Dave Whitlock's 3-Emerger System, The Fly Fishing Show Atlanta 2018

Holding Dave Whitlock's 3-Emerger System fly box felt a bit like peeking behind the Wizard's curtain!

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Happy New Year 2015!!!!

Happy New Year!!! 2014 was a great year for The Suburban Angler and 2015 will be even better!! We've got some big plans in the works, starting with our first giveaway, so stay tuned! Thanks for all the support in 2014 and here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!! 
   Thanks again,
        -Nick

WNC Fly Fishing Expo 2014

Evening Folks,

  Sorry for the hiatus, I had to take a little time away from the blog to prepare for finals at school!  But, that's behind me now and I can return to the important things, like fly fishing!  

  Earlier this month I took a ride up to Fletcher, North Carolina to attend the 6th annual Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Expo.  This is considered to be the Southeast's largest fly fishing event.  The show takes place in the Expo Building of the WNC Agricultural Center.  There was  a PBR rodeo happening at the same time as the expo, driving through the Ag Center there were a lot of nice looking trucks hauling horse trailers and cowboys and cowgirls walking horses through the parking lot!  

  The expo itself consists of a large casting pond in the middle of the the big, open Expo Building with aisles of exhibitors down both sides and lecture tents in the back.  The two day show has become a live forum for local fly fisherman to see the latest gadgets and products from some of the top manufacturers, participate in lectures on a wide range of fishing techniques and scenarios and even get casting instruction from IFFF certified casting instructors.  

  This was my second year attending the Expo and while it is a bit of a drive for me from metro Atlanta I enjoy the show because it has a very local feel.  Most of the exhibitors and lecturers were either local to Western North Carolina or, at least, spoke on topics and techniques that pertained to the area.  I think my favorite part of attending the show is getting to meet the folks that work in the local fly shops.  There were 10 shops represented at the Expo this year and each booth is like stepping into a mini version of the shop it represents, the folks are always very nice, excited to tell you about their shop, quick to invite you to their store and love to talk fishing and gear with any like minded individuals.  

One of several demos at the casting pond.

  In addition to the manufacturers and fly shops, the show plays host to many booths from guide services, lodges, magazines and organizations such as Casting for Hope, Project Healing Waters (I got to talk fly tying and bluegill fishing with a couple great guys!), Federation of Fly Fishers and even a booth from the soon to open Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians!  

  Since I made the Expo a day trip from Atlanta, I only had time to take in two of the lectures.  I attended Mac Brown's Dry Fly Tactics, Casting & Presentation where I learned about effectively fishing with dry flies and various techniques to do so.  Some that I never would have thought of and would probably cause some of the uppity dry fly elite to get up and walk out! But, if it'll work it's worth trying!  My second lecture was with Cameron Mortenson and his talk on the Reinvention of Fiberglass Fly Rods.  Cameron's website, The Fiberglass Manifesto, helped to inspire me to start The Suburban Angler, so it really was an honor for me to meet him in person.  His talk on the history and evolution of fiberglass fly rods was fascinating.  The only downside is, now I want to try fishing one!!!  

BBQ and Fly Fishing just go together!

  Since nobody likes to peruse fly gear on an empty stomach, the Expo invited a couple of food trucks out this year.  A local competition BBQ truck and a gourmet coffees truck were parked at the entrance to the building and the IFFF had a beer and snacks booth inside the show as a fundraiser.  Luckily, I had $2 in my pocket so I was able to get the first Pabst Blue Ribbon I've drank in quite a number of years!  

  For the second year in a row I had a fantastic time at the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Expo and I really look forward to attending again in 2015!  For more details on the show and the full list of exhibitors click here and if you'd like to hear an interview with Reba Brinkman, the Expo manager, and hear a shout out to The Suburban Angler, listen to The Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast with Rob Snowhite.  I hope to see you all there next year!

  

   Pleasant Fly Fishing Journeys,

       -Nick

  

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

First Cast: A Tacky Fly Box

Good Morning Folks,

    A while back I started to hear murmurings about a new fly box that was getting ready to come to market.  It was supposed to be a revolutionary new design and far better at holding flies than anything that's come out before.  When I finally learned the name of the box, I wasn't sure if they were trying to be cute and put some kind of gaudy decoration on a typical fly box, or if there was actually something sticky inside that held the flies in place.  Now, if you're like me, you don't own just one fly box.  I'm sure my collection pales in comparison to many, but I've got some with lamb shearling, some with little doors, some metal hooks all the way up to different foam configurations and foam with slits in it.  It really didn't seem like there was much room in the market for yet another fly box design.  Then, I went to IFTD.  

  IFTD was an amazing place.  Lots of huge, colorful booths with everything a fly fisherman (or fisherwoman) could ever want.  Me personally, though, I like to check out the smaller booths.  It seems like that is where more innovation lies.  On one of my trips up and down the aisles, I came across the Tacky Fly Box booth.  Finally, I get to see this box that I've been hearing about!  To my surprise, the box was of a very simple design.  No crazy accouterments or unnecessary gadgets, and a nice, slim profile that will slip easily into a pocket.  

TheTacky table at IFTD.

  I got to meet Tim Jenkins and Ki Aston, the founders and creators of the Tacky Fly Box, two incredibly nice fellows, both scientists (which appealed to my engineering background) and both Orvis endorsed fishing guides.  Not only are these guys experienced enough to know what a revolutionary fly box should be, but they used the scientific method to reach a final design!  How cool is that?!?!
  We talked about fly fishing for trout in Utah, and I tried to convince them that bluegill in Georgia were fun, too!  I tried to learn as much as I could about their fly box and how they went about designing and testing them.  To my surprise, they very graciously gave me a Tacky Fly Box to try out for myself. 

Are you willing to hold an open fly box upside down?

  I couldn't wait to get back to camp that night.  As soon as I got the fire started, I sat down and loaded up a bunch of flies into my new Tacky Fly box.  I put everything I had in it.  Then, started flinging it around like a madman.  First with the lid closed (just to be on the safe side), then with the lid open!  Not one fly moved.  I mean, didn't budge!  I was impressed!  I've lost flies out of my boxes before because they weren't held in securely.  I really wanted to test the holding power of the silicon mat that makes the Tacky Fly Box what it is.  Friday night, after IFTD, I sought out Orlando Outfitters to find the biggest fresh water popper I could get my hands on!  Orlando Outfitters is a great shop with some very nice, knowledgeable guys working the counter.  They've even started their own fly fishing expo to coincide with IFTD, I'll be checking that out in 2015!!!  I picked up a handful of flies, and some more tying supplies (I'm really going to tie some flies one of these days, I really am!) while I was there.  One fly in particular was just to test my new fly box: a size 4 Mossy Green BooglePopper.  My ultralight rods will never cast this monster of a popper, but I had to see if the Tacky Fly Box would hold it!  

  Hold it, it did!  I put the big bug in the box and turned it upside down.  Nothing.  I gave it a shake.  Didn't move.  So, I gave it a fling.  The only movement I could get from the popper was a bit of a rise.  The silicon slits never let it go, though!  

  I've been using this box for a few months now.  It's really become my go to fly box, the first to get loaded up before I head out.  It's thin profile makes it perfect to slide into a back pocket if you don't want to carry a pack or bag with you.  My lumbar pack that I use fishing typically only holds 4 of my boxes comfortably, but I'm pretty sure I could double or triple that number with these Tacky boxes.  Speaking with Ki, I've learned that they have some other sizes and styles in the works, so there will be no trouble with the lid closing on my big poppers when the new boxes are released.  

Another from the Tacky table.  That's a lot of flies!

  The silicon insert is very durable, and, as I've said, holds the flies incredibly well.  Have you ever left a foam insert fly box in a hot car or in the sun for too long?  The foam will degrade and curl and the glue will even let go sometimes.  That was a design consideration for the Tacky Fly Box.  I leave mine in the car, in the sun, quite often and I have yet to see any signs of degradation to the silicon.  I think this box is going to last a long, long time!  Check out the video from Tacky of a Jeep driving over a Tacky Fly Box.  I hope I never experience that with mine, but I feel a little better about accidentally sitting on it!  I've broken a few boxes by forgetting they were in my back pocket!  

  I have tons of praise for these boxes and I hope you don't find me credulous because of it.  There is only one downside that I have found.  I try to be very open and honest with my reviews, and my reviews are purely my opinion.  I think most folks won't find this as a downside and it is a very small thing.  I realize that we are in a global economy and country of origin shouldn't carry a whole lot of weight when making a purchase decision.  The Tacky Fly Box is a very high quality product of which I am happy to own and very proud to have met the creators.  However, the box is manufactured in China and that just tends to be a sore spot with me.  I'm sure it was purely a "final-cost" decision, as US manufacturing can be expensive.  I love the box, I use it constantly and I will definitely be purchasing another when the other sizes come out.  I just wish they were manufactured in the USA.

  That's my review, let me know if you have any questions for me or the Tacky Fly Box guys and I'll do my best to get them answered.  Check out these boxes, if your local shop isn't carrying them yet ask them to!  You won't be disappointed!  I can't wait to get another!

  I hope you're all doing well, 

      Tight lines and Tacky boxes!

         -Nick

Post by Tacky Fly Fishing.

You can't have too many mossy log pictures, right?

My First Brown Trout: Upper Chattahoochee WMA

Mornin' Folks,

  I wanted to share a few pictures I took while fishing the Upper Chattahoochee WMA last weekend. Its a really beautiful area up there, and it seems to be quite popular. My time was limited, so I didn't want to venture too far from the road and the car, so it was actually a bit difficult to find a spot that wasn't already occupied. There had been some pretty good storms in the area the night before and it had been raining most of the morning while I was there. I try not to let weather keep me from fishing, if I get an opportunity to go I try to take it. I thought the rain might improve the conditions as there had been some pretty low water up there. 

  I went armed with the TFO Finesse Half Weight and the Galvan Brookie fly reel to get some more testing in for their upcoming reviews. I was very happy with the performance of each and look forward to the next trip with them. I fished a few different flies, but I seemed to get the most interest from a size 14 Elk Hair Caddis. When it comes to trout, I'm still very much a beginner. I'm pretty certain I missed a lot of strikes. Trout tend not to be as aggressive on the take as the bluegill I usually fish for! At least not in my experience thus far. 

  After a few hours with as many splashy refusals, I was fishing around a large pool catching nothing but raindrops. I started working some large rocks and finally got a good take!  I landed a beautiful little rainbow!  He was a feisty little guy! And, fishing a half weight, it was a ball to hook up on this little trout!  With the acrobatics he performed, I don't think he had any idea that he was only 6" long!  

  I returned him to his pool and hiked back up to the car to seek out another spot. It was already after noon, and carrying the one-trout-per-trip curse, I was starting to consider heading home. I absolutely love spending time in the woods, especially in the north Georgia mountains, so I was reluctant to leave. I found another spot that just had a "fishy" look to me ( Thanks to Tom Rosenbauer, I have a better idea of what that looks like now!). There was a parking area with a staircase down to the water, I tend to shy away from those places because I figure they're pretty heavily pressured, so I crossed the road and headed upstream a ways. I don't have any waders yet, so I tend to bushwhack along the bank until I find a spot to fish. I got in the water and started fishing, working the rocks and riffles as I made my way back down toward the car. 

  The car was back in view and I'd been fishing way longer than I intended (the Little Girl was on her way home from being away for the weekend and I like to be there when she gets in). After about 20 "one-last-casts", I got my caddis caught in some submerged branches. When I tried to break my tippet in frustration I felt the line move. A lot more than it should've being hung on a stick! When I got my first glimpse I couldn't believe my eyes! Not only was it not a stick, it was a trout! And a brown one at that!  I had to work to get him around all the rocks and branches to bring him to hand, but I sure was happy when I did. This was my largest trout to date, it was my first brown trout ( a stunningly beautiful fish) and I caught it on a five foot long, half weight rod! I wish I could've gotten some better photos, but I like to return fish to the water as quickly as possible. 

  I had a great day fishing the Upper Chattahoochee WMA and definitely plan on returning. Next time I want to do some more exploring of the smaller streams. The TFO Finesse Half Weight and Galvan Brookie both did a great job and a shorter rod made fighting through the brush so much easier!  

  I hope you're all doing well,

    Tight lines and dry feet!

      -Nick

I wonder if there are any trout holding pools upstream?

Fantastic combo! TFO Finesse Half Weight and Galvan Brookie. 

Stunning colors on these little rainbows!

Steady rain. 

My first brown! What a beauty!

Gorgeous scenery in the Upper Chattahoochee WMA. Fall color is just beginning. 

Photos from IFTD and iCAST Day 4

I finally managed to get the last group of ICAST/IFTD photos captioned!  I still have more that I haven't posted yet, I'm going to try to highlight some of the booths that I really liked at the show.  Hopefully these pictures will tide you guys over for a while!

Enjoy, like, follow, subscribe, and comment!

  Thanks, Tight Lines!

     Nick

Evenin' Folks,

  I know I promised to caption these photos once I got home from the IFTD show. I'm still working on it, I promise. Things have been busy here since returning from Florida. So, as consolation, I offer up more original photos from the 2014 IFTD and iCAST show. Please enjoy!

  Tight Lines!

     Nick

Native Watercraft had a bunch of their kayaks on display.  They almost look like canoe/kayak hybrids!

Speaking of hybrids, these little hybrid kayak/drift boats from Nucanoe looked pretty sweet!

TFO had a booth jam-packed with rods.  I loved the look of all these different grips lined up in the rack.

Hobie Kayaks, the kayak you pedal! The new tandem model they introduced looks like it could be an awful lot of fun!

It was nice to see a booth from Georgia DNR at the show.  

This map shows all the fishing related companies that call Georgia home.  I was tempted to tack a Suburban Angler business card up near the Oyster Bamboo Rods sticker!

The size and shape of these Ion video cameras seems like they'd be more practical for all sorts of sportsmen to record their adventures.

I want the camo one!

They're about the same size and weight as a chunky little LED flashlight.  Definitely on my wish list!

WTP, Inc had some really cool looking self adhesive products for lure making, I think these eyes can cross over to fly tying pretty easily!

They had too many products to fit the whole booth in one shot!

All of the WTP products are made right here in the USA, too!

Redington had a huge booth with loads of awesome products on display.  I've got to try one of these Butter Sticks real soon!

This picture shows maybe a quarter of the rods Redington had on display.

Redington also had a nice display of their own reels.

A 6' 2" 2-weight Butter Stick, I had to get a close up!

A Canadian group called Mouche had a fishing cabin/lounge set up as their booth.  Check them out on Facebook, it's a really cool concept of passing on flies on the water that they were successful.

Nikko is a soft plastic bait company out of Japan.  While not necessarily for the fly angler, the minute detail of these plastics, I think, could be integrated into more realistic flies.

The front doors of the show, taken on the last day.  I had such an amazing time, I can't wait to go back next year!

Just a beautiful truck in the parking lot.  Oh yeah, it belongs to the Spanish Fly!

Frogtown Creek Trout Stream Pics

Evenin' Folks,
  I've been awfully busy with work and school lately, so not a whole lot of time for fishing or blogging.  I fished Frogtown Creek again for a few hours a week ago or so, and  caught one small rainbow out of a nice little pool.  I just thought I'd share a few pictures from the day with you, if you follow me on any social media you've probably seen them already. 
  Hope you're all doing well.
  Tight lines and happy fishing,
     Nick

Fly Fishing on Suwanee Creek

Evenin' folks,
 I did a little fishing in Suwanee Creek on Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous morning to be in the stream. It's really starting to feel like autumn here in north Georgia, my favorite time of the year. I didn't catch anything this time out, probably a result of higher than usual water due to recent rain, but it certainly does my disposition some good just getting into the woods. It is fascinating the amount of wildlife to be seen when you consider that this stretch of Suwanee Creek runs between a subdivision and an industrial park.
  I decided to try my hand at filming myself fishing, the quality is not the best from the iPhone, but I thought it turned out reasonably well. I'd like to share the result of the experiment with you here. I'll try to get some better footage next time.
  Until then, Tight Lines and Happy Fishing!
          Nick

Frogtown Creek: My First Trout on a Fly!

Mornin' Folks,
  Today I thought I'd share some pictures with you.  These are all cell phone pictures, so the quality isn't the greatest.  The weekend before last I spent a great evening visiting with my grandparents up in the North Georgia mountains.  I got up and left early Sunday morning to do some small, mountain stream fly fishing.  I had yet to catch a trout on the fly, so I was hoping that this would be the day.  I stopped first at Helton Creek Falls and fished the pool at the bottom of the lower falls.  After about 10 minutes I started seeing some fish moving in the pool and showing interest in my Prince Nymph.  Just when a trout looked like he was going to take my fly, I heard a loud thud behind me and the fish took off.  I turned around to see a rather clumsy looking "photographer" had come down the stairs behind me and was jumping from rock to rock taking pictures.  The brush was just too thick to head down stream, mostly because of the cut Chestnut trees, and the "photographer" didn't appear to be leaving anytime soon, so I decided to pack it in and try to find another stream. 
  I'm a little fuzzy on the stream access laws of Georgia and it seemed like every nice place I found to fish had a house sitting next to it.  So, I headed down to DeSoto Falls Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. 
  In the past, I've hiked the trail of DeSoto Falls, but set out too late to make it to the falls themselves, but I was surprised to see a 24-site campground with shower and restrooms in the recreation area.  I'm going to keep that in mind for a later camping trip. 
  The banks of Frogtown Creek were pretty overgrown.  Stream access wasn't bad, but I couldn't cast from the bank.  The only waders I have are neoprene chest waders, which are way too uncomfortable for a warm, late summer day so they were left at home.  Frogtown Creek is a freestone stream so I thought I'd just rock hop.  I was wearing waterproof boots, so figured I could walk through the shallows.  After I slipped off the first rock I decided the day was warm enough to just wet-wade! 
  I had a great time fishing this stream.  There seemed to be a fair amount of fish in the water.  I got a lot of splashy refusals and a couple missed bites.  I didn't see any fish rising, and no insect hatch that I could detect, so I tried to stick with the nymph style flies.  The fish seemed interested, but I just couldn't get a hard take.  After catching my last small nymph in the trees, I tied on the only small fly I had left.  I'm not exactly sure what the fly was, I think it came in an assortment pack that I got as a gift years ago, but I think it was a deer hair Caddis fly in about a size 18 or so.  I would've posted a picture of this fly, but I lost it not terribly long after tying it on.  Makes me wonder if I tried hooking trees if I'd catch more fish...
  I wish I had tied on the Caddis sooner!  On my second cast next to a boulder in the middle of the stream I got a big splashy strike, but I missed the hook set.  Most of the reading that I've done on trout fishing says that trout spook very easily and if you recast to the same fish you can scare it off.  I think I probably cast to this fish a half dozen times and he splashed at it every time.  He finally took the fly and I had my first trout on my fly rod!  This guy put up a way better fight than the little bluegills I've been catching in Lake Lanier.  I fought him for a few minutes, reveling in the bend of my 2 weight TFO rod.  Since the water really wasn't that cold, I didn't want to fight the fish too long and risk over stressing him.  So I brought him to hand, dropped him a couple times, but I got my picture.  I had finally caught my first trout on a fly, a very nice little rainbow, about 7 inches long and full of energy.
  Having caught my first trout, and promptly losing the fly I caught him on, I decided it was getting late and I had homework and things waiting for me at home.    I look forward to camping at DeSoto Falls, hiking to the falls and doing some more fishing in Frogtown Creek.  And I can't wait to catch another trout!!!

Helton Creek Falls in Union County.

All of the American Chestnut trees were cut down along the trail due Chestnut Blight.

This is why they were cut down, otherwise they would fall. This stump was easily 3 ft. across.

The lower falls of Helton Creek Falls.

Frogtown Creek just below DeSoto Falls at the DeSoto Falls Recreation Area.

My 6 ft. Temple Forks Outfitters 2 weight rod.  Perfect for the small Frogtown Creek.

Further downstream.  Trout don't live in unattractive places.

My first trout on a fly!  Not huge, but he sure was fun. Definitely hooked now, I can't wait to do some more coldwater fly fishing!