Good evening folks!
I once again hauled the camper up to Blue Ridge, Georgia to attend one of my favorite shows of the year, the Blue Ridge Trout and Outdoor Adventures Festival! Driving up from the World's Most Famous Beach is pretty much an all day drive, so having the camper, and a nice place to put it always makes it easier. My camping preference usually leans more toward state parks, and north Georgia has some that are absolutely fantastic. But if Blue Ridge is your destination, it's really hard to beat the Blue Ridge/Toccoa River KOA. Located immediately on the banks of the Toccoa River, the Blue Ridge/Toccoa River KOA is the perfect base for visiting Trout Fest. Very well maintained, lots of pull through and back in sites, a great little camp store, really good wifi access, and possibly the most attractive thing, trout fishing just steps from any campsite!
The Festival itself takes place in the area of downtown Blue Ridge between East and West Main Street in the Downtown Park area near the station and platform for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. They have tents set up to host lectures and demonstrations, a children's fishing pond, live music, a food midway (with ongoing BBQ contest!), and loads of vendors to visit! For me, it's a chance to catch up with friends, and learn what they've been up to, so I tend to gravitate to the fly shop and fishing guides' booths. But, there are also cooking demonstrations from local chefs, arts and crafts that tend to focus on cabin decor and outdoor gear, rodbuilders, canoe and paddle makers, and a very popular beer tent and cigar vendor!
I love attending this festival and look forward to attending for years to come. It gives me a chance to visit one of my favorite areas of the country, an opportunity to fish for some of the species I cut my fly-fishing teeth on, a chance to see dear friends and enjoy the relaxed ambiance that Blue Ridge provides so well. I encourage you to go, if you get the opportunity, I'd love to meet you there! But, if you can't make it, enjoy the photos below and check out my social media channels for the live posts next year!
I hope you're all doing well!
Tight lines and safe travels!
-Nick
Today is the day! I've made it back to Blue Ridge for one of my favorite events, the Blue Ridge Trout & Outdoor Adventures Festival! I'll be here all day and bringing you along with me! Any questions, suggestions or requests, just drop them in the comments and I'll do my best to address them. Let's have a great day in Blue Ridge!
In preparation for the day's festivities, I fueled up at das Kaffee Haus on Main St. with a delicious cortado and an almond croissant. On to the show!
Watch out for that gator! The Let's Go Fishing kid's fishing pond is drawing a great crowd right after the Festival opened! I've been told there's some pretty rare trout in the pond, so definitely worth the visit!
Upriver Boatworks are up from Dawsonville and have a couple of 2023 models with clearance prices here at the Festival! Or, you can set up an order for one of their fully custom, small-batch, framed inflatable boats!
The Bowman Outdoors and Bowman Flyfishing are serving up merch, guided fishing trips, and French pastries! Bowman Outdoors in Dahlonega is one of the area's newest fly shops, opened recently by one of the region's most experienced guides. Wish I had time to check out the shop, but be sure to stop by if you're in the area!
If you're in the market for some XtraTuf footwear, Ballard's of Blue Ridge has you covered!
Beautiful Stealthcraft drift boat! Gotta love the graphics!
Troncalli Subaru has several cars on display, but this roof top tent trailer setup is catching a lot of eyes!
It's hard to miss the captivating tent of the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing School! They stayed busy throughout the festival talking classes, guide trips, tips and tricks for fishing the entire Blue Ridge area. If you're just taking up the flyrod or looking to polish your skills, give the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing School a look!
Stopped by the Legacy Fly Fishing booth to check out these stunning, solid hardwood fly rod tubes! Fully sealed and protected, these rod tubes are intended to be used to protect your flyrods, not to be used simply as display pieces! I wouldn't blame you for letting them pull double duty, though, they are gorgeous!
Blue Ridge Tree Trunk Trout!
The Benton MacKaye Trail Association has a saw buck setup giving folks a chance to try their hand with a two-man crosscut saw! They're staying busy, and its so cool to see so many folks, kids and adults, excited to try it out and release their inner sawyer!
Blue Ridge Flies has a pretty cool concept going where they are selling fully loaded boxes of custom tied flies curated for specific situations. From stocked trout to the most remote blue line natives, they've got a box to suit!
Another beautiful boat on display! This one is a hand made, plywood drift boat based on a Montana style design.
The Smokey Bear Cigars tent always proves popular at this Festival! They've got a great selection of some fantastic cigars and a pretty decent array of accessories. If they don't have what you need in the tent, I'm sure their shop up the street can accomodate! Think I'll be grabbing a stick or two to enjoy campfireside tonight!
When no one was looking, I snuck around behind the Bowman Outdoors booth to get a better shot of this sweet old survivor of a Bronco!
I snagged a sample from the Georgia Grown booth of Bramlett Trout Farm grilled trout prepared by the chef from Community Brew & Tap in Cornelia. Absolutely fantastic!!
The folks from Toccoa Riverside Restaurant were here with coolers full of their house smoked trout samples! So, so good! Next trip to Blue Ridge I know where I'm going for dinner!
TOPPER is up on the Trout Fest Sound Stage right now rocking out with the Voices of Rock & Soul!
Finally had the opportunity to meet the great folks of the Caddis Shack! From their literature: "The Caddis Shack is a hidden gem nestled along the picturesque Toccoa River near the towns of McCaysville and Blue Ridge, GA." Imagine stepping off the porch of your rented cabin and taking a few steps into a very wadable section of the Toccoa River! Or, if guided float trips or flyfishing lessons are more what your after, they've got a full compliment of packages and guide partners to make your stay the best it can possibly be!
In the rv communities you'll often hear the line " Home is where you park it". Well, if that's the case, whenever I come to Blue Ridge home for me tends to be at the Blue Ridge/ Toccoa River KOA! Clean, friendly, lots of ammenities, level sites and, most notably, walk-in fishing access to the Toccoa River along one entire side of the campground! I've enjoyed it every time I've stayed with them, including this trip!
I got so caught up with visiting Mr. and Mrs. Alpharetta Outfitters that I neglected to post the booth picture! Always great to catch up with Jeff and Avery and if you're looking for a local fly shop in the Alpharetta area I can't recommend them enough! Tons of local knowledge, all the gear and supplies you could need, guides, instruction, events, you name it!
