Coosawattee River headwater, the Ellijay River

The Ellijay River joins the Cartecay River in Ellijay and the combined flow forms the Coosawattee River. The Coosawattee is a great river with a history paralleled in a novel and movie, and it is the river that combines with the Conasauga River to form the Oostanaula River. Today I will focus on the Ellijay.

The Ellijay River watershed lies mostly on the west side of Ga. 515 north of Ellijay as you travel north toward the Fannin County line. There are four major tributaries of the Ellijay River that pass under 515 between Ellijay and Blue Ridge. The southernmost are Big Turniptown and Little Turniptown creeks, which both originate in the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area flowing west and have wild populations of trout in the headwaters. President Jimmy Carter often fished Big Turniptown.

The next trout stream is Rock Creek and it joins Cherrylog Creek just before reaching the Ellijay River. Cherrylog itself crosses 515 a little farther north, near Sisson Log Homes. It is impounded by Goose Island Lake and then meanders south before being joined by Rock Creek. Two miles or so farther downstream, Cherrylog Creek merges with another large tributary, Boardtown Creek, to form the Ellijay River.

Boardtown Creek begins as a very small creek just over the Fannin County line, flowing south as it parallels Boardtown Road. Small creeks flow off the mountains to the west and join Boardtown before it begins to parallel Whitepath Road. Several more creeks join from the west before Boardtown is impounded by a flood control lake, which warms the water some before it flows farther southward to join Cherrylog Creek.

The Ellijay River is a small river that is not much larger than what is normally called a creek. All of the Ellijay River is located on private property and the river flows through heavily wooded areas as well as farmland and fields. The wooded areas often have large sections dotted with homes and cabins. The river is mostly shallow with small riffles and runs and no whitewater.

The last 10 miles or so of the river is almost all flat water with a few very small rapids.

Many years ago, Bobby Bell and I canoed the last 5 or so miles of the Ellijay. The river was narrow, less than 40 feet across in many places. I remember catching a few rainbows and some redeye bass on that float trip. We both were disappointed that we did not see any brown trout. One thing that I was not expecting was a Native American fish weir that is one of only two that I know of on the Ellijay River.

After entering the city limits of Ellijay, the riverbanks become almost vertical and the water speed increases slightly. A third of a mile from the River Street Bridge, the Ellijay and Cartecay rivers merge and the Coosawattee River is born.

Next week I will take you down the Coosawattee River from the confluence of the Cartecay and the Ellijay rivers all the way to Carters Dam. The trip by canoe is full of many rapids, small drops and series of cascades. The water is beautiful but the once pristine riverbanks now have so many homes dotting the shoreline that it almost depresses me.

USFS KIDS FISHING RODEO

Several members of the Coosa Valley Chapter of TU cooked hot dogs for the kids and their parents who made their way to the remote Rock Creek located on the southwest side of Fort Mountain in Murray County. Around 100 hungry kids caught a bunch of fish, with several of the skilled young anglers catching their limit.