|
|
TIGHT
LINES
March 2006 Newsletter of the Rabun Chapter (522) of Trout Unlimited Editor –
Doug Adams edadams1@alltel.net "If I fished only to capture
fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago." Zane Grey |
THE CHAPTER MEETING PLACE
"There don't have to be a thousand fish in the river. Let me locate a single good one and I'll get a thousand dreams out of him before I catch him. And if I catch him, I'll let him go." Jim Deren
“FORWARD
CASTING” Important Dates - See you there!
Mar 4 (Sat) GA TU Council
Meeting, 9 am, Location - Atlanta Fly Fishing School
Mar 7 (Tues)
Fly Tying, 7 pm, with Terry Rivers at his home near Persimmon (3rd
session). Call or email for directions
(706) 782 7419 tlr1121@alltel.net
Mar 11 (Sat) Hoot on the
Hooch, 6:30 pm, Black Bear Dinner Theater off Hwy. 75 between Helen
and Cleveland; Bar-B-Q, Bluegrass, and more
Mar 14 (Tues)
Fly Tying, 7 pm, with Terry Rivers at his home near Persimmon (4th
session)
Mar 21 (Tues) Chapter
Meeting, 6:30 pm, Clayton Presbyterian Church
Program: Duane
Stalnaker – Stealth Tactics and Reading Trout Waters
Mar 25 (Sat) Opening Day for
Seasonal Trout Streams
Mar 28 (Tues) Board of
Directors meeting, 7 pm, followed by Fly Tying at Terry
Rivers’ house (5th and final 2006 session)
April 18 (Tues) Chapter
Meeting, 6:30 pm, Clayton Presbyterian Church
Program: Roy Lovell,
County Marshall – Erosion Control & Sedimentation Laws and
Enforcement
April 20 – 22 (Thurs – Sat)
Camping, Fishing & In-Stream Work Day with USFS leading work on
Heddon Creek and camping at Double Bit.
April 25 (Tues)
Board of Directors meeting, Location TBD.
April 28 – 30 (Fri - Sun) 5th Annual
Regional Rally, Abington, VA
REMEMBER - GEORGIA TROUT
CAMP! June 11-16th! We need you
to mentor our campers – put it on your calendar!
FLY OF THE MONTH
by Terry Rivers

This is a general
impressionistic stone fly pattern that can be tied in a variety of sizes and
colors as needed. Use this during the
month of March and you should have success.
We will be tying this during one of the tying sessions in March.
Hook: 12-18
Mustard 3906B (or equivalent standard nymph)
Thread: 6/0 black
Tail: Black goose biots
Rib: Vinyl,
medium
Underbody: Lead wire
(optional)
Abdomen: Black
dubbing
Thorax: Black dubbing
Wing case: Black
Swiss straw or your choice
"We may say of angling as Dr.
Boteler said of strawberries, 'Doubltless God could have made a better berry,
but doubtless God never did.' And so, if I might be judge, God never did make a
more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling."
Izaak Walton
March Hatches
The Bugs Time of Month Time of Day
Suggested Flies
.
Early Black Stone All Month
L am to M pm 16-18
Black Elk-hair Caddis or Griffith's Gnat
16-18 Black Stone Nymph
Small Dun Caddis All
Month E pm to L
pm 16-18 Brown
Elk-hair or Deer-hair Caddis
(Important)
16-18 Grey Caddis Pupa
Blue Winged Olive & All
Month L am to M pm
16-18 BWO, Blue Quill or Adams Parachute
Blue Quill
16-18 BWO
or Pheasant Tail Nymph
Quill
Gordon All
Month L am to M
pm 12-14 Quill Gordon
(Important) 12 Quill Gordon Nymph
Cream Caddis
Late
M day to L
pm 12-14 Elk Hair Caddis
(Important) 12-14 Dark Cream Caddis Pupa
Red
Quill Mid to Late
M day
to L pm
14-16 Red Quill or Hendrickson
(Hendrickson) 14-16 Pheasant Tail Nymph
March
Brown Mid to Late
L am
to M pm 12-14 March Brown or Adams Parachute
(very
Important) 10-14 March Brown, Dark Hare's
Ear, or Pheasant Tail Nymph
Midges
All Month M am to L pm 18-20 Griffith's Gnat
18-22 Midge Pupa
" There's something about fly fishing a stream or river that grows on you. It affords more opportunities to meld with nature than other types of fishing, although each has its own special magnetism. In what other kinds of fishing can you smell the sweetness of the native flowers along the banks of the stream, see the eagle as he searches for his next meal, or the bear fishing for breakfast, watch the different hatches and try to identify and match them, listen to the sounds of the stream from the tinkling of a small brook as you wade upstream, to the throaty roar of a whitewater river as you dart and dip along in your drift boat, searching for that special "seam" where you know there'll be a big trout? Yes, there's something about fly fishing a stream that grabs you and won't let go. I was grabbed a long time ago and I must say that I won't let go either." Jimmy D Moore
The Seventh in
a Series:
Stream Habitat Protection
and Enhancement
In some situations, whole
trees dropped and secured can provide critical habitat enhancement:

Trout and other fish are, for better or worse,
confined in pools like these at low flow. In this case the Large Woody
Debris (LWD) benefit is pretty clear - no wood, no pool, no fish - but tradeoff
is that the fish are vulnerable to snakes, birds, raccoons, anglers, etc.
(Our thanks to Dr. Andy
Dolloff - USFS Southern Research Station, Blacksburg, VA - for sharing this one
with us)
Q & A
(Continued from January and
February Issues)
Q. What do
you mean by “River Ecosystem Conservation - Wildlife and Resource” as an Upper
Chattooga user group?
A. Butch
Clay of South Carolina ForestWatch expressed this very well in his written
comments to the Forest Service:
Part 3 of a 3 part Series (Editor’s
note: Our thanks to Butch Clay for permission to reprint here.)
Message Subject: Recreation Use Form, Visitor
Capacity Analysis, Upper Chattooga River
Social conditions: The upper Chattooga as a wild
“sanctuary” and as a place of wilderness instruction.
One of the best boaters I know referred to Overflow Creek as his “church.” I can respect and honor that. I would do nothing whatever to ever jeopardize that place or, likewise, the sense of connection that that person has with Overflow Creek.
There are portions of the headwaters — more than one -- that are also a kind of “church” to other, non-boating Chattooga users. These places, like Overflow, are kinds of “wild sanctuaries.” These places, and the experience and sense of communion and connection that these places provide should be safeguarded. I believe that this USFS analysis process should take into consideration how this initiative — and the possible drastic influx of floaters that results — will affect the social values of those seeking sanctuary and retreat in the headwaters. Such values currently available north of 28 bridge will be essentially lost under this initiative. If Overflow is a church, the Rock Gorge is a cathedral. We should, I believe, do everything to ensure that both these places retain the qualities that make then so special to some users. Also, with regard to the river as a place of wilderness instruction for young and old (but especially for young people): The floating stretches allow opportunities for invaluable wilderness lessons for young people in navigating a wild mountain torrent. The headwaters, under current management regulations, provide for equally important, if different, kinds of wilderness lessons — lessons about human limits and vulnerabilities that generations of humans learned at large on the land, for thousands of years, and which have only begun to be substantially forgotten in recent, motorized times. We need both kinds of experience, and both kinds of places.
Initial indications of what it would take
to manage for these experiences (managerial conditions): We can look to the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act for guidance here, Section 10, Management Direction: “Each component of the national wild and
scenic rivers system shall be administered in such manner as to protect and
enhance the values which caused it to be included in said system without,
insofar as is consistent therewith, limiting other uses that do not
substantially interfere with public use and enjoyment of these values. In such administration primary emphasis
shall be given to protecting its aesthetic, scenic, historic, archaeologic, and
scientific features. Management plans
for any such component may establish varying degrees of intensity for its
protection and development, based on the special attributes of the area.”
I respectfully submit that a singularly
important question that the USFS must deliberate in reviewing this issue is,
“Will the suspension of restrictions against floating above Highway 28
inaugurate a level and intensity of new visitation above Highway 28 that would
“substantially interfere with public use and enjoyment of…the special
attributes of the area?” I would argue
that inevitably it will, to the extent that it will facilitate new and easy
access to an area whose altogether unique and irreplaceable “special
attributes” have accrued as a result of reasonable limitations on human travel
imposed upon the headwater reaches by the governing agency, acting entirely
within the letter and spirit of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The river was zoned in order to protect
and provide for varying kinds and intensities of human use. The USFS inaugurated reasonable, justifiable
limitations on means of travel to ensure that certain kinds of traditional
river experiences would be retained after designation and throughout the
increase in use that the agency knew would follow designation. Those zoning
restrictions were and are entirely within the USFS legal purview, and the same
restrictions, to my mind, are even more important today than they were 30 years
ago, when river floaters were far, far fewer, and paddling sports not nearly as
popular or well developed. Moreover,
the restriction against floating above 28 is, after all, only imposed upon the
means of travel, not upon the user.
There is not a single boater whose use of the Chattooga headwaters is
categorically restricted. All citizens
have equal access under the laws and regulations of the USFS.
The zoning solution arrived upon more
than 30 years ago has worked well in maintaining a delicate balance of human
use of a rare, limited and ever diminishing resource. I would ask that the Forest Service focus their deliberations
more on the critical importance of maintaining that overall balance for future
generations of “users”, and less on the urgent importunities of any one
sub-group of current users.
“I’ve had
the good fortune to fish innumerable waters over the years, and as my fly
fishing skills developed, I began focusing less on the piscatorial pursuit, and
more on simple aesthetic pleasures.
With fly fishing it may be the natural progression of things, but for
me, while catching trout is important, catching them in wild pristine settings
is paramount.” “Sights, Sounds and Solitude of High-Country
Streams” by Chuck McGuire in June 1995 Fly Fishing
Take a
few minutes, tell the Forest Service what the Upper Chattooga means to you by sending your comments to: Project Coordinator - John
Cleeves, E-mail jcleeves@fs.fed.us USDA
Forest Service, 4931 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29212
For info on
the User Analysis, click on: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/chatt.shtml

Adams Irresistible, Deer Hair (size 12) Thunderhead
(size 10-18) Smoky Mtn. Orange Forked Tail (size
12-16)
a.k.a Natural Deer Hair (Sorry Kelly, no picture of a
yellow one)
" If you are a passionate
angler, the chances are that someone caused you to be that by hooking you on
fishing when you were young. Those of
us who are hooked young, by someone who knows what he (or she) is doing, rarely
get off, and often we turn into fishers of kids ourselves. "
From The Next Valley Over
by Charles Gaines
Youth Programs in Conservation & Environmental Education
- $3970: Sponsor 2 kids to The Georgia Trout Camp in
2006; Financial Support of the GA DNR Environmental Education Program at the
Smithgall Woods Conservation Center; Financial Support of National TU “First
Cast” Program; Sponsor for 2 Kids Fishing Days - Black Rock (State Park) and
Tallulah River (USFS); Sponsor for Local Enviro-thon for High School Students;
Sponsor for GA WRD Outdoor Adventure Day at Unicoi State Park; 11 Gift TU
Memberships (3 Libraries, 3 State Parks & 5 Students)
Enhancement of Cold Water Resources - $3500: Pay 50% of cost for 2 Backcountry
Helicopter Stocking of trout with USFS & GA DNR (Upper Chattooga River
& West Fork); Financial Support for the National TU “Embrace-A-Stream” Program;
Financial Support for the SE Region Coordinator for the “Back-the-Brookie”
Program; Cost of 2 In-stream Chapter Work Outings in Rabun County (Heddon Creek
& Ramey Creek)
Other Outreach Support - $800: Financial
Support of the “Casting For Recovery” Program for Survivors of Breast Cancer;
Support of Other TU Chapters
Chapter Operations - $1520: Website;
Newsletter; Use of Meeting Place; Hospitality; Local Promotion
“BACKCASTING”
Feb 4 (Sat) Annual Planning Meeting and
breakfast at the Dillard house was attended by 9 Rabunites. The total budgeted expenditures for 2006 are
set at $9,790 (see above). The
sponsorship of 2 summer interns to work on fisheries in NE GA with the USFS
will not take place this year. The
Forest Service has advised that the replacement for Doug Watson, the recently
retired district wildlife technician, will not be approved and selected for
some time. That position is necessary
to provide oversight for the interns to utilize them effectively and for their
safety. The request for financial
assistance from the GA Envirothon Chairman has been referred to the GA Council
of TU for funding consideration. Rabun
TU will continue to support the Envirothon program in the Rabun County high
schools.
Feb 7 (Tues) Fly Tying with Terry
Rivers at his home near Persimmon, the first of 5 sessions. Seven Rabunites attended and practiced tying
gold ribbed hares ear nymphs.
Feb 8 (Wed) Collected Water Samples from 8
local brook trout streams and transport samples to North GA Tech for lab
analysis. Four Rabunites participated.

One
Rabunite Collecting Samples and Two Rabunites Supervising! Where? I.D.B.I.S.
Feb 16 (Thurs) GA Senate Natural Resources and Environment
Committee hearing on Senate Bill 510
(2/20/06) - Dear Members of the Natural Resources
Committee:
Last Thursday, February 16th, I
spoke to you on behalf of the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited. We opposed SB 510 as written. I
appreciated your undivided attention as you listened to what I, and others, had
to say. Now I am writing as a citizen
of Georgia, as well as a member of Trout Unlimited.
It was evident from the wide
range of those who spoke in opposition to SB 510 that there are great
concerns...concern about flooding, concern about financial impact, concern
about wildlife habitat and, for all, concern about water quality. If we continue to encroach on our waterways,
both large and small, we will continue to harm the environment with which we
have been blessed. Those who spoke were not just a bunch of emotional
"tree huggers;" they had first hand knowledge of present and
potential problems, along with scientific evidence of the impact of reducing
buffers.
The question was asked about
"economic impact to those upstream" because they can't use all their
property as they might want. While most
of us don't want government...local, state or national...to interfere with our
lives, there are times when government must make tough decisions for the good
of all, both now and for the future. The protection of our water resources is
such a situation where we must look at the common good and must plan for years
to come.
I urge you not to reduce
buffers in any way. The report
presented by Dr. Judy Meyer clearly showed that the reduction of buffers seriously
effects the quality of the water. Her report focused on trout waters, but the
same evidence can be applied to other waterways...wider buffers protect the
streams. Georgia is fortunate that most
of our waterways begin within our state boundaries so we can control what comes
downstream. We need to have that same
control within our state so our citizens can enjoy the quality of life they
deserve. Good water is not a luxury, it
is a necessity for life and you have the authority to ensure that for all Georgians.
Some may think their property has been "de-valued" because they can't
build right beside a stream or river but others, who live downstream, are
assured a healthier and better life because Georgia protects its waterways.
Remember..."Everyone lives
downstream” and "your freedom ends where my nose begins."
Thank you for reading this
and, please, do what is right for Georgia and our citizens. Sincerely, Charles C. Breithaupt, Jr. -
Chairman, GA Council of Trout Unlimited; A Concerned Citizen
Feb 21 (Tues) Chapter Meeting
There were 23 attendees, including several guests from as
far away as Metro Atlanta, Clemson, Hiawassee.
Mike Crane, USFS Pickens District Ranger (SC), gave an excellent update
on the status and future plans for the Upper Chattooga River user
analysis. There will be 2 types of
boater trials. One trial will be
structured and regimented with expert panels consisting of researchers,
boaters, and anglers. The other will be
restricted, supervised, and monitored public boating trials at specific times
to collect specific information. In
addition there will be a thorough review of existing related information and
studies, focus groups, and user surveys.
When all the details are worked out there will be another public meeting
with questions and feedback. Mike also
spoke about the proposed sale of USFS lands (see lead story in WHAT’S NEW?). The list of proposed tracts is composed of the parcels the Forest
Service considered available for “land exchange” to consolidate holdings. On Feb 28
they released details of tract
locations and a 30-day public comment period began. Raffle: There were
9 super neat items for the bucket raffle at this meeting, including 3 fly
assortments, 4 draws for toe warmers, 2 free haircuts (donated by City Barber
Shop), and a $29 value Oil Change (donated by Rabunite Allison Adams and
Clayton Texaco Express Lube). A strange
thing happened, Lea didn’t win the flies; he donated flies he tied! The raffle raised $120. A special ‘thank you’ goes to all that
contributed items.
Feb 28 (Tues) Board of Directors meeting, 7
pm, followed by Fly Tying at Terry Rivers’ house was attended by 5
directors and 3 more Rabunites for the fly tying session (prince nymph). Items discussed included membership, the
Chapter position on the proposed USFS land sale, the Chapter position on GA
SB510, the USFS User Analysis on the Upper Chattooga, the nomination of Jimmy
Whiten to fill the Vice President position (Ralph & Sandy Morgan are moving
to the flatlands), candidates to fill 2 vacant Director positions, the Chapter
selection of 3 kids for Trout Camp, Dream Trip raffle ticket sales, Chapter
gift for Hoot on the Hoot, and the Chapter Effectiveness Index. We departed the tying session at 10 pm. Fun evening! Thanks, Terry.

Jimmy Harris, recipient of the GA TU Council’s “Appreciation Award”. The Rabunites also thank you Jimmy, for all
of your support through the years for
The
Rabun Rendezvous.
Letters
to the Editor
Thanks to the
Rabunites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you very much for the plaque on Saturday night. The ovation
overwhelmed me. Honestly, there was no need, but it was very much
appreciated, and I accept it on behalf of all our fine folks in DNR who try
hard to conserve your trout resources and provide you with good fishing
opportunities.
You see, I have
already been rewarded. For 20 years,
I've been rewarded every day at "work," every time I watch you pound
steel in a stream structure, each instance you bait a hook at a kids fishing
rodeo, each instance you speak up on a conservation issue, each time Patrick
eats a hush puppy at Salmon Camp, and every time you catch a good'un and smile
at me.
Most
importantly, I am rewarded every time I see a Rabunite and he or she warmly
says, "Hello Jeff."
Thank you for accepting me here in north
Georgia. I am truly blessed to be able to call you friends, fishing
buddies, and conservation partners.
Makin' Memories
- - - thanks for my deep, deep banking account of life's joys! How do ya'll say it? WAAAAAA-HOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Jeff “The Dredger” Durniak, Tuesday,
January 24, 2006
Editor’s note: The
Rabun Chapter of Trout Unlimited proudly presented to Jeff the 2006
Distinguished Service Award. All 250
attendees at the Rabun Rendezvous gave him a standing ovation.
Andy Dolloff's brief statement concerning
habitat simplification due to timber harvesting doesn't tell the entire story,
and needlessly casts a bad light on the timber program. (See article in
February issue of TIGHT LINES.) First
of all, high gradient Appalachian streams are primarily dependent upon boulders
and bedrock for providing habitat. LWD is not the primary habitat even in the
Smokies where they do not harvest timber. Saying this, I don't mean that LWD is
not desirable and doesn't occur to some degree in these streams. The main point
I would like to make is that placing LWD could be written into timber sale
contracts, achieving far better results than random placement by Mother Nature.
Dolloff's own research showed that specifically placed LWD was more
effective than random accumulations. Working through the sale contract could
mean more woody debris than would occur normally, in addition to more effective
placement at little or no cost.
Monte
Seehorn –
Retired USFS Regional Fisheries Biologist
Here's a suggestion for the next Tight Lines: How about a
piece on the correct use of the hair-stacker.
As many years as I've made flies, I have never mastered this infernal gadget. I'm beginning to think the hair-stacker is a cruel joke old timers play on us younger folks... like a left-handed monkey wrench.
As a result, my
caddis wings, humpy bodies, and Muddler Minnows all look like Don King's hair
or something Phyllis Diller would wear to a seduction.
Thanks and best to
all, Erwin Ford - Americus, GA
(Reprinted
“Letter to the Editor” in Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2/20/06)
It is hard to
imagine that a $300,000 study commissioned by the state Legislature to examine
the effects of reduced stream buffers would be given five minutes for its
presentation to the Senate Natural Resources & Environment Committee. It is
even harder to imagine that its chairman, Ross Tolleson, "can't get
comfortable" with the information presented.
It took me more
than five minutes to read the report, and it made me uncomfortable ---
sometimes facts can do that.
That committee should sift through that report and prepare legislation to protect the fragile mountain streams being damaged, perhaps beyond repair, because of poor decision-making three years ago. Eventually that lower-quality water will reach the taps of metro Atlanta.
Paul O'Mara – Rome. GA
(Editor’s note: Paul’s daughter, Kelly,
attended the 2004 GA Trout Camp)
President's
Budget Proposes USFS Selling Land
(see lead story in WHAT’S NEW?):
I've already sent
an e-mail to my Ruffed Grouse mailing list suggesting that they recommend
simply harvesting the timber on the land to their Congressman, and sell it
rather than the land, as one possibility if it looks like the land will really
be sold. My guess is that they could generate about as much money and still
keep the land. With even a halfway reasonable timber program on the National
Forests to generate 25% funds they wouldn't have to depend on taxpayer dollars to
fund the counties. It was a "given" when Clinton passed the
legislation, that these taxpayer funds would dry up during lean years. He and
the preservation groups didn't care. They were basically pushing this program
to take emphasis away from the timber program.
Monte Seehorn – Retired USFS Regional Fisheries Biologist
“Solitude, particularly for
the city man, is at the heart of fishing for trout."
From The Armchair Angler by R Palmer Baker Jr.
What’s New?
USFS - Data
Gathering Techniques Announced for Chattooga Wild and Scenic River's Visitor
Use Capacity Analysis (2/3/06) There will be 2
types of boater trials. For more
information see the “Backcasting” report of Feb 21 Chapter meeting presentation
and the News Release by Sumter N F: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/news/2006/FMS0603.shtml
(see “Backcasting” Feb 16 & “Letter to the Editor” by O’Mara)
A bill that makes it possible for landowners outside metro Atlanta to build closer to drinking water reservoirs and their feeder streams passed a Senate committee Feb 24th.
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/sum/sb510.htm
USFS - Chattahoochee National Forest Concessionaire
Prospectus: The USDA Forest Service Chattahoochee National Forest
is seeking qualified businesses interested in operating 7 government owned
campgrounds and day use recreation areas (none in Rabun County are included).
One business will be selected and will be issued a Special Use Authorization to
operate these sites. Proposals will be accepted now through the close of
business on April 3, 2006. For more
info: http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/su/200601-ghc.htm
USFS –
Tallulah Ranger District: 05-182 - Fish Passage & Habitat Enhancement;
Brook Trout Restoration/Renovation (10 - 20 Streams); Scoping in Feb. 2006;
Decision/Review in April 2006; Implementation from 2006 – 2008. For more info: http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/sopa/documents/200601-sopa.pdf
SC DOT – New US76 Bridge Over the Chattooga River: Construction is underway for the replace bridge over Georgia’s only National Wild and Scenic River. The new bridge is being constructed imme