Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Brown Trout (some reproduction and
holdovers)
Rainbow Trout (Stocked with some
holdovers)
Hybrid Striped Bass
Size
Large
Location
North Central Georgia
Nearest Towns
Atlanta
Season
Year-round
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of Georgia
Water Releases:
Phone number (770-945-1466)
Seasons:
The season is year-round.
Spring:
Spring is certainly a good time to fish the river because of its hatches.
Summer:
Summer time is also a good time to fish the river because the water stays cool from the discharges all summer long.
Fall:
Fall season is a great time to catch the large brown trout and is overlooked by many anglers.
Winter:
Trout can be taken on all but the coldest days of winter on imitations of midge larvae, pupae and sometimes, the adults.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Chattahoochee River – Fly Fishing Report (Tailwater) 03/03/24
The discharges and stream levels are at a normal level and the water is clear. There are good red, or blood midge, and Winter stonefly hatches taking place.
Stream Conditions: Afternoon Water Temperature: 46 (lower section)
Clarity: clear
Release Schedule: Call 770-945-1466 to check the schedule
of releases
Rate: 3940 cfs
Level: 5.21 ft
USGS Stream Flow Data at Atlanta
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the link below for more detailed weather information)
Recommended Trout Flies:
Midges: Cream and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, nymphs, emergers, duns, spinners
Blue Quills: 18 nymphs, emergers, duns, spinners
Little Black Caddis: 18, pupa, adults
Little Brown Stoneflies: 12, nymphs, adults
Strategies, Techniques and Tips:
Always check the schedule of releases. Blue- winged olive nymphs have been the number one producer. The stream is full of various species of small BWOs nymphs and the trout are always focusing on them. Midges are always hatching and eaten by trout year-round. Aquatic worms are working. The Olive and Black Sculpin Streamers are great flies to use for the larger trout. The Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin are great flies to use anytime. Scuds are available for the trout to eat all year. We recommend fishing a tandem Midge rig under a small strike indicator with the midge lava as the bottom fly and the midge pupa as the top fly. Fish the adult midge only when you observe trout feeding on the surface. Scuds will catch trout year-round. Great Autumn brown sedge caddis are hatching.
Description of the Stream: The Chattahoochee River, or Hooch as the locals call it, is the tailwater below Buford Dam north of Atlanta, Georgia. It is sometimes called the lower Chattahoochee River. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers dam backs up Lake Lanier. There are forty-eight miles of this river that is managed as a year-round trout fishery. It runs directly through the city of Atlanta. The entire forty-eight mile stretch of the river from Buford Dam to the Peachtree Creek is managed by the National Park Service. The water temperature averages about 52 degrees near the dam in the summertime. Over a million brown and rainbow trout are stocked each year by the Georgia DRN. The uppermost fifteen miles are restricted to artificial lures and flies only. There is a very limited amount of spawning of the brown trout in the river but it does have some hold over trout. The rainbow trout probably average from nine to fourteen inches. The brown trout average about the same or from about ten to fourteen inches. Large brown trout are rare but some do exist in the river. There is a Delayed Harvest section below Sope Creek on the lower part of the river. It provides a fishery during the winter in water that will not support trout in the hot summer months. The Delayed Harvest season runs from
November 1 until May 15. The Chattahoochee River Tailwater is the fastest way to get through Atlanta traffic at times (just kidding). It is rather weird to be fly fishing for trout in the middle of a large city, especially a large city in the South but that is exactly the setting for fly fishing the Chatahoochee River Tailwater. The first and foremost important thing is to get the discharge schedule of Buford Dam.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Chattahoochee River Tailwater
The very first thing you should do prior to fishing this river is to call and get the scheduled water releases. The first section of water would be considered the dam downstream to Abbots Bridge, a distance of about thirteen miles. This section of the upper Chattahoochee is sometimes difficult to fish because it is narrow and relatively deep with strong current anytime water is being release. It is thought that the strong current lowers the available aquatic insect population in this area but it still produces a good number of trout. The section of the river extending from Hwy 20 to Abbott’s Bridge is for artificial bait only. This limits the bank bait fisherman. This section can be fished from the bank by fly anglers but it is far best fished from a boat. Wading can be very dangerous in this area and you should check the schedule for sure and keep a close look at the water levels.The river changes a little and widens out some from Abbots Bridge downstream for about four miles to the Medlock Bridge. This has the effect of reducing the amount of current. There are more aquatic insects in this section than there are upstream. Natural bait is prohibited in this section also. From the Medlock Bridge to Jones Bridge, a distance of about three miles, natural bait is permitted and competition from the corn anglers comes into play again. The Chattahoochee River shoals begin to show up in the river and when the water is off, they are completely out of the water. This provides good structure and holding areas for trout but also good access for bank anglers. The farther you go, the more shoals you will find. From Jones Bridge downstream to Azalea Drive, a distance of about eleven miles, you’ll find an excellent section of the Chattahoochee River tailwater. Unfortunately, bait is also allowed in this section. This stretch of water has plenty of shoals and plenty of trout hold there. There are some large, deep pools created by the rock substrate. The aquatic insect population seems to increase in this section.
Chattahoochee River Tailwater Hatches and Trout Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Cattahoochee River tailwater and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726
The flies needed and the hatches that occur when fly fishing the Hooch – the
Chattahoochee River tailwater, strictly depends on the section of the river you are fishing. As most of your know, cold tailwaters are not only affected by the weather, they are even more affected by the releases of cold water. The water temperatures vary greatly depending on the releases and even more importantly, they vary depending on the distance downstream of the dam you are fishing. For example, on a ninety degree day in Atlanta, the water temps below Buford Dam may not reach 50 degrees, yet downstream in the delayed harvest section, it may reach 70 degrees. So it varies depending on the distance from the dam and the timing of the releases. On the other hand, on a cold December day, the water temperatures may remain fairly constant throughout the length of the river. One insect you can count on being present is the midge. They are very plentiful and hatch somewhere on the river almost everyday of the year. You cannot go wrong fishing an imitation of a midge larva or pupa, any day of the year. You must know how to fish them though. Just tying one on isn’t enough. The next most plentiful insects are probably the caddisflies. There are several different species in the river. Most of them are net-spinning caddis or various species of Cinnamon Caddis and Spotted Sedges. These caddisflies hatch from early March through November depending on the section of the river you are fishing. Green Sedges are also present. These hatch from April through July depending on the section of the river. Scuds and sowbugs are both present and represent a good part of the trout’s diet. Imitations of these will catch trout year-round. Check out our Perfect Fly scud and sowbug flies. Black flies are another very common insect. Perfect Fly makes the only imitations of the black fly larva, pupa and adults. We suggest you always have these in all stage of life. Don’t forget terrestrials – grasshoppers, beetles and ants work great during the summer months. We have been told that there are hatches of Light Cahills and Sulfurs but we have not verified that and cannot provide information on it. If anyone knows for certain, and the places and times of the hatch, we would welcome the information. Probably the most important flies you can have fishing the Hooch are streamers. Sculpin are present throughout the river and trout eat them every day of the year. We have several excellent imitations of scuds. We also have many other types of streamer patterns. Don’t forget the possibility of a shad kill on the lake. When this happens dead shad wash through the turbines and white streamers will catch some large browns and rainbows. Our Perfect Flies are the most realistic and effective trout flies you can purchase. If you haven’t tried them, we encourage you to do that. You will not regret it. The most common mayflies by far are the Blue-winged Olives. These mayflies consist of several different species and hatch just about the entire year, heavy at times and slack at times and at various sections of the river. You should have a selection of nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners in hook size 20 and 18 with you anytime you
are fishing. These are very difficult to see and you need to pay close attention to even know they are hatching. Little Black Winter Stoneflies are present in most of the river. These hatch during the Winter mostly but may extend on into the Spring in the upper section of the tailwater.