On day two of our trip we set out to fish an old favorite blueline. It is one of those rare creeks that has all three wild trout species in North Georgia, so catching a slam was a possibility. We’d have to cover a good bit of water though to do it and to do that you’ve got to hike a good bit on the trail.
Much like the creek at the cabin, the water here was low and clear as well. The action wasn’t as hot and heavy as at the previous small stream, but I found it fished pretty well with an oversized stimulator. These wild trout are very opportunistic and won’t pass up a big meal.
Tree cover on these small streams has never been a problem in the past, but it won’t be long before it will start to be. Damage from the hemlock woolly adelgid was very telling, I saw a lot more sun shining on the water than I use to, those big hemlocks won’t last long without some help.
As we moved up the creek we started gaining elevation, the water plunged over a series of falls and we quickly transitioned from rainbow trout water to brook trout territory. I caught a brookie that had been washed down below the barrier, soon after that they were the dominant species.
The big pools that normally produce multiple(or bigger) fish were mostly a bust, but I did find one pool that yielded three brookies for me and the biggest on the day. These little natives are a fun fight on lightweight glass rods.
We hiked out from there and headed on into town to quench our thirst and meet my parents. No brown trout were caught on the day, so the slam was a bust. In fact I don’t think a brown trout was caught at the cabin either, which is pretty rare these days.
Blue Ridge is turning into quite a happening little place with three breweries now and multiple fly shops. It’s a great town to head to if you want chase trout and drink beer in North Georgia.
Mountains to Marsh 