Fly Fishing the Chattahoochee River. David Cannon L.
Brad Bailey, all of Georgia Outdoor News.
Of course, what would fishing be without the company of good fishing buddies? To Andy Spencer, Matt Anderson, Mark Musselwhite, Ryan Whitelaw, Daniel Brown, and Bear Keeling, thanks for those times on the water and for consistently asking me questions like, “You write magazine articles on this stuff?” and the latest, “You’re writing a book about this?” I greatly value your willingness to keep me humble when I lose a fish, miss a hook-set or, on occasion, fish without even tying on a fly.
I’d especially like to acknowledge Howard Fisher and all of the great people at No Nonsense Guidebooks for allowing me to work on this project, and Brian and Jenny Grossenbacher—authors of Fly Fishing Montana—for introducing me to Howard Fisher. Morenci Clark, Anthony Taylor, Lori Brown, and Howard have been phenomenal to work with and have made this process a great one for me.
Finally, thanks to my wife Stephanie, and Joel and Hilary Mulkey for proofing the drafts of the book, and to Uncle “Foo” (Steve Thulis), my cousin Greg Thulis, and my dad Jay Cannon for getting me interested in fishing. I’m not sure what I’d be doing had I not been introduced to this wonderful world.
The author nymphs a run on a mountain trout stream.
Foreword
By Jimmy Harris
When I met David several years ago, I quickly took a liking to him. He was doing all he could to become a better fly fisherman. David was like a sponge, soaking up every tidbit of information anyone tossed his way. He fished with anyone who would let him tag along, often standing off to the side watching as they successfully worked a run that he or another angler may have just fished with no luck. Always doggedly chasing the desire to know more, he arranged for advanced casting lessons with certified instructors, fished for every species that swims from the mountains to the coast of Georgia, and even traveled out of the country to pursue this passion.
Along the way, he also discovered a love and talent for writing about our sport, our quarry, and those who have been captured by its mystique. True to his nature, he has spent the past few years relentlessly developing this talent and, for that, we should all be grateful. And just as he shadowed more experienced anglers, David has tapped into many of the most respected angling journalists, photographers, editors and publishers to help him hone his craft. Lefty Kreh, James Babb, Brian O’Keefe, and others have all given their personal attention to his professional growth and it is evident in this book.
Most anglers from outside the state undoubtedly associate Georgia with world-class bass fishing. However, Georgians have known for a long time that fishing opportunities here, and particularly fly fishing opportunities, are boundless. From the southernmost reaches of the Appalachian Mountains to the Piedmont and Coastal Plains, we can fish every day of the year. From small rhododendron-choked wild trout streams to huge impoundments where stripers and hybrid bass roam like packs of wolves in search of their next meal, we’ve got it all. Six species of black bass, bream, catfish, and carp swim in our piedmont and coastal plain rivers and farm ponds. Redfish, tarpon, sea trout, and sharks roam the estuaries and surf on the coast. For the fly fishing angler, there isn’t a better state in the country for sheer abundance of opportunity. While more famous fly fishing regions of the country have brief seasons of great fishing interrupted by long months of reading about fishing and tying in preparation for next year, we’re just changing rods and technique for another species.
Jimmy is the co-owner of Unicoi Outfitters, which operates a guide service and fly shops in the towns of Blue Ridge and Helen. He has appeared on several television shows including Fly Fishing America and has fly-fished in Georgia for nearly four decades. Photo by David Cannon.
And this is the value of David’s book! With succinct yet easily read prose, Fly Fishing Georgia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters opens up all the great opportunities awaiting you in our state. The inspiring photography by Chad McClure, David, and his beautiful wife Stephanie, along with the illustrations provided by renowned artists Bucky Bowles, Paul Puckett, Patsy Lewis-Gentry, and the late Tom Landreth have made this a book you’ll want for the visual senses alone.
David has done a wonderful job of identifying Georgia’s fly fishing resources and giving you, the reader, the information you’ll need to pursue any of a myriad of species throughout the seasons. You’ll want to keep this book handy for quick reference when you’ve just got to get out on the water or when you’re planning your next extended fishing trip. I know I will.
Fly Fishing Georgia
Writing this book was a great experience for me personally. It was both educational and fun all along the way. So it only makes sense that my two main objectives while putting this book together were to first provide you, the reader, with enough information to help you attain some level of success at each location and second, to get you excited about fishing these spots and the state as a whole. After all, you can cast a fly to redfish along the Gulf Coast, to strong stripers in the Northeast, to lunker bass in Texas, or to beautiful trout out west. Or, you can buy one Georgia fishing license and pursue all of the above species throughout the course of one year in the Peach State.
In light of those two objectives, I burned the midnight oil many nights picking over and marking maps, learning the history and back stories of the locations, cross-referencing hatch charts with local accounts and putting all of that together as clearly and concisely as I know how. I also fished—a lot—but that was mostly during the daytime. And because I am far from being an expert on any of the featured locations, I double-checked my information with Georgia’s true experts—the experienced locals, the great guides who spend their lives on these waters, and some of the many wonderful people at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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