Past Meetings
We will be having a get together Saturday May 22nd at the pavilion at Abbot’s Bridge Boat Ramp. We’ll just be hanging out and catching up! Since some folks may not be vaccinated we’ll practice social distancing.
Please BYOB (bring your own breakfast) if you want to eat something. We’ll be meeting at 8:30 AM so any that wish to get on the river can get going. Since we have a pavilion we’ll meet rain or shine. Remember, there is a parking charge.
TheFebruary, March and April Tailwater TU Meetings were canceled! Little by little we come closer to meeting again especially with the availability of Covid vaccine!
Thanks again and Tight Lines!
The January 19th Tailwater TU meeting is cancelled. Covid is still surging as we inch closer to a vaccine so we are still following the safe route! Hopefully we may be able to meet again in person in February but we’ll keep you posted!
There are always some great fishing opportunities out there. You have many guide service operations out there operating within COVID restrictions if you wish to schedule a trip! Josh Albey was on the hunt again recently and scored a very nice rainbow on a very nice, secluded stream!
Unfortunately we have to cancel our 2020 annual Christmas get together! Covid is surging again so we are following the safe route! Hopefully we may be able to meet again in person in January but we’ll keep you posted!
Again we do have three fly tying video available on our You Tube channel! Be sure to like the videos and subscribe! Hopefully I’ll be adding some additional videos in January.
There are some great fishing opportunities out there. I had the pleasure of fishing with my daughter and grand daughter at Unicoi Outfitters at Nacoochee Bend and some additional fishing at Noontootla Creek Farms. A gift certificate for fishing at these fine local institutions make great stocking stuffers! These are only two of the great companies offering guided fly fishing on the streams and rivers in Georgia!
The November 17th, 2020 meeting is canceled. Stay tuned!
We do have three fly tying video available on our You Tube channel! Be sure to like the videos and subscribe!
There are some great fishing opportunities out there. Josh Albey managed some nice trout at Smith Creek DH this past week! Get out there and fish!
Thanks Folks!
The August 18th, 2020 meeting is canceled. Eventually we’ll be able to meet again and do some socializing and fishing! Also be sure to check the website for news and updates.
We do have a new fly tying video available! The Peacock Wally Wing Dry Fly for bass, bream and trout. It works exceptionally well this time of year.
The Sweep The Hooch is still scheduled August 29th. Check the their website for a link to sign in. WE need folks to step up and sign up! Tailwater is a a host/sponsor for Buford dam. Here is a chance to make Tailwater TU proud and be there for the river for which we are named! Register here. Remember that once on the registration page and you get to “PLEASE SELECT YOUR VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT”, select “wader” and then select “Buford Dam West”. If all our slots are filled there will be plenty of other locations that need help!
Thanks Folks!
UPCOMING SPEAKERS!
DATES TBA.
James Dudley of The Field and Fly
From James Dudley (Owner/Head Guide): http://thefieldandfly.com/
I grew up just outside of Augusta,GA and I spent most of my life working in the golf business as a Course Superintendent and in Sales for the Sports Turf Market. My time off consisted of more fishing & hunting than on the links. I’ve spent a lifetime outdoors in one capacity or another, and I enjoy any setting outside of four walls! Fly Fishing has been an addiction for over 20 years and sharing that experience and knowledge with others is more of a passion than it is a job.
As a youngster, fishing was always something I couldn’t get enough of and that continues to ring true to this day. Introducing people to fly fishing and watching their excitement when they hook a fish is, well, just another link between me and the fish. Making the connection with all those elements in between is what it’s all about. I want to make sure all my clients get connected with what they are looking for when they book a trip with The Field & Fly!
James will be speaking on fishing opportunities in Georgia. He is always a great presenter! Lets have a big showing and support.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: TBA
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday February 18th, 2020!
We’ll be getting together for some telling of fish tales and will have Sam Miller, the President of Blue Ridge TU as our speaker! Sam will be speaking on the Blue Ridge Trout Festival and Outdoor Adventures on 4/25 as well as their Banquet the Friday night before the Festival 4/24.
Sam recently retired from the Wine Business, the Sebastiani Family out of Sonoma, CA. He lives in Gainesville but has a house on Coopers Creek right before it runs into the Toccoa River. He is the President of BRMTU, a Board Member of BRMTU, member of the Trout Festival Committee.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, February 18th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday January 21st, 2020.
Big bass on the PGM Super Cricket!
We’ll be getting together for some telling of fish tales, grub and will have Patrick Mawhinney discussing how to fish the PGM Super Cricket that we tied back in November!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, January 21st, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
The 2019 Tailwater TU Christmas Party
will be Wednesday, December 11th (note the party is on a Wednesday!). Vic Aloisio will be our gracious host and offer his home for our party in Suwanee. Dinner and soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. We will not be meeting at our regular monthly meeting time.
If you would like to be included in the gift exchange then please bring a wrapped gift, fishing related. Note: it doesn’t have to be fly fishing related. As always the rumors swirl that corn and helicopter lures and stink bait have shown up in a gift ensemble and also some awesome other gifts!! ($10 – $20 Value). The gift can be humorous or serious! The gift exchange is a Yankee Swap and is always great fun! Everyone is welcome, adults and kids!
The partay begins at 6:30. Parking is tight so if you can carpool, please do so! Vic’s address is:
737 White Rock Tr, Suwanee, ga 30024
See you there!
Tuesday November 19th!
We’ll be getting together for some telling of fishing tales, some fly tying (experienced or beginner, if you have a vice, bring it). Patrick Mawhinney will be demonstrating how to tie a Bob’s Banger, easy beginner fly that’s great for salt and fresh water and has a special request to demo the PGM Super Cricket!
We’ll also be setting a date for the Tailwater Christmas get together and doing some noshing and libating!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, November 19th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday October 15th.
Steve Hudson, renowned author and flytyer, will join us and give a presentation on fall warm water fishing for bass and sunfish and he’ll be tying some of his favorite fall patterns. His books can be found here!
http://www.chattahoocheemedia.com/flyfishing-books
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday September 17th.
Chris Scalley, Owner Operator of River Through Atlanta will be our speaker for September:
He’ll be speaking on the proposed usage changes to the Chattahoochee River corridor and its implications and impact for fishing and recreation.
Christopher Scalley grew up in Roswell,Georgia, doing the things he loves: hunting, fishing and trapping the Chattahoochee River and surrounding watersheds. Comparing and contrasting other fisheries throughout the world, Chris has fly fished New Zealand’s famed freestone waters of the South Island, Ireland’s productive loch angling, the Gmundner Traun tailwater of Austria, the Rocky Mountain Western U.S. to more domestic waters like the limestone rich spring creeks of the State of Pennsylvania.
Although these distant waters are well worth the journey, Chris and many of his clients have always felt the ‘Hooch compares favorably with these “destination rivers” both from an angling and an aethsetic perpective. Field and Stream Magazine recognized Chris as a finalist in the Heroes of Conservation 2007 Awards Gala for efforts to protect the Chattahoochee sport fishery. He has guided drift boat trips under a National Park Service permit in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area since 1994 and has maintained a commercial guide’s license under the Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2000 leading Cumberland River tailwater float trip adventures.
Chris has a BA in History degree from Elon College, North Carolina; and, maintains CPR certification. Whether you are a beginner,novice or expert, Chris wants to help you rejuvenate your soul on the water!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, September 17th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
For our July 16th meeting we have our good friend Jimmy Jacobs. He’ll be speaking on his new book Fly Fishing for Peach State Trout.
JIMMY 
JACOBS is a native of Atlanta and now resides in Marietta, Georgia. For 25 years he was an editor for Game & Fish Magazines covering the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. In that capacity he has written extensively about the region from the Southern Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
Today he is the editor of Southern Saltwater Fly Fishing Magazine. Since 2012 he has been the Georgia Editor for Southern Trout Magazine online.
He was the Outdoor Columnist in the Sports Section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper for eight years and also for the Athens Banner-Herald. For four seasons he was the Insider Fishing Reporter for Fox Sports Outdoors South on Fox Sport South television, covering freshwater action in the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Along the way he has won numerous Excellence In Craft Awards for writing and photography from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.
In 2015 Jimmy was inducted into the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame for his work as an Outdoor Communicator. The Museum of Fly Fishing in the Southern Appalachians in Bryson City, North Carolina inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2017 in the category of Communicator. He was elected to the Georgia State University Athletic Hall of Fame that same year
He also is the author of award-winning guidebooks to fishing and hiking in the southeast region, as well as a volume of Southern humor and nostalgia, plus an adventure novel.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, Tuesday July 16th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday June 18th.
Our own Bill “EG” Egeland will be giving us the secrets of kayak fishing Big Pine Key and the Dry Tortugas (maybe even something about the Everglades!). He and and intrepid group of adventurers have been making this and annual trip and have really honed down the specifics. Come join us! Everyone is welcome!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Date: Tuesday, Tuesday June 18th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
Our May speaker will be Mike Worley, President and CEO of the Georgia Wildlife Federation. He’ll be giving us an overview of the implementation of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment and a summary of our legislative session!
Mike is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast. Prior to joining GWF in 2015, Mike had a successful 32 year career at Georgia Power, where he held positions in environmental affairs, legislative affairs, region operations, and community and economic development.
Mike chairs the Georgia’s Prescribed Fire Council, he also serves on the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Coalition, the Georgia Water Coalition Leadership Team, the Ossabaw Main House Study Committee, and Georgia’s nationally leading effort on R3 (Recruit, Retain and Reactivate) Hunting and Shooting Sports team. Mike recently served on the Joint House and Senate Study Committee on Stream Buffers in Georgia and is serving on the Stakeholder Advisory Board of the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. On a national level, Mike serves as co-chair of the National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Funding Caucus. He has a B.S. in Biology from the University of West Georgia and is a graduate of Emory’s Goizuetta Executive Program.
Mike’s outdoor interests include waterfowl and upland hunting, clays, and fishing. He is an avid hiker and kayaker. Mike brings enthusiasm and commitment to protecting and enhancing Georgia’s natural resources. He is always excited to work on issues important to Georgia’s hunters, anglers, and all who enjoy the outdoors. Mike has been married to Debbi for 40 years and has two children and three grandchildren.
On A different note, just a heads up…The Tortuga Expeditionary force has begun their foray, so stay clear of south Florida for a while!!
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map) Let’s have a good showing for Mike Worley !
Date: Tuesday, Tuesday May 21st, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday, April 16th, 2019
Our speaker will be Jeff Wright!
Jeff is our new TU Southeast volunteer coordinator. and will work with TU Volunteer Operations staff and regional conservation staff to engage, inform and empower TU’s volunteers to advance coldwater conservation in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Jeff’s passion for conservation and the outdoors stems from a childhood hunting, fishing, and generally running around exploring wild places. This upbringing led him to pursue a masters degree in biology, after which he spent the a decade working and volunteering in education, leadership development, and nonprofit management.
Most recently, he has served as the president of the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Tennessee, assisting the board of directors in re-energizing the membership and building community connections to help carry out the TU mission locally. When asked what excites him about his new role he said, “Being able to help chapters and councils in the Southeast increase capacity to benefit local, on-the-ground conservation is really a dream opportunity for me.”
The Southeast volunteer coordinator position is modeled after a similar pilot launched in the Pacific Northwest three years ago. TU has been able to hire these regional volunteer coordinators thanks to the support of two foundations, individual donors, and the generosity of TU members, chapters and councils in the respective regions. Our goals for these positions are to improve coordination between chapters, councils and staff to better strategically align our work; provide relevant conservation, citizen science, advocacy or community engagement programs for chapter leaders to adopt; and help chapters and councils strengthen their organizational capacity and ability to do more local work.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map) Let’s have a good showing !
Date: Tuesday, Tuesday April 16th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
Our speaker will be Bob Wirtz! He’ll be talking on:
Western Alaska Self-guided Fly Fishing Float Trips.
Bob grew up with a passion for fishing the small steams and ponds of his native Kansas. In college, he was introduced to fly tying and fishing for trout by fellow entomology graduate students, with annual trips to streams in the Colorado Rockies. Subsequent work in San Francisco gave him an opportunity to fish the Sierra Mountains. A move to Washington, DC permitted him to fish the historic limestone streams of Pennsylvania, and an introduction to saltwater fly fishing along the Atlantic coast. While in DC he was active in the National Capital Chapter of TU and became a Life Member to TU. An increased work load with a move to Atlanta diminished time for fishing. However, an article in the Delta flight magazine rekindled a life-long dream of fishing in Alaska. Bob contacted the lodge mentioned in the article and he and a friend scheduled a self-guided float trip on the Kanektok River. He has been going back to Alaska for over 12 years, completing two back-to-back floats last August. Retirement permits more time to fish and he looks forward to exploring new waters with fellow TU members.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map) Let’s have a good showing !
Date: Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday, February 19th, 2019
Our speaker will be Zach Moran. Zach fills the recently restored trout biologist position, stationed at Burton Hatchery . His presentation is titled “Meet and Greet with your new Fisheries Biologist”.
Zach grew up in Front Royal Virginia along the banks of the Shenandoah River. He is an avid sportsman, a fishing fanatic, and a steward of conservation. Zach completed his undergraduate in Biology at Virginia Tech and master’s at Arkansas Tech. He has studied a myriad of fish species in various locations from trout in Arkansas to peacock bass in Puerto Rico.
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map) Let’s have a good showing !
Date: Tuesday, February 19th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday, January 15th, 2019
We’ll have Kyle Burrell as our speaker! Kyle is a master fish whisperer and an all around great person! He knows trout fishing here and in Wyoming!
Kyle Burrell was born and raised in the Chattooga River country of northeast Georgia and has been seriously fly fishing, fly tying, and building custom fly rods since the early 80s. Kyle has been a U.S. Forest Service Fisheries Biologist in North Carolina and Georgia, and has worked as an Environmental Scientist in the Atlanta area. He is an expert on trout behavior and trout stream ecosystems. His graduate thesis entitled “Seasonal Movement of Brown Trout in the Chattooga River Watershed” was published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society in 2001. Kyle now guides full-time and divides his time between the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta in the spring, and the Green River of Wyoming in the summer time for trophy sized wild trout. In the fall and winter he is a consulting forestry technician.
https://www.fishwithkyle.com/
NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Let’s have a good showing for Kyle!
Date: Tuesday,January 15th, 2019
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
The 2018 Tailwater TU Christmas Party
was Tuesday December 11th (second Tuesday in December!). Once again Brian Smith will be our gracious host and offer his home for our party in Suwanee. Dinner and soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. If you would like to be included in the gift exchange then please bring a wrapped gift, fishing related. Note: it doesn’t have to be flyfishing related. As always the rumors swirl that corn and helicopter lures and stink bait have shown up in a gift ensemble and also some awesome other gifts!! ($10 – $20 Value). The gift can be humorous or serious! The gift exchange is always great!
Everyone is welcome!
The partay begins at 6:30. Directions to Brian Smith’s house. Parking is tight so if you can carpool, please do so!
See you there!
Tuesday November 13th! Second Tuesday in November. We are excited to have our very own Camden Spencer as our speaker for our Tuesday November 13th meeting! He and his Dad, Brian, have been regulars at the meeting for a while now. Camden went to the Trout Unlimited junior trout camp this past summer, and that will be the topic for his discussion! He won the top prize for the casting competition, which was a Winston rod! He has also been tying flies for a while and has started his own fly tying business, Camden’s Flies! He’ll be selling his flies at the meeting, so bring some dough! Money he raises will go toward the cost of fly fishing guide school! His bio is below.
A reminder that we are meeting on the second Tuesday in November NOT the Third due to Thanksgiving. Let’s have a big showing for Camden!
Interests: Fly fishing, fly tying, camping, hunting, hiking, football, Xbox, and kayaking
We’ll also be dispersing the Dream Trip Tickets and discussing the Trout In The Class Room Program and some other important business. NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
Let’s have a good showing at our new meeting place.
Date: Tuesday, NOVEMBER 13th, 2018
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Our Next Meeting Is Tuesday October 16th! We will have some fly tying going on at the October meeting! Bring your vice & tools. Patrick Mawhinney be tying, a Girdle bug and a PGM Curly Rubber Leg! We’ll also be discussing the Dream Trip Tickets and the Trout In The Class Room Program and some other important business. NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
This will be an great talk. Let’s have a good showing at our new meeting place.
Date: Tuesday, October 16th, 2018
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Tuesday, September 18th, 2018
Our own Vic Aloisio will be speaking on his most excellent trip to the west! He was the lucky winner of the Georgia TU Dream Trip! He and his son Phillip not only made the trip but incorporated a lot of other fishing while in the area. He’ll be giving us an overview of the trip. If you are considering going out to Yellowstone, Jackson Hole area this is a great primer for where to fish, with who to fish and with what to fish! There will be time for questions at the end of his talk. NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
This will be an great talk. Let’s have a good showing at our new meeting place.
Date: Tuesday, September 18th, 2018
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation.
Christopher Lovelady with the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be our August presenter. The title of his presentation will be Water Management 101. Chris will share information and maps on the Lake Lanier Watershed as compared with others, downstream needs and operations on a system wide level. Also, there will be time for questions at the end of his talk. NOTE: We will be meeting at the The Diner at Sugar Hill! (Map)
This will be an great talk. Let’s have a good showing at our new meeting place.
Date: Tuesday, August 21st, 2018
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & clinic
James Dudley of The Field and Fly was our July 17th, 2018 presenter. He spoke on the Mayfly Project in Georgia! NOTE: we will be meeting at The Diner at Sugar Hill! (map)
From James Dudley (Owner/Head Guide): http://thefieldandfly.com/
I grew up just outside of Augusta,GA and I spent most of my life working in the golf business as a Course Superintendent and in Sales for the Sports Turf Market. My time off consisted of more fishing & hunting than on the links. I’ve spent a lifetime outdoors in one capacity or another, and I enjoy any setting outside of four walls! Fly Fishing has been an addiction for over 20 years and sharing that experience and knowledge with others is more of a passion than it is a job.
As a youngster, fishing was always something I couldn’t get enough of and that continues to ring true to this day. Introducing people to fly fishing and watching their excitement when they hook a fish is, well, just another link between me and the fish. Making the connection with all those elements in between is what it’s all about. I want to make sure all my clients get connected with what they are looking for when they book a trip with The Field & Fly!
James will be talking on starting a chapter of The Mayfly Project in Georgia! https://www.themayflyproject.com/. This project is all about mentoring foster care children though flyfishing!
Let’s have a big showing and support!
Date: Tuesday, July 17th, 2018
Location: The Diner at Sugar Hill (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & clinic
Our Tuesday May 15th at the Buford Trout Hatchery had, as our speaker, Georgia DNR Officer Chris Hall Game Warden 1. Chris joined the force in 2017 and has been keeping very busy as he covers a lot of territory!
We had a great meeting hearing stories of enforcement, operations and current events with DNR Law Enforcement!
We’ll be having pizza and soft drinks! Please bring $5 to put in the meal kitty to defray the food cost! Let’s have a big showing and support!
Date: Tuesday, May 15th, 2018
Location: Buford Trout Hatchery (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & clinic
Casting Clinic with Certified Master Casting Instructor Ed Chamberlain April 17th, 2018.
Thank you Ed for a great class. We had a impressive turn out at the Buford Hatchery!
Whether you’re completely new to fly fishing or need to improve your casting on our densely-wooded Southeastern fisheries, you’ll find something of use at this clinic. BE SURE TO BRING YOUR ROD YOU WANT TO CAST!Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, March 20th, 2018
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday, February 20th, 2018. Our special guest speaker will be David Cannon speaking on his Amazon photography and fishing expedition! 
(http://www.davidcannonphotography.com/) and author and photographer of Fly Fishing Georgia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters (No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks) (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OD73A8/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb).
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
Tuesday, January 16th, 2018. This will be a meet and greet! If you have been planning to come to a meeting for a while and just haven’t managed to make it, this is a great time to come and meet folks, tell some fishing stories and have a relaxing evening! We’ll meet at Tanner’s again to start the year! Trout Unlimited is a family organization so everyone is invited!
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, January 16th, 2018
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
The 2017 Tailwater TU Christmas Party
will be Tuesday December 12th. Once again Brian Smith will be our gracious host and offer his home for our party in Suwanee. Dinner and soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. If you would like to be included in the gift exchange then please bring a wrapped gift, fishing related. Note: it doesn’t have to be flyfishing related. As always the rumors swirl that corn and helicopter lures and stink bait have shown up in a gift ensemble and also some awesome other gifts!! ($10 – $20 Value). The gift can be humorous or serious! The gift exchange is always great!
The partay begins at 6:30. Directions to Brian Smith’s house. Parking is tight so if you can carpool, please do so!
See you there!
Tuesday November 14th, 2017.
Make NOTE! We have a change of venue and date for our November meeting!
We will be meeting at Brian Smith’s house in Suwanee on Tuesday November 14th. That’s tomorrow night!!!
We’ll just be hanging, out telling fishing stories, watching some fishing videos and sitting around the old campfire.
Everyone is welcome! We will be ordering some pizza and have soft drinks available. BYOBeverage if you would like something else to drink.
If you are new to the chapter this is a great way to meet some folks.
At Brian Smith’s house. The partay begins at 6:30. Directions to Brian Smith’s house. Parking is limited so if you can carpool with someone.
Tuesday October 17th, 2017.
Our Speaker will be George Dusenbury, the Georgia State Director for The Trust For Public Land!
George Dusenbury serves as Georgia State Director for The Trust for Public Land, where he oversees the organization’s work on urban parks, green infrastructure and the Chattahoochee River.
Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, George was Executive Director of Park Pride, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building civic and corporate support for Atlanta parks.
He oversees the Georgia operations of the nation’s foremost nonprofit working to protect land for people. Georgia’s accomplishments include creating the vision for parks as part of the Atlanta BeltLine, protecting miles of riverfront land along the Chattahoochee River and helping to create and expand that Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.
These folks do an amazing job in expanding our parks and recreational areas! https://www.tpl.org/our-work/georgia#sm.001m04abt16gjejlr2j21zvhcefm1
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, October 17th, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday September 19th, 2017
For our Speaker we have Justin Powell! He is the new flyfising manager for Orvis Atlanta! He is a kayak fishing expert and will share some great insight into the sport. Here’s his bio from Jackson Kayaks.
“Justin shares his love of fishing with his family, and as a guide with Kayak Fishing Destin. Justin also spends a great deal of time working with his team, The Fly Film Guys. The film team’s first film “StoneFly the Spiritual Journey of a Fly Fisherman” was an instant success, and they are currently working on the next episode in the Stonefly series.
Justin loves all fish, but if asked his favorite, he says it would have to be legendary steelhead of the Pacific Northwest.
Justin is one of our fly fishing fanatics of the Jackson Family. He was first introduced to fly fishing while he was visiting Alaska as a 17 year old with his mother and sister; he’s been obsessed ever since. Justin is a professional bass player, dividing his time between North Carolina and Florida; but when he is not playing music with a bass in his hand, Justin can be found chasing fish with a fly rod in his hand.
Whether it’s stalking native brook trout in the Appalachian Mountains, or adventuring after steelhead in upstate NY and out to the Pacific Northwest, fly fishing is a passion he intends to pass along to others, especially the next generation. Kayak fly fishing came as a natural progression when he wanted to night fish the dock lights by his home in NW Florida after redfish & speckled trout, and he is extremely proud to represent Jackson Kayak.
Justin shares his love of fishing with his family, and as a guide with Kayak Fishing Destin. Justin also spends a great deal of time working with his team, The Fly Film Guys. The film team’s first film “StoneFly the Spiritual Journey of a Fly Fisherman” was an instant success, and they are currently working on the next episode in the Stonefly series.
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Tuesday August 15th.
We welcome Jason Ulseth with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper! www.chattahoochee.org . Jason will be giving us “a state of the Chattahoochee” talk. We all rely on the Chattahoochee for so many things and CRK has been instrumental in keeping the river healthy and protecting it from many outside influences. “CRK’s water quality monitoring, community outreach and floating classroom programs serve as the foundation of our work, and we are particularly proud of the awards that CRK has received for these initiatives.”
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Tuesday July 18th.
We’ll be meeting and talking shop and discussing two work day projects coming up. We have Lovinggood Creek work day on July 22nd. Tailwater is set up as secondary for this workday and we really need to make a showing of volunteers. The second is Wilks Creek Stream Habitat Improvement Project on July 29th.Hope to see y’all at the meeting!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Tuesday June 20th
Kayak Fishing Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas!
Our own intrepid adventurer, Bill Egeland, will be giving us the scoop and skinny on camping and kayak fishing the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson. This is an amazing trip and Bill and crew have been perfecting the system! Join us as he gives all all the info to fish this amazing spot.
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, June 20th, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday May 16th, 2017
“Almost 101 Things You Might Not Know about Fishing in North Carolina!”
Our own Vic Aloisio and Brian Smith will be speaking on Fishing in North Carolina! Secret fishing holes, when and where to fish, where not to fish, where to catch the big ones; who knows what they will cover. You’ll just have to come to the meeting to find out!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, May 16th, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday April 18th, 2017
Tube Fly Information sheet
Want to learn to tie a tube fly for big Hooch Browns or Bass or Cuda or Pike!? Patrick Mawhinney will be demonstrating how to tie tube flies. He’ll be taking the mystery out of the materials and showing how to tie a basic tube fly to get you started on the path to spend even more money on materials but really saving some bucks on those big monster flies!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, April 18th, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday March 21st, 2017
Our own John Leyritz will be speaking on his fishing adventure in Cuba! There are a lot of opportunities down there and John’s going to give us the skinney!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, March 21st, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday February 21st, 2017
Certified Master Casting Instructor Ed Chamberlain Will Be Presenting Fishing the Wautauga and South Holston!
Our own Ed Chamberlain will be giving us the skinny on fishing the Wautauga and South Holston Rivers! Not only the fishing but where to wade, float, and stay when you visit. And of course the “secret” flys needed to conquer the monsters swimming in these waters! Whether you’re completely new to fly fishing or an old seasoned veteran Ed is a very entertaining speaker and knows his stuff! Everyone is invited – members and nonmembers, young and old, men and women, boys and girls!At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, Tuesday February 21st, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday January 17th, 2017
If you were not aware, we are losing our heml
ocks! This has major ecological and economic impact! Please come to the meeting and become informed and
learn what you can do to save the hemlocks! Our speaker for January is Donna Shearer, the founder and chairperson of Save Georgia’s Hemlocks (SGH). SGH is a rapidly growing grassroots organization of energetic individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, ages, and origins, united by a common purpose to save the hemlocks. We began our efforts in July 2009 with a large goal — to serve all of north Georgia where the woolly adelgid is a serious threat. With the help of many partners and volunteers, we have made steady progress since then, but there is still much to do.
Over the past 7 years, SGH has implemented its Hemlock Help Program in all 19 north Georgia counties with confirmed HWA infestations and helped hundreds of property owners save thousands of hemlocks.
Atlanta native Donna Shearer realized her childhood dream of living in a log cabin in the mountains when she and her husband Mark moved to Dahlonega in 2002. With their home situated in a dense hemlock grove along a trout stream, it was particularly troubling when in 2005 they discovered their evergreen sanctuary was threatened by an infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid. Rather than give up, they began researching the hemlock problem and treating the trees on their own property that same year. The successful results motivated Donna to share the benefit of their knowledge and experience with others, and in 2009 she and a small group of volunteers founded Save Georgia’s Hemlocks.
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, January 17th, 2017
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
The 2016 TU Tailwater Christmas Party
will be Tuesday December 13th. Once again Brian Smith will be our gracious host and offer his home for our party in Suwanee. Dinner and soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. If you would like to be included in the gift exchange then please bring a wrapped gift, fishing related. Note: it doesn’t have to be flyfishing related. There are rumors that corn and helicopter lures and stink bait have shown up in a gift ensemble! ($10 – $20 Value). The gift can be humorous or serious! The gift exchange is always great!
The partay begins at 6:30. Directions to Brian Smith’s house. Parking is tight so if you can carpool, please do so!
See you there!
Tuesday November 15th!
RFC Matt Johnson with Region II – Gainesville Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division will be joining us and giving a short talk about DNR Law Enforcement in our area especially as it pertains to fishing!
Let’s have a big crowd to show our support for these rangers and all they do for us!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday October 18th!
Our own Vic Alosio will be presenting Tailwater TU with a report from his annual trip to Yellowstone National Park. Vic and some compadres have been doing a yearly trip to the park for years and really know the layout. I was fortunate to be on one of these expeditions and can say it was a blast! From Ennis, the Tree Dollar Bridge outside the park to the Davidson, the Fire Hole, to the Soda Butte, he covers them all and manages to find the secret jewels like Black Tail Deer Creek!
Join us for a night of fun and extensive information on Yellowstone and the surrounding area.
Tuesday September 20th!
Jimmy Harris, fisherman renowned, will join us and talk about his Argentina fishing expedition!
Jimmy was born and raised in the high reaches of the smokey mountains. While wandering in the woods one day he became lost and was adopted by a clan of Cherokee Indians nurturing in him his love of catch and release fishing..he was give the name ᎵtᏞ BrᎣᎣk TrᎣᎤt, or Little Brook Trout. As he grew to be a man he honed his fishing skills until he became an adult and delved into other endeavors and teamed up with partners to open Unicoi Outfitters, American Bag and Linen Company, Shade Tree Fabrics, LLC and Cornelia Textiles. All highly successful ventures.
As he became older and wiser he has become the world traveler and has tracked, caught and released giant trout in Argentina and other exotic climes . We are excited and thankful that he will be sharing his wisdom and a glimpse of his Argentina trip with the Tailwater TU chapter!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, September 20th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium in Suwanee (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday August 16th!
Steve Hudson, renowned author and flytyer, will joined us again and gave his Bluelining talk! ” “Bluelines,” Those small and often overlooked backcountry streams known only by the blue lines which represent them on maps, just may be the best kept secret in trout fishing.”
Steve Hudson
https://www.amazon.com/Bluelining-101-Steve-Hudson/dp/1941600069
http://www.chattahoocheemedia.com/flyfishing-books
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, August 16th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
Tuesday July 19th!
Jeff Durniak (North Georgia Region Fisheries Supervisor for the GA DNR) will be our speaker on Tuesday July 19th. Some may know him as, Dredger, and his excellent fishing reports. He’ll be covering summer flyfishing tips and covering 4 opportunities: headwaters, tailwaters, warm rivers, and small lakes. Everyone gets a cheat sheet to take home with them!
There will also be a free raffle for a box warm water flies!
We’ll be meeting at Tanner’s in Suwanee. Come by for the great camaraderie and food!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, July 19th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
June 21st
We’ll be meeting at Tanner’s in Suwanee. We’ll be having a fly tying evening. Patrick and Vic will be demonstrating how to tie Kent’s Stealth Bomber, and Vic’s lethal Pencil Foam Doo Dah; lethal warm water flies! Bring your vice and tying gear if you like or just come by for the great comraderie and food!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, June 21thth, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
May 17th
Steve Hudson, renowned author and flytyer, will join us and give a presentation of intro to warm water fish fishing and will tie some Brim Busters and some of his other favorites.
http://www.chattahoocheemedia.com/flyfishing-books
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
April 19th
We will have well known author Jimmy Jacobs talking on small stream fishing in Georgia. www.jimmyjacobsoutdoors.com
Jimmy Jacobs is a native of Atlanta and now resides in Marietta, Georgia.
For 25 years he was an editor for Game & Fish Magazines covering the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. In that capacity he has written extensively about the region from the Southern Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. He has been writing the Outdoor Column in the Sports Section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper since 2008.
Beginning in 2014 he has been the Insider Fishing Reporter for Fox Sports Outdoors South on Fox SportSouth television, covering freshwater action in the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
Jimmy Jacobs has been writing the Atlanta Outdoor Travel Examiner page for Examiner.com since 2010. In 2012 he also began writing the Atlanta Saltwater Fishing Examier page.
Since 2012 he has been the Georgia Editor for Southern Trout Magazine online.
Along the way he has won numerous Excellence In Craft Awards for writing and photography from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.
In 2015 Jimmy was inducted into the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame for his work as an Outdoor Communicator.
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
March 15th, 2016
James Dudley of The Field and Fly will be our March presenter. He’ll be speaking on the Soque river!
From James Dudley (Owner/Head Guide): http://thefieldandfly.com/
I grew up just outside of Augusta,GA and I spent most of my life working in the golf business as a Course Superintendent and in Sales for the Sports Turf Market. My time off consisted of more fishing & hunting than on the links. I’ve spent a lifetime outdoors in one capacity or another, and I enjoy any setting outside of four walls! Fly Fishing has been an addiction for over 20 years and sharing that experience and knowledge with others is more of a passion than it is a job.
As a youngster, fishing was always something I couldn’t get enough of and that continues to ring true to this day. Introducing people to fly fishing and watching their excitement when they hook a fish is, well, just another link between me and the fish. Making the connection with all those elements in between is what it’s all about. I want to make sure all my clients get connected with what they are looking for when they book a trip with The Field & Fly!
February 16th, 2016
Certified Master Casting Instructor Ed Chamberlin Will Be Talking Cajun Red Fish
Ed was kind enough to put on a casting class for us last year and he returns to talk about fishing for Cajun Redfish! Whether you’re completely new to fly fishing or an old seasoned veteran Ed is a very entertaining speaker and knows his stuff! After my last trip to south Louisiana I really need the inside story! Everyone is invited – members and nonmembers, young and old, men and women, boys and girls!At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
January 19th, 2016
For our January meeting we have Kent Edmonds at Tanner’s in Suwanee. He’ll be speaking on small mouth and shoal bass fishing. Among his numerous accomplishments he is the inventor of the infamous Stealth Bomber! After growing up in western SC and frequenting the trout streams of NC and north Georgia, Kent moved to west Georgia about 30 years ago. Finding no trout thereabouts, he began seeking various warmwater species with the fly rod. It turned out there were plenty willing to eat a fly…and many were at least as much fin as trout!
After several years of guiding part-time, Kent had a late mid-life crisis in 2001 and became a full-time fly fishing guide. He has fished the streams and lakes of southeast for over 40 years. His fly fishing experience ranges from the Norrthwest to the Caribbean to the South Pacific
A Federation of Fly Fishers-certified instructor, he is available for casting and fly-tying instruction. His articles have appeared in national and regional fly fishing and outdoor magazines, and he is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association.
Kent has served as vice president of the Flint River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and was selected as the Southeastern Council Federation of Fly Fishers 2007 Man of the Year and 2013 Fly Casting Instructor of the Year. He is an accomplished fly tier and tying instructor, and his fly patterns are sold and distributed both nationally and internationally.
In 2007, he became associated with the Grand Slam Group as a manufacturers’ rep for several major tackle companies. He continues to guide regularly on Georgia waters. For more information go to http://www.flyfishga.com/
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, January, 19th 2016
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
The 2015 TU Tailwater Christmas Party
will be Tuesday December 13th. It will be at Brian Smith’s house in Suwanee. Dinner and soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. If you would like to be included in the gift exchange then please bring a wrapped gift, fishing related. Note: it doesn’t have to be flyfishing related. There are rumors that corn and helicopter lures have shown up in a gift ensemble! ($10 – $20 Value). The gift can be humorous or serious! The gift exchange is always great!
The partay begins at 6:30. Directions to Brian Smith’s house. Parking is tight so if you can carpool, please do so!
See you there!
November 17th
Our November meeting was on the 17th at Tanner’s in Suwanee. Our speaker was Shannon Ward from Orvis Atlanta. Shannon has fished all over the world and definitely walks the walk and knows of what he speaks! As the fishing manager for Orvis Atlanta he has the inside info on all the latest equipment and if we are nice he might divulge some “secret” honey holes!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
October 20th
Our October meeting will be at Tanner’s. We have Ken Louko as our speaker. Ken will be speaking on Eastern Steelhead fishing!
Ken Louko introduced himself to fly fishing for Brown trout on his parent’s farm in Upstate New York. As a kid, he progressed from bait casting, to spin fishing, and then on to a fly rod teaching himself how to cast using a streamer at the age of 12.
In 1985, as a new resident of Atlanta, Ken decided to put all of his effort into better understanding how to fish with a fly rod being tutored by some of the most famous individuals in fly fishing. The year 2015 marks his 35th year fly fishing since that early start on his parent’s Upstate New York farm.
Ken is currently on Pro Guide programs for Sage, Ross, Redington, Scientific Anglers, Korkers, SuperStick, and RIO Products.
An accomplished fly casting and fly fishing instructor, Ken has taught hundreds of people how to fly fish based on principles set out by the International Federation of Fly Fishers; Lefty Kreh and Simon Gawesworth’s casting wisdom, and his many years of fly fishing experience.
He supports catch & release fishing and is a Life Time Member of Trout Unlimited, past Vice Chairman of the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited, a founding member of the Trout Unlimited Stewardship Council in Georgia, and for over 20 years actively involved with the International Federation of Fly Fishers affiliated Atlanta Fly Fishing Club.
Here is a link to more info! http://www.springcreekanglers.com/
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, October 20th, 2015
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
September 15, 2015
Our speaker for September is Chris Scalley: Owner Operator of River Through Atlanta
Christopher Scalley grew up in Roswell,Georgia, doing the things he loves: hunting, fishing and trapping the Chattahoochee River and surrounding watersheds. Comparing and contrasting other fisheries throughout the world, Chris has fly fished New Zealand’s famed freestone waters of the South Island, Ireland’s productive loch angling, the Gmundner Traun tailwater of Austria, the Rocky Mountain Western U.S. to more domestic waters like the limestone rich spring creeks of the State of Pennsylvania.
Although these distant waters are well worth the journey, Chris and many of his clients have always felt the ‘Hooch compares favorably with these “destination rivers” both from an angling and an aethsetic perpective. Field and Stream Magazine recognized Chris as a finalist in the Heroes of Conservation 2007 Awards Gala for efforts to protect the Chattahoochee sport fishery. He has guided drift boat trips under a National Park Service permit in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area since 1994 and has maintained a commercial guide’s license under the Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2000 leading Cumberland River tailwater float trip adventures.
Chris has a BA in History degree from Elon College, North Carolina; and, maintains CPR certification. Whether you are a beginner,novice or expert, Chris wants to help you rejuvenate your soul on the water!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Let’s have a big showing and support! Hope to see everyone there!
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
See you at Tanner’s!
August 18, 2015
Our presentation on the 18th will be Sr. Biologist Anthony Rabern from Georgia DNR to talk about the history and state of stream restoration projects in the north Georgia mountains. This is a great time to see what we will be doing at our project coming up the following Saturday (8/22) on our project.
Hope to see everyone there!
At Tanner’s Chicken Emporium
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Location: Tanners Chicken Emporium (map)
Time: 6pm arrive, 6:30pm eat, 7pm short meeting & presentation
Let’s have a big showing and support! See you at Tanner’s!
June 2015 |
Carp 101: How to Find ’em & What to Feed ’em – with Henry Cowen
Some refer to carp as “the fish of the new millenium” due to their unique ability to survive just about any environmental conditions including a nuclear holocaust. Global warming, politicians gutting the Clean Water Act, increased angling pressure on our trout streams, whatever your viewpoint, there’s no denying the growing popularity of chasing carp with a fly. Henry Cowen will be sharing with us where and how to catch these awesome fish.Why are carp considered a top fly fishing quarry? Consider the following:
- There isn’t a more wary species swimming the face of the earth. They know when you step into the river, regardless of how careful you may be.
- They’re actually very picky eaters, unlike their reputation for being lowly bottom feeders. Small crustaceans and aquatic nymphs as well as seasonal fresh berries constitute the bulk of their diet.
- Pinpoint casts are required at just the right time else you’ll either spook them or they’ll never see your fly.
- Most situations require you to watch closely enough to actually see the fish suck in your fly; a true adrenalin moment.
- The hook set must be a strip set akin to redfishing or bonefishing; and most of us trout anglers can’t seem to remember this in the moment. Expect your hookup percentage to look like a batting average most days.
- If you love the sound of a good fly reel singing as line is smoking it across the water, look no further; you’ve found your fish.
- These are not wimpy fish. Use a 7 or 8 wt. rod and expect tired muscles once a fish is landed.
- During the Dog Days of summer, you can find them almost anywhere across North Georgia in lakes and rivers near your home.
- On your first trip, you may consider fishing with a bag over your head but after that first fish, landed or not, you’ll be bragging as you sip your Dos Equis in the neighborhood bar about the challenges you’ve faced going up against carp; some you’ve won, some you’ve lost. Friends and strangers alike will gather round you, mouths agape in wonder at the tales you have to tell. A carp tattoo may even be considered.
About Henry Cowen
Henry has been pursuing striped bass on both fly and light tackle for over 30 years in both Saltwater and Freshwater. His reputation and knowledge precedes him as being a leader in the fly fishing and fly tying industry.
Henry currently guides on both Lake Sidney Lanier (north of Atlanta, GA) and Lake Allatoona (northwest of Atlanta, GA) for stripers and trophy spotted bass. He is an accomplished fly tier and outdoor writer as well. As an Umpqua Feather Merchants fly designer his flies are available at many fly shops around the United States as well as in the Orvis and LL Bean catalogue.
His flies, as well as the articles on how to tie them continue to appear in magazines such as American Angler, Flyfishing in Saltwaters, Fly Tyer, Flyfishing America and Fly Fisherman. His articles on fly fishing techniques and tactics appeared regularly in Salt Water Fly Fishing Magazine as his name was on their masthead as a contributing writer. Henry’s name now also appears on the masthead of both American Angler and Fly Tyer magazine as a contributing editor/writer.
Henry is also an FFF certified casting instructor. He is well known for his many seminars on salt water fly fishing as well as fresh water fly fishing for striped bass, Kentucky spotted bass and carp.
He has appeared, as a guest, on a number of nationally televised outdoor shows (The Orvis Sporting Life, Growing Up Outdoors, The Reel Guys, One More Cast w/Shaw Grigsby and Oneill Outside) as well as some regional outdoor television shows (Georgia Outdoors etc). He is also the fishing personality on the video “Flyfishing for Landlocked stripers” which is available at many fly shops around the country.
Henry was recently named to be on the Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures esteemed “field advisory staff”.
Henry is currently on pro staff with Humminbird Electronics. He is on the guide programs for Sage, Simms, Tibor, Rio, TFO and Orvis in addition to Ranger Boats, G3 Boats, Yamaha Marine and Johnson Outdoors (Minnkota trolling motors).
MAY 2015 |
Casting Clinic with Certified Master Casting Instructor Ed Chamberlin
Everyone is invited – members and nonmembers, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, pets on leashes! We’ll be grilling hamburgers and fixin’s, as well as bringing some sides, soft drinks, and sweet tea. Feel free to bring along a side to share if you’d like. We’ll pass the hat at the end for any meal donations.APRIL 2015 |
Spring Meet & Greet: Grilling, Casting & Tying
We are anticipating great weather for the upcoming Spring Meet & Greet. 70 degrees and sunny with wind around 8mph. Everyone is invited – members and nonmembers, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, pets on leashes! We’ll be grilling – free of charge – hamburgers and fixin’s, as well as bringing some sides, soft drinks, and sweet tea. Feel free to bring along a side to share if you’d like.March 2015 Meeting
The Tuesday, March 17th, meeting will be held at Tanner’s Chicken Emporium on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. in Suwanee, at 6:30 pm.
Landon Williams, one of the great younger fishers from North Georgia, will be visiting and talking about Euro Nymphing style fishing. I have seen a great number of larger fish come out of smaller streams using these methods from the pics that he post on Facebook and NGTO.
We also need everyone to either sell their Dream Trip tickets and bring in the money or bring unsold tickets to the meeting.
We have added a new feature to the meeting. Each meeting, prior to the speaker we’ll demonstrate how to tie a certain fly pattern! Everyone is invited, especially if you are new to the chapter, new to flyfishing, or want to learn to tie some basic fly patterns. Being St. Paddy’s day we’ll have a green fly theme!
February 2015 Meeting
At February’s meeting Vic Aloisio demostrated a new foam ant pattern and instructed on its use.
We also had Steve Claxton from Smokey Mountain Adventures as our guest speaker. Steve is known for his all inclusive camping trips to the creeks above Lake Fontanta. He gave an entertaining talk about Hazel Creek and it’s history, not only as a great fishing stream, but also the areas history during the logging days. He is booking trips now but availability is stight! Hurry!
His webstite is www.steveclaxton.com .
His email smokymtn@dnet.net and phone 828-736-7501
January 2015 Meeting
We held January’s meeting at member Vic Aloisio’s house where we tied up a number of different fly patterns.
Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe from Tuesday’s meeting at Vic Aloisio’s
2 (10oz) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 C. ranch dressing
¾ C. Franks Red Hot Sauce (or equivalent pepper sauce)
1 ½ C. shredded cheddar cheese
Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet over medium heat until heated. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing and simmer until blended and warm. Then mix in half of the cheese and transfer to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top and cook on a low setting until hot and bubbly.
For the slow cooker step I usually transfer to a baking dish and bake on 350 for about 30 minutes. About half way through I sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
December 2014 Meeting
In lieu of a meeting, December heralds our Tailwater Chapter Christmas Party next Tuesday the 16th! It will be held in Suwanee at the home of our new president, Brian Smith. If you need his address, please email us at tailwatertu AT yahoogroups.com and we’ll send it to you.
Everyone is invited to the party; members or non-members and all the family. The party begins at 6:30PM and dinner and sodas are provided. If you would like to participate in gift sharing please bring a fishing related gift (max $20.00 value). Gifts can be serious or funny. There is usually a mixture of both!
We hope to see you at the Christmas Party!
November 2014 Meeting
Our speaker in November was Chase Pritchett of Dry Flyer Outfitters in Blueridge! He gave a great talk on Tailwater Midge Techniques. Midges are the predominant food source for trout at the top end many tailwaters near the dams. He was gracious enough to provide us with his power point presentation! We were also graced with Gary Taylor! Click here for the power point.
Dry Flyer Outfitters Facebook Page
Chase’s # 706-271-8135