Smith's Creek Delayed Harvest: A Sure Thing

Good Morning Folks!

Unicoi Outfitters

  Despite having a severe allergies attack this weekend, I managed to get out and do a bit of fishing!  Sunday morning I went up to Unicoi State Park, just above Helen, GA, to fish the Delayed Harvest stretch of Smith's Creek.  This was my first experience fishing the delayed harvest and I was sure excited by the prospect of catching multiple fish larger than most I've caught so far.  On the way up to the state park I stopped into Unicoi Outfitters for a stream report and see what flies they might suggest.  After talking to the guys behind the counter for a bit, my confidence level was elevated even more.
  I got up to the park and had to look for the Visitor's Center to check in and get the park permit to fish.  That was my first mistake.  After driving around the park, trying to follow the signs, for what seemed like half an hour, I found the Visitor's Center, tucked deep inside the camping area, locked up tight.  By this time it was after 9:00 and the Center was supposed to open at 8:00.  I got back in the car and followed the signs to the Lodge, thinking that someone would be working there on a Sunday morning.  I've spent a little bit of time at Unicoi, so I thought I knew where I was going.  I didn't.  I made it to the Lodge and parked in the first spot I could find and walked in.  I was on the restaurant level.  Third floor.  Back of the building.  I wandered around looking for an employee and finally found a guest that knew where the registration desk was.  Ground floor.  Front of the building.
  I got all checked in, got down to the correct parking area, geared up and headed toward the water.  As soon as I got to the creek, I saw three guys rigging up and fishing (the parking lot was still in view!?!).  One of the pieces of advice I got from the guys at the fly shop was to walk and since I enjoy hiking as much as fishing, that's what I did.  I followed a bike trail for at least half an hour, maybe closer to 45 minutes, before I thought I had gone far enough and my rod started begging to be cast. I was in the water around 10:00 am.  I fished until about 4:30, when the sun was starting to drop behind the mountains.  I didn't want to be caught in the dark in an unfamiliar place, and I didn't know how long it would take to walk back to the car.  I fished the whole day.  Threw one of every fly pattern I had in my box and I never caught a fish.  I got one soft bite and saw the flash as the fish threw the hook.
  I could go on and on finding reasons why I didn't catch anything when a banner day was supposed to be a sure thing.  I probably wasn't holding my tongue right, the weather change put the fish down, the water was too clear and the sky too blue, but the fact of the matter is, I had a wonderful day.  I get frustrated when I don't catch anything, but I still got to spend the day knee deep in a near perfect stream in the woods on a gorgeous fall day in North Georgia and that, to me, makes it worth it every time.  I'll be back to try again, just as soon as I can restock my fly box.
  If you want to fish the Delayed Harvest at Smith's Creek or any of the other DH streams in Georgia, I put a link to the GA DH Fishing Regs in the sidebar.  Make sure you stop into Unicoi Outfitters when you go, too, it never hurts to have a couple of recommended flies from the guys who know and a little local knowledge goes a long way!  Oh, and remember, check in at the Lodge at Unicoi, NOT the Visitor's Center!
  Hope you all are doing well,
     Tight Lines and Happy Trails,
          -Nick

Unicoi Outfitters
Unicoi State Park

Burger and a Show.

Good Morning Folks!

The snow from overnight.

  I'm afraid I haven't been fishing in a while now, and it's starting to wear on me!  I'm going to have to get out soon, even if its just for a few minutes!  I heard from a friend of mine in Lubbock, Texas that our snowstorm here in Atlanta has hit the national news this week.  We woke up this morning to about 2" of snow on the ground, 12° temps and ice on all the roadways.  So, I guess I won't be fishing this week, either.

Doe tracks on the front walkway, about 10' from the font door!

  On Sunday the Little Girl and I drove down to Jonesboro, on the south side of Atlanta, to attend the Atlanta Camping and RV Show.  It was a huge show and we're very glad we got to go.  It made for a fun day out.  I'm afraid the name of the show mislead me a bit.  With a name like "Camping and RV Show" I expected RV's and camping equipment.  The show had plenty of RV's, I think there were five or six local dealerships with lots of RV's on display, but they were there to sell RV's not show them.  The big surprise (and disappointment) for me was the lack of camping gear.  I was really hoping to see some tents and sleeping bags, backpacks and cooking gear, flashlights and water filters, but there was nothing!  There was one booth selling RV accessories, a couple insurance companies and a few hawkers with clothes steamers and kitchen knives.  There was very little information listed on the show's website, so I guess I had formulated my own idea of what it was going to be before we got there.  It was a lot of fun to check out the half-a-million dollar motor homes and all the different size and style travel trailers.  But even the tear drops (which I love!) on display were too heavy for my little SUV to tow.  The best part of the show for me were the campground booths near the entrance.  I was able to pick up the new Georgia State Park book, the Alabama State Park book, the KOA Kampgrounds directory and even a Yogi Bear's Jelli Stone Park flyer (I didn't know they were still in existence!).  So the show wasn't a total loss, the Little Girl and I always have fun on our day trip outings.

The Philly Cheese Burger from Burger21.

The Ale & Cheese fries. This sauce would be great on ANYTHING!!!

  The highlight of the day was where we stopped for lunch!  We had some errands to run up by the Mall of Georgia  and we decided to check out a newer hamburger joint for some lunch.  We had heard it was good, but never really heard much more about it.  The place is called Burger21 and when we walked in I was afraid it was one of those places that was trying way too hard to be trendy.  The burger combinations on the menu sounded awesome and the promise of organic angus beef always gets me excited.  When we got our food (order at the counter, they bring it to your table) I was stunned that my hamburger was actually cooked the way I ordered it!  That seems to be becoming a rarity around here. They had loads of different sauces to add to your burger or fries, but we opted for the Ale & Cheese fries, a beer and cheddar dipping sauce with bacon and green onions!  I got the Philly Cheese Burger with sauteed onions and peppers, provolone cheese and a horseradish sauce.  I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was!  The Little Girl got a Turkey Cobb burger which was also good (I have a problem with calling anything that isn't ground beef or bison a "burger" though), juicy and well seasoned.  The toasted brioche buns were soft and tender and a great compliment to the sandwiches.  On the way out we got a Double Espresso Shake from the shake bar in the dining room.  This was the smoothest shake with the strongest coffee flavor that I have had in a long time! 
  Hopefully I'll be able to get out and do some fishing soon, or at least have a chance to get some flies tied up.  Either way, I'm going to try to be a bit more regular with my blog posts.
  I hope you're all doing well, staying safe and warm wherever you are.
     Tight lines and happy fishing!
           -Nick