Delayed Harvest: Fall Fishing Turns the Seasonal Corner

With October upon us, fly-fishermen in the Southeast turned the seasonal corner in our angling pursuits, . In Tennessee and North Carolina, seasonally regulated public trout waters designated as "delayed harvest" (DH) waters opened yet again on Oct. 1, promising fast action until next spring for brown, rainbow and brook trout.

Georgia anglers will enjoy DH waters, too, in just a few weeks, when six locations in the north end of the state give way to the regulations that limit anglers to catch-and-release fishing with artificial lures/flies only. DH regs also typically include the "single hook" limitation, and it will be mostly fly-fishermen who wade these waters. Anglers on Tennessee's DH waters, however, can use any typical artificial lure armed with single or treble hooks. 

Among the best of the DH waters in the tri-state region,  the Nantahala River (NC), the Tellico River (TN), the Hiwassee River (TN) and the Chattooga River (GA-SC) offer up a lot of fishing opportunities on more than 22 miles of scenic and challenging trout waters. From remote settings to side-of-the-road access points, these rivers feature everything a fly-fisherman dreams of on a trout stream -- steep plunge pools, the cadence of a riffle-run-pool, long boulder gardens, and deep feeding lanes. Dry-fly fishing holds on until the leaves fall from the trees but is resurrected throughout wintertime by periodic hatches of tiny Blue Winged Olives and black/creamy Midges just about anywhere you find trout holding.

Over the slow water, fan your favorite Wooly Bugger or Sculpin across a deep pool, and hang on! Streamer fishing often brings strikes from the heaviest fish. Some of the best of these sites are found flogging flies from a drift boat!

And if its nymphing you're looking for -- beginner or old hack -- you'll find the slots, ledges, pools, and lanes in these waters to your liking. When winter sets in and water temperatures fall into the low 40s, your action can be fast and furious on many of the country's best nymph patterns, along with some of the local patterns created and coveted by area anglers.

Conveniently located -- just 1 to 3 hours from Atlanta, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Charlotte, Augusta, Asheville and Greenville -- the DH waters of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina can turn any business trip, holiday gathering or just a day off work into a fishing memory not soon forgotten. Regular stockings, mixed with wild trout, include rainbows, browns and brook trout. Catch numbers are typically high and trophy trout of 20 inches or more are not uncommon.

To learn more about guided trout fishing on these streams and more, visit Reel Angling Adventures and plan your fall, winter and spring outings with the guide team that offers more guided fishing destinations than any other outfitter in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Or give us a call, toll free: 866-899-5259.