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Welcome to Fly Fishing West Georgia and Beyond. I hope there's plenty of info here to get you excited about some of the world's finest fly fishing. No, that's not hyperbole. West Georgia has some of best fishing anywhere - look around and see what I mean.
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Flog
July 5 - Joel D. and I fished the top end of the Flint his morning from the Freedom Hawk kayaks. We were on the river at first light and it was beautiful.
In addition to an assortment of shoal bass, spots, and redbreast, Joel wrestled this largemouth from some nasty snags.
June 26 & 27 - Fished two days with David P. from Augusta. David was new to the fly rod, but he's a vet now. We got largemouth, bluegill, and redbreast at Callaway on Saturday, then topped it off with shoal bass (including the fatty below) Sunday on the Flint.
June 20 - Flint has fished real good this week - the water is dropping and the low-water/hot weather pattern is setting in.
Today was Father's Day, but I slipped out before daylight to get a personal fish fix before doing the family thing in the afternoon. I spent most of my morning fishing a tight little side channel. Most of the fish weren't big...
...but they were banging it. In one slow, gentle run a 3-4 lb bass came out of the weeds to chase the smaller one I'd hooked all the way to my feet.
Maybe the best part of fishing the Flint these days is the possibility of cooling off anytime it gets too hot...
June 17 - Fished Callaway today with Steve S - it was his first time with a fly rod and he picked it up real quick.
Just to get some exposure to fishing moving water, we slipped down to the outflow of Mountain Creek below the lake. The water was way down and low, but we had some fun there, spanking the redbreast and small bass on topwaters..
June 13 - Spent the morn at Callaway fishing with Bill B., his dad, and a couple of friends. Here's a big redbreast that was willing to eat for Jess...
June 11 - Fished the Flint with the Challis boys today. Water was up again, but it was their only possible day. The spider lilies were still blooming, we managed to catch some fish, and had a fine day on the river.
June 7 - Fished with Bryan and his son, Hunter today. Water was up with fairly heavy stain. Fishing was tough, though the boys caught a few. Later in the day, we moved over and fished a couple of small side channels. It was pretty close quarters, but Bryan and Hunter are accustomed to small water, regularly frequenting the brook trout streams in the "Park". They switched off, fishing one at a time. It was a blast!
Bryan had the fish of the day, not because of its size but rather the take. The fished swirled on Hunter's fly on his first drift through. He quickly tossed in back in and the shoalie came up and sipped the Stealth Bomber like a trout.
May 30 - Called off a trip today because of hard rain last nite and forecast of heavy thunderstorms. Of course the day turned out perfect. Only one thing to do now - go fish! Water was up but the shoalies ate...
May 29 - The Flint has been in great shape this month, even with a couple of hard rains that blew it out for a few days. Ken and Gail fished with me today. The water was up a bit with some color, but we found plenty willing to eat. This one of Gail's came up and smacked a Tokyo Spider, after missing it the first time through...
May 2 - Everyone who heard we fished today questioned our sanity. True, the wind was blowing 15-20 mph, and gusting to 30+. But Richard and Stephanie were here from Virginia for one day, so we toughed it out. Stephanie had said the wind gave her trouble, but you never have known it. She was sending tight, tight loops right into the wind - and the shoal bass gave her the ultimate approval. Here's one of the several that said yes...
May 1 - Fished at Callaway Tuesday through Saturday this week, capping the week with the crowd from NGTO yesterday and today. These boys are always a hoot, and certainly proved no exception this time. Lots of bass and bream (many on top), and plenty of fun. Here's one of Grizz's big bream, amid the flaming azaleas.
April 21-23 - Fished with Steve H from Cincinnati for 3 days. We missed the stripers on the Hooch, but got almost everything else at the Flint (shoal bass, redbreast, bluegill, and shellcracker) and at Callaway (largemouth, bluegill, shellcracker, yellow shiner, and warmouth). Here's one of the Callaway shellcrackers that made a fool of itself over the Stealth Bomber...
April 20 - Fished the Flint today with Zach F - we used the Freedom Hawk kayaks. Here's Zach shooting a rapid, and then doing what the Freedom Hawk lets you do best - "Stand Up & Fish!
The shoal bass are definitely on, and the water is in great shape.
April 15 - Fished the Hooch above West Point today with Tom T. and Sam C. Going was tough, with the fish few and far between. We took time out in the afternoon to stretch our lines on some gar, and then went back after the striped fish. The patience and perseverance of the anglers paid off as we finally found a few more fish in a couple of unlikely spots.
April 13 - Fished the Columbus Hooch with Sam Adams - stripers didn't cooperate, but the skipjack were rampant. They're small but a real hoot on 2 wt to 4 wt rods - fishing droppers you'll often get double hookups.
The colors in these fish are unbelievable. And they're members of the same family as ladyfish and tarpon, so they fight and jump the same way.
April 7 - Fished the Hooch at Franklin with Paul. Fish were turned on and stacked pretty good. Paul busted a giant striper (we think) that turned immediately downstream in a rip of current - anchored amidst a long stretch of shallow shoals, there was nothing to do but clamp down on the line and try to turn the fish. Didn't work...but he managed some nice hybrid, a white bass, a spotted bass, and a couple of cute-as-a-button baby stripers.
March 7 - In Charleston for a TFO dealer day, I managed to fish on Sunday with my old pal, Carter Nelson. If the name is familiar, Carter ran the fly-fishing program at Callaway for many years, and is the creator of the Rubber-Legged Dragon.
Anyhow, we slipped out Sunday morn real early and found some scattered red schools. They were a little sluggish and weren't eating aggressively, but we managed to feed a half-dozen or so. A black clouser was the choice for these spot-tails.
January & February, 2010 - Again, most of my time has been on the road but with the weather and rain, it was almost just as well. Striper conditions on the river have not been good with high water and lots of mud, but we did find a few fishable days and reasonable numbers of fish.
Archived Reports
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NEW - The Stealth Bomber page has been revised.
Foam Cutters for the Stealth Bomber
Custom cutters for the foam used in tying the Stealth Bomber are now available from River Road Creations. The cutters make it very quick and easy (not to mention way neater) to cut the foam. They are available in single sizes or in a set of 3 with a wood caddy for flies from size #10 to #3/0 .
The May/June 2010 edition of American Angler magazine features an article on the shoal bass - great stuff from Zach Matthews. Included in the article (pg. 36) are tying directions for my latest version of the Stealth Bomber. Included is the new template for cutting the foam for this fly.
The Flint River in Eastern Fly Fishing Check the September/October issue of Eastern Fly Fishing magazine. I'd fished with Bill Chiles, their SE editor, back in 2007 and was wondering if the article was ever going to show. It did, and was worth the wait. Thanks, Bill..
In addition to TFO fly rods, Rainy Flies, Teeny flylines, Islander fly reels and some other great lines, I now represent Freedom Hawk kayaks in the SE territories. Without a doubt, it's the best fishing personal watercraft I have ever used - designed from the water up for the fly angler. Here's Paul giving the new Freedom 120 a workout....
Fly Fishing West Georgia on Podcast at the Itinerant Angler
The Stealth Bomber is my favorite topwater bug for bass. This video talks about its design, and then the last 1:50 shows it in action. You can also see the Stealth tying instructions and the feedback from some other users.
The Stealth Bomber is now available through Rainy Flies. Ask for them at your local fly shop.
"The Most Un-Appreciated Fly Cast"
43-pound Chattahoochee striper
Want to catch more fish? Improve your casting with lessons from an FFF-certified casting instructor.
Support the new
Above, canoeists and kayakers negotiate the shoals of the Flint River above Sprewell Bluff during Paddle Georgia 2008. I was on the river with a couple of anglers that day as the first paddler came through. He slowed and we talked a couple of minutes. He'd never been on the Flint before but said it was "the most beautiful river I've ever seen."
Benjamin Edmonds - future fly rodder, for sure!
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Inquiries to kje@mindspring.com
