Fishing the Cohutta Wilderness
My column usually covers fishing so I must talk more about fishing the Cohuttas before I leave them behind.
The Cohutta Wilderness is truly wild and so are the fish that live there. Rainbow and brown trout are the dominant species of game fish found in the upper areas. Redeye bass are mixed in with them in the middle stretches and become more dominant as the Conasauga and Jacks rivers flow toward Tennessee.
All trout and general fishing regulations apply to the wilderness area. In the wilderness area, the Conasauga River is restricted to artificial lures only from Nov. 1 through the last Saturday in March.
The uppermost headwaters are usually home to the brown trout and rainbow trout. Many of the feeder creeks may seem too small to have good sized fish, but as the creeks gain elevation and steepness, there are often large pools that are formed on flat areas that can hold a big trout. These large trout may have never moved far from these larger pools. As long as enough food is in the stream and there is enough water, there is no reason to leave.
Forest service folks have told me about fish 18 to 22 inches in some of these hidden pools found on creeks that, in places, a person can step across. There are a few of these streams that have some brook trout.
A friend accompanied me to the Conasauga and said, “There aren’t any trout here; I would have seen them.” Wild fish in gin-clear water are extremely wary. For the human, looking into a pool is not like looking through the air. Trout eyes evolved to see both in the water and to see above the water. Many of the predators of trout live outside the stream and trout are always on the lookout for danger. A shadow, sudden movement or a splash sends the trout to their safety zone.
A log, rock ledge or a branch overhanging the creek will hide the fish from our eyes even though the fish might still be able to see the angler. As long as the trout senses danger, the fish will stay hidden and not eat.
Although I love the fly rod I have found that extremely long casts with a spinning rod allow me to catch the fish before they know I am there. There are some areas where long fly rod casts can be made but there seems to always be a branch that will steal my fly. The smaller, remote streams let the fly angler “dabble” the fly into a hole while being hidden by vegetation. Sometimes a roll cast is adequate, but I have found that drifting a fly downstream into a pool works very well.
What flies are best to use in the wilderness? My experience has taught me that wild trout are always hungry and if it looks like food, they will bite it. Try something easy for you to see and the fish will notice it also.
Royal Wulff, White Wulff and Parachute Adams are easy to see and mimic mayflies. An insect that I have seen in greatest numbers in the wilderness is the caddis. There are places on the streams where it is impossible to not step on the “cased caddis” larva that can cover the bottom. A large cased caddis fly would be appropriate. Last but not least, my old favorite has to be the hellgrammite fly. Throw as large a bug as your rod and line can handle.
I always practice catch and release in the wilderness and suggest that others do the same. If you want to eat the trout,
make sure that you are catching a lot and turning most of them back. Unless you are starving, never eat the only one you catch.
Like all the mountain streams of Georgia, the Jacks and Conasauga rivers begin to be too warm for trout as they lose elevation. Redeye bass begin to replace the trout when the rivers leave the Cohutta Wilderness. The Jacks loses its name when it joins the Conasauga River near the Tennessee state line. The Conasauga meanders into Tennessee a few times before heading south toward Calhoun.
YOUNG OF THE YEAR
Every year the Georgia Council of TU chooses a young person who has shown commitment to bettering our streams and the creatures that live there. This award is given out at the Rabun Rendezvous. Due to COVID-19 two years were missed, so at the Rendezvous this year three awards were given out.
The 2021-2023 annual winners are Nathan Phillips of North Paulding County High School, Avril Adams of Georgia Tech and Guy Eroh from the University of Georgia. Their records of youthful accomplishments show that GATU’s next generation of conservation leadership will be in excellent hands. I will highlight these young folks in future articles.
TU MEETING
The next meeting of the Coosa Valley Chapter will be Thursday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Rome Floyd ECO Center in Ridge Ferry Park. The public is invited.