objective of growing the membership at each of your chapters. Guy and I met earlier today and already have some interesting ideas, but.......

......it can't work without YOU. We're pretty sure that each of the Georgia chapters does wonderful work in river conservation, outreach and education, fabulous fishing outings and much much more....but, only you know the details.

The dates, times, people, and places. 

Guy and I are asking you to communicate these items to us on a regular basis, and with enough advance notice so that we can arrange for filming, interviews, and other preparatory activities to best showcase your chapter.  

Not only do we wish to grow your chapter membership, we want to especially target the younger generation. At my recent first Upper Chattahoochee meeting, I looked around the room and saw a lot of grey hair and beards, or no hair at all, some pretty thick eyeglasses and a few equally thick midsections.....in other words, forty guys who looked just like ME.

While my wife says there's nothing wrong with the way I look, the demographic was pretty monotonic.

Where are the younger folk? Where are the females? We know that the sheer joy that is fly fishing transcends gender, age, and racial/ethnic boundaries.

In order to reach the younger generation, Guy and I plan a pretty heavy and constant presence on social media. We are focusing on five social media platforms: 

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

Pinterest

What better way to reach younger anglers than via the same platforms this generation spends half their waking hours on?

So, please get with your own chapter members, gather the necessary information, and send it on to either me or Guy at:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Feel free to forward this email to other members or officers within your Chapter.

Thanks a bunch......and TIGHT LINES.

David Jeffrey

We also received another request from the Georgia TU side. See the message below:

Dear Georgia TU Chapters

I now have three social media platforms up and running for our Council-wide marketing activities:

Facebook Page: Trout Unlimited in Georgia

Instagram: georgiatu2023

YouTube: @GeorgiaTU

I now need you Chapter Presidents to do two things:

1) Spread the word throughout your chapter, and have your members visit, Follow, and Like these sites and posts.

2) Send me content!

Re #2, I am in particular need of images....photos of chapter members cleaning up a stream, or working with younger anglers at Trout Camp, or any other item that I can then turn into a posting.....or even story. 

To facilitate this, I have set up a dedicated folder in my Google Drive that I just shared with all of you. Simply open this folder and find your chapter sub-folder, then upload your photos, with a brief description.

Tight lines

David Jeffrey

Georgia Council TU Social Media Chair

The Project Healing Waters group usually meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays and virtual meetings 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month at the American Legion Post #7 in Gainesville, Georgia.(2343 Riverside Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501).

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.

For more info: contact Deborah Scott

https://www.facebook.com/deborah.scott.391

Dear Bruce, Foothills Trout Unlimited Board of Directors and Chapter Members:

As you can imagine, the past few years have been challenging years for Casting for Recovery Georgia. Due to Covid-19, CfR Nationwide made the difficult decision to cancel all retreats in 2020. In 2021, with lots of safety precautions put into place, the Georgia program was successfully able to hold one retreat last November. In May of 2022, we were able to hold another retreat for any woman with any diagnosis of breast cancer. All of the women who attended those retreats told us how important and meaningful their retreat experience was, especially after so much isolation due to the pandemic. They were grateful to be able to share their experiences and seek advice from other women with breast cancer diagnoses, as well as our wellness team, including oncologists, social workers and a registered dietician, all experienced in working with breast cancer survivors. We are so grateful for all of our dedicated volunteers & supporters who helped make these retreats happen.

CfR Georgia started hosting 2 retreats per year in 2016 but due to Covid vulnerability, the decision was made to postpone metastatic specific retreats. Casting for Recovery now has a National medical advisory board, responsible for keeping us with all things Covid and making recommendations for retreat safety.

There is no cure for breast cancer. Women with a metastatic stage IV breast cancer diagnosis know that their time is limited but they don't know what that time frame is or what their health will be during that time. They want the opportunity to experience a week-end, free of the day-to-day challenges of balancing family & work and still finding time for themselves.

Costs for our retreats are increasing each year, especially for lodging and food services. We have been limited in our fundraising efforts over the past few years since we have not been able to hold any person-to-person events. We are relying on our generous donors and supporters to help us fund our retreats.

The Foothills Chapter of Trout Unlimited has been a generous donor in years past and we ask again this year, that you give consideration to making a donation to Casting for Recovery Georgia's program to provide FREE week-end retreats for more women. Donations can be made at www.castingforrecovery.org or by sending a check to our National office at the Bozeman, MT address below. Please be sure to specify "Georgia" in your donation.

If you would like additional information about Casting for Recovery, you can go to the website: www.castingforrecovery.org or feel free to contact me. Also, please feel free to share this information with the other members of the Foothills Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

We sincerely appreciate your consideration in supporting Casting for Recovery Georgia.

Beverly

Beverly Booth

Co-Program Coordinator, Casting for Recovery - Georgia

M 678.480.8052

PO Box 535, McCaysville, GA 30555-0535

National Office:

109 E. Oak St., Ste 1G

Bozeman, Montana 59715

888.553.3500

www.castingforrecovery.org

The Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited's project on Crayfish Creek may reach it's goal by the end of the year, but they are not there yet. Numerous hours of volunteers have been logged to remove two old culverts and cleanup of both invasive plants and debris have occurred.

A contractor has been selected to cleaning up the degraded banks, but additional funds are needed to get to that remaining estimated cost budget. As of right now $180,000 of the estimated $200,000 has been raised. The finish line is right there and they are so close, so we hope you'll consider donating.

DONATE TODAY

But wait, there's more. There are going to be some volunteer opportunities this fall to assist with the project, so please also consider donating some of those incredible muscles you built up during the COVID shutdown.

VOLUNTEER TODAY

One more thing, spread the word about this wonderful grassroots project. This project is but a small example of what this country's foundation has been built on. It's the small ideas put on by the people that get traction from the smallest places and builds into some of the greatest things you've ever been part of. Please spread the message about the wonderful effort to save and protect one of the few spawning areas for brown trout along the Chattahoochee River.

We got this message from our good friend Dredger (aka Jeff) who now takes all the good spots on the streams during the week, but its for good reasons so you get get the most up to date fishing reports.

During my spring trout stream treks I’m running across a lot of metro TU’ers. Right now, In fact, I’m at a windy Smith DH conversing with three longtime UCCTUers. Like me, many of your older members prefer to stay out of the social media frays and are not personally active on sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Feel free to make them aware of the winter resurrection of our fly shop’s blog, “Angler Management.” 

http://blog.angler.management/

It has the same timely angling intel as our social media sites. All of it is entertaining and much of it might help your members, especially new flyfishers, to catch a few more fish.

Why? We live, work, retire, and fish up here in north Georgia. From Jimmy to Jake to Wes and Hunter Pittman( our young buck “grown” by Rodney Tumlin and Mack Martin), fishing is in our blood. And now it’s online, too, for non-Facebookers. Enjoy our UO goodies from bear triplets to Friday fishing reports to the hot flies during my Dark30 trips on both weekend evenings.  

Give it a look and a try. We want you returning home to the flatlands happy, and coming back up here soon. On what stream? Well, I don’t believe I said! But you’d better be carrying stimmies, caddis, and cahills as the sun sets!!!

Sincerely,

Dredger

(Charter Rabunite)

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.

Fishing Report: https://georgiawildlife.wordpress.com/category/fishing/

Reservoirs:

http://georgiawildlife.com/fishing/reservoirs

Trout:

http://georgiawildlife.com/Trout

Follow GA DNR:

https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR/

You can also check out NGTO for Dredgers Weekly Fishing Report"

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=34

The DH stocking schedule in North Carolina. Remember to check the regulations before you go.

As you are probably well aware now at this moment, the DH season is in full mode now. We've had our neighbors in NC to the north who've already been open and ours here in GA just opened on November 1st.

It looked like we'd might actually be in fall, but we got to enjoy some near 80 degree November temperatures. Top this off with some extremely low water levels and a lack of rain, it really has made it not quite feel like a fall fishing season just yet. We are in desperate need of rain to give these fresh fish some water to actually swim in. It looks like there is some rain in the forecast, but we still will need more on top of what we get. If you've been around our reservoirs, you surely would have noticed a lot more earth around it than before. The good news is the night time lows help keep the water temps down, so there are no real worries about these fish getting overly stressed other than a hook in the mouth.

If you aren't joining the orange army chasing deer and other game, the rivers are ready to be fished. These new DH fish will be spooky, so be sure to keep some light tippet handy and some smaller flies around. They will be a little "junk food" friendly at first, but the pressure and the low/clear water will warrant a stealthy approach. Think about the bright colors you may be wearing, shadows, heavy footsteps and big fat indicators. Drab clothing, low profiles, 6x and some dry dropping will produce better results.

Check out: https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout for stocking reports and other great info about trout fishing in our state. You may also want to follow the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery on Facebook as they also post stocking from their side of the world.

I'm going to make my personal mission to bring this fly back to it's former glory when the DH seasons first started up. While this fly has been around a while, the fish have not, so the only reason the fish aren't hitting it is because you aren't fishing it anymore. It's an easy fly. Yarn and 2 knots (aka Y2K). It's a great fly for DH fish, spawners or anytime fish are on any time you feel like catching fish. Play with all sorts of color/bead combinations.

For tying instructions:

https://youtu.be/u0Flj878L68?si=LLC1aaM24uaeM9R9