Some fly fishing questions.

cptenn94

New member
Hi, I recently bought a fly fishing and reel etc.

Its a 4 piece 9 ft, 5 rod loaded with backing, floating line etc, and it is all set to go.
I have already caught some panfish in my backyard(N Chickamauga creek) with a small jig(1/64 maybe), though it was not using a fly fishing technique to cast(I basically did it like you would with a cane pole or something.)(and this is not a hard thing to do)

There just is not a lot of space for me to practice techniques in my backyard. The most I have been able to do with the limited space is practice some roll casts.

I am interested in learning to catch all the species I can on the fly rod. I probably wont go after bass though with the fly rod. I certainly want to catch some trout.

Currently I want to focus on learning to use proper technique, and becoming relatively consistent before I begin to learn to tie my own flies.



Here are my questions that I can think of now.

1. Where are some good areas near the hixson area that I could go and practice my technique, and practice catching panfish.(preferably I would not have to wade in waist deep. I do not own waders yet, and I would prefer to get my technique down on panfish before I go to try to catch some trout.)


2. If you could only recommend me to own 10 flies, which patterns/sizes would you recommend?(for trout and panfish. If there are a couple more than 10 that is fine.)

3. Are there any decent trout fishing areas within about a hour drive or so from the chickamauga dam? Or at least under a 2 hour drive?

4. I know you need to match the hatch for the best results, but what are the ways you would determine what is currently hatching?

5. Is there anything you can think of that is important that I should know, or useful tips and tricks that I should know?



Any information or wisdom is much appreciated. I look forward to learning from you, and learning to fly fish.
 

kcsteve

Member
Check this out. http://www.orvis.com/p/20-most-popular-selection/76tk
You can't beat the Black Gnat for the Smoky Mountain streams.
Youtube is loaded with how to videos, might be worth looking into.
Check the TWRA site for trout release streams. North Chickamauga Creek is a TWRA stocked stream. You have a trout stream in your backyard and didn't know it. You can't beat that. Keep it simple. I watched a guy tie on a half dozen different flies, only to have a trout hit his discarded cigarette butt. I caught my best Brown Trout on a Chartreuse crappie jig. Everybody started out just like you so, just have fun.
 

higdon21xrd

New member
Since you are just getting started, I'd recommend getting together with either your local Trout Unlimited chapter or coming up to Reliance, TN and meeting with the Hiwassee Chapter of TU for our "fly fishing 101" classes they do. The class is free and there are some highly skilled guys that will come out and show you everything from casting to tying your own flies. They will also do a bug sample where they pull the different aquatic insects out of childers creek to help teach you how to "match the hatch". Since I started vet school, I am out of the loop on this. It is typically the second saturday of the month at Reliance Fly and Tackle. After lunch groups will head up the river to fish for a few hours. You can email Don Denney at dd37312@hotmail.com for more information on it. Good luck! It will turn into an addictive sport pretty quick.
 

cptenn94

New member
higdon21xrd - 9/16/2014 11:02 PM

Since you are just getting started, I'd recommend getting together with either your local Trout Unlimited chapter or coming up to Reliance, TN and meeting with the Hiwassee Chapter of TU for our "fly fishing 101" classes they do. The class is free and there are some highly skilled guys that will come out and show you everything from casting to tying your own flies. They will also do a bug sample where they pull the different aquatic insects out of childers creek to help teach you how to "match the hatch". Since I started vet school, I am out of the loop on this. It is typically the second saturday of the month at Reliance Fly and Tackle. After lunch groups will head up the river to fish for a few hours. You can email Don Denney at dd37312@hotmail.com for more information on it. Good luck! It will turn into an addictive sport pretty quick.

Thanks for the information and encouragement. I actually noticed that on Hiawasse.net

And I have been on the hiawassee quite a few times in the past. (though it was rafting down it in hand made rafts as part of the boy scout raft race)

If I have the time, I will be sure to check it out.


kcsteve - 9/16/2014 10:34 PM

Check this out. http://www.orvis.com/p/20-most-popular-selection/76tk
You can't beat the Black Gnat for the Smoky Mountain streams.
Youtube is loaded with how to videos, might be worth looking into.
Check the TWRA site for trout release streams. North Chickamauga Creek is a TWRA stocked stream. You have a trout stream in your backyard and didn't know it. You can't beat that. Keep it simple. I watched a guy tie on a half dozen different flies, only to have a trout hit his discarded cigarette butt. I caught my best Brown Trout on a Chartreuse crappie jig. Everybody started out just like you so, just have fun.

Thanks for the link!
I already have some black gnats, so thats good.
I have watched quite a few youtube how to videos already, and they seem to be quite helpful.
I actually have checked the TWRA site for trout release streams, and I was aware that the N Chick is a stocked stream. However I am unsure if I would have any luck finding any trout, as the water generally is probably to warm for the trout in the summer(though there may be some upstream, and near cave springs stream), and currently the water level near the stocking site is kinda low.
(it is also somewhat difficult to traverse the N chick due to the abundance of downed trees, and beaver dams)

I also know that in the winter the TWRA stocks lake junior with trout as well. So if I am still here at that time of year, then I will be sure to take advantage of that.

Keeping it simple sounds like good advice to follow.
And yep I will be sure to have fun!
 

takenoprisoners

New member
I have a friend who fishes olive woolie boogers almost all year and somehow catches on them. And everything else you have seen is very good advice. Not that I'm much of a fly fisherman, but it echoes the wisdom I've heard from those who are.
 

higdon21xrd

New member
My all time favorite fly is a size 12 black wooly bugger with a red bead head, red wire wrapped down the body and red crystal flash in the tail. I can catch fish on that all year long.
 

JCC

New member
For panfish and trout you cannot go wrong with a wooly bugger. They are also easy to tie and the first fly I tied when I started tying. I would also recommend a size 10 or 12 popper for panfish. There is nothing more addicting than catching bream on a popper. And you will also catch some bass on both of these flies.

As for casting, just practice practice practice. It took me a good year to finally get the right technique down. Feeling the rod load is the most important thing in fly casting. Also, keep practicing the roll casting. When fishing in tight streams where there isn't a lot of room for a backcast this technique comes in handy for sure.
 

Troutbum

New member
You cannot go wrong with woolly buggers. Carry a few in black or olive and a few white ones as well. Pheasant-tail nymphs in sizes 12 to 18 will be all you need for nymph fishing around here. For dry flies, Parachute Adams and Elk Hair Caddis will cover A LOT of hatches in this area. You'll add other flies as you gain experience, but this is a good starting place.

Highly recommend getting a casting lesson or two. It's money well spent and will greatly shorten your learning curve. A lot of emphasis is placed on matching the hatch and fly selection, but good casting is far more important. A good caster with a couple of pheasant-tails or a Parachute Adams will out-fish the poor caster with a box full of flies just about every time.

I second the bug-sampling in Reliance with the folks from TU. I attended those regularly for awhile and learned a lot about fly fishing from those guys. I can guarantee you that you'll have a great time. Best of luck!
 
Top