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The Evening Rise
The Fishing Journal and Photos
of Reel Angling Adventures
Fly-Fishing ... Bass Fishing ... And More!
Georgia -- North Carolina -- Tennessee |
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Trout Unlimited
Chapter #696
Blue Ridge, Georgia
An Equal Opportunity
Service Provider
Permitted and
Supported by
USDA Forest Service
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TBI LLC 2004-12 |
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On Point: Dry Flies Take Summer Stage on Hiwassee/Toccoa Rivers
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Insect hatches
of summertime that matter to the trout fishermen on the
Hiwassee River (at Reliance, TN) and the
Toccoa River (at Blue Ridge/McCayesville, GA) grow few and
far between from July through September. Still, it’s dry-fly
fishing that the guide team of Reel Angling Adventures is likely
to share with their long-rodding clients under the summer sun.
 On
the Hiwassee River, the venerable Isonychia mayfly is again
riding the summertime seams, chutes and lanes of the scenic
river’s classy shoal waters. From Fox’s Run to the Stair Step,
the pterodactyl of the local mayfly population regularly rides
high through July on cloudy afternoons, leading to splashy
strikes mostly at the jaws of the abundant rainbow trout of the
Hiwassee. But drift your big-bug fake over the woody river banks
and hang on! The next strike you get can be from one of the
strong brown trout that have held over well from the 2010
fishing season.
However, the Isonychia (otherwise known as the Mahogany
Dun or the Slate Drake) is largely a loner in the predictability
category of
summertime bug hatches. The bugs of summer on the Toccoa and
Hiwassee rivers are a scattered mix of the usual suspects --
Olive Caddis, Blue-Winged Olive, Light Cahill and Golden Stone.
And our guides expect them to be historically elusive in their
likely summertime appearances. Try any of these on any given day
-- leading your dry-dropper-dry set-up with the larger of the
species. My favorite rig leads with the Dun in size 12 and is
followed
by the
BWO in size 18.
Terrestrials also play a role with summer
trout -- especially on windy days, and especially on
the Toccoa, where bordering woodlands are
broken by both hay fields and manicured landscapes. At water’s edge,
large patterns that resemble grass-
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hoppers, crickets, beetles, bees and cicadas can fool the Toccoa’s
(as well as the Hiwassee’s) rainbows and browns, especially, where a
trough runs dark green. And you can take advantage of the buoyancy of
the oversized dries -- try Dave’s Foam Hopper, Madame X , Yellow
Stimulator or Chernobyl Ant -- by dropping a Golden Stonefly (size 8 or
10) under it. Woody debris, aquatic grasses and large rocks at riverside
are perfect avenues for a stonefly’s escape from its watery environs.
 In summertime, the guide team of Reel
Angling Adventures
floats daily on the Hiwassee River ; and both
float trips and
wading trips are executed every day of the week on the Toccoa River,
depending upon variable water flows. High-water periods on the Hiwassee
River are assured daily, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, starting
at 10 am and ending around 7 pm. Toccoa River water levels are
controlled by the Tennessee
Valley Authority on a daily basis to control the upstream lake
level, meet power demands and respond to downstream water needs. For
more information and booking availability for float and wade trips on
the Hiwassee and Toccoa rivers, call
Reel Angling Adventures -- toll free: 866-899-5259.
Hiwassee River Tailwater Flows
(From Appalachia Powerhouse to
site,
times are approximate and subject to
change by the TVA) |
|
Site
|
Flow
Time |
|
Boat Ramp
............................................. 15 minutes |
| Fox's Run
.............................................. 45
minutes |
|
Towee
Creek........................................... 60
minutes |
| Cane Island
................................... 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Big Bend
....................................... 1 hour 45
minutes |
| Stair Steps
................................. 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Little Rock
Island .......................... 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Big Island
-- Rock Garden ................ 3 hours 30 minutes |
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Hiwassee River Update -- Summer 2012
By Bob Borgwat
Keeping with
summertime tradition, the Tennessee Valley Authority on May
26 resumed its annual high-water flows on the Hiwassee River at
Appalachia Powerhouse. Located 7 miles upstream from the
Reliance, TN, boat ramp, the powerhouse runs on a daily basis.
The first generator spins at 10 am, running the river level up
several inches through the Stair Step shoal 5 miles downstream.
The second generator turns at 11 am daily and completes the
daily rise of the river to a mark about 24 inches above minimum
flows that otherwise expose the river’s bottom. The TVA guarantees both
generators will spin until 7 pm.,
Marked by sculpted granite formed in ledges, potholes,
pools, chutes, lanes, ledges and rubble, most of the river
bottom during high-water flows is obscured from the riverside.
It’s also a dangerous place to wade. However, trout anglers who
fish the Hiwassee from drift boats work the river’s
character-filled bottom and patchy grass for it’s rainbow and
brown trout. Stocked every other week, hatchery trout provide
the bulk of the summertime fishing action from the powerhouse
through "the Stair Steps." Reel Angling Adventures works the river
with both fly-fishing and spinning tackle, depending on the
skill set and desire of its clients.
Stripers on the Run!
No
matter the method of fishing, a typical day’s catch of
rainbow and brown trout can number upward of 30 or more fish.
Yet, it’s the pull of a 20- to 40-pound striped bass that can
leave even the most successful Hiwassee River trout angler
forgetting the fun and fast action enjoyed on the upper portion
of a full-day’s float. From the Stair Step to the Reliance
railroad trestle, the high-water flows expose the Hiwassee’s
striped bass river lairs to float-fishing anglers. The annual
migration of the stripers into the trout water from the massive
lower Tennessee River system historically runs from mid-May
through September.
Indeed, the stripers can be elusive on any
given day. But a single hook-up with a striped bass in the late
afternoon, as the shadows of the surrounding ridges draw long
onto the water, is rarely forgotten. In 2010 a 46-pound striper
was landed on the boat of RAA guide Bill Stranahan. In 2011, RAA
outfitter/guide Bob Borgwat led one of his clients to a 38-pound
fish that marked the team's big fish of last season. Will you
catch this season’s biggest striper?
Reel Angling Adventures is operating daily half- and
full-day float trips on the Hiwassee River through September 2,
based on availability. Book your outing for trout and/or striped
bass now! For more information, call Reel Angling Adventures,
toll free: 866-899-5259. |
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Fly-fishing is hot this summer season for
numbers of trout, and anglers are reporting catches of some of
the biggest trout in years! Don't miss it!
Click hereClick here
to book your trip now, or call toll free: 866-899-5259! |
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Catch a Striped Bass on a Trout Stream? Plan Your
Trip Now!
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By
Bill Stranahan
Known for
its
superb trout fishing, the Hiwassee River at Reliance in southeast
Tennessee, offers up an unusually exciting opportunity in summertime for
taking striped bass – BIG STRIPED BASS – and it’s a blast for anglers of
all skill levels.
In
summertime, big striped move into the trout waters of the Hiwassee River. And we’ve got the catches to prove it!
(See the photos at right).
Chasing striped bass
on the Hiwassee River is not your usual fishing trip, especially since
catching these stripers is done on a river that’s regionally known as
one of the finest trout streams in the southeastern US!
Locating the
bruiser “linesides” on the Hiwassee River is more like hunting and
stalking for a trophy buck. Like a big whitetail, the Hiwassee's trophy
stripers are limited in number, including only those fish that migrate during the summer months
up the riverway from Lake Chickamauga on the Tennessee River.
The stripers that
find their way into the cold trout waters of the Hiwassee do so because,
starting in late June, the water temperature in the riverway around
Reliance rises into the low to mid-60s. Stripers tolerate those
temperatures just fine, especially when they can dine on the Hiwassee’s
tasty rainbow trout!
Last year, the guide
team of Reel Angling Adventures took several stripers that averaged
about 15 pounds in size. Guide Bill Stranahan |
leads the
team in both numbers of fish and size, tackling individual stripers in the 30-pound range in 2007, and, once again in 2008, landing
stripers in late June that unofficially top 30 pounds!
Striper
fishermen who share a
drift boat with the guides of Reel Angling
Adventures on the Hiwassee River have taken the stripers on both fly
rods and spinning tackle. But no matter the method, hooking up on a
Hiwassee River striper is not for the faint of heart. Your guide is
looking for that one special fish – the one that makes you smile every
time you think about the hunt, the chase, the fight and the landing of
your Hiwassee River striper!
Your catch
won’t
always come easy. Hiwassee River striped bass are finicky fish and can
swim across long distances from day to day. Some days we’ve got ‘em in
our sights. Other days, the stripers prove elusive to even our best
fishing secrets. If you are looking to come out and catch numbers of
stripers, this is not the trip for you. But if you would like to get
that chance for hanging into a trophy-class striped bass, there’s no
more exciting place to take that dream fish than on a trout stream!
Reel Angling
Adventures is
booking drift-boat trips daily on the Hiwassee River at
Reliance, Tennessee, for summertime stripers – and year-round trout, too!
Trips start at 10 am and are available in both
half-day and full- day excursions. For more information, call Reel Angling Adventures
(toll free) at 866-899-5259.
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 Hang
onto that rod!
Known for its super trout fishing, the
Hiwassee River at Reliance, Tennessee, produced this 30-pound striped
bass for angler Dave Fletcher on a late June drift-boat trip.Known for its super trout fishing, the
Hiwassee River at Reliance, Tennessee, produced this 30-pound striped
bass for angler Dave Fletcher on a late June drift-boat trip.
Once the cold
riverway temperature warms into the 60s in summertime, Hiwassee River stripers move
into the trout waters to feed on the rainbows that make up the bulk of
the local fishing action.Once the cold
riverway temperature warms into the 60s in summertime, Hiwassee River stripers move
into the trout waters to feed on the rainbows that make up the bulk of
the local fishing action.
Click here
to request a Gift Certificatee
Photos by Bill Stranahan
/ ©TBI 2007Photos by Bill Stranahan
/ ©TBI 2007 |
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Reel Angling Adventures
operates guided float trips and wading trips for striped bass on
the Hiwassee River at Reliance, TN, seven days a week for fly-fishermen and
spin-fishermen. In season on the Hiwassee, we take our shots at
smallmouth bass, too! Bring your favorite tackle, or let our guides
share their selection of quality rods and reels -- fly fishing
or spin-fishing -- with you.
Click here
to learn more!
Or call toll free:
866-899-5259 |
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 For trip reservations
and information, contact ...
Reel Angling Adventures
PO Box 12
Suches, GA 30572
Toll-Free Phone:
866-899-5259
Email ...
BBorgwat@ReelAnglingAdventures.com
Reel Angling
Adventures
is a division of Toccoa Bend Images LLC
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