“FORWARD CASTING” Important Dates - See you there!

June 3 (Sat) Kids Fishing Event; 8 am, Tallulah River – Sponsors: USFS, GA WRD, & TU

(Rabun TU is supporting this KFE with a donation of $300)

June 7 (Wed) GA TU Council Meeting, 6:30 PM, Bass Pro Shop, I-85 North of Atlanta

June 10 (Sat) Kids Fishing Event, Has been re-scheduled for 9 am, Black Rock Mountain State Park Lake

(Rabun TU is supporting this KFE with a donation of $200)

June 11 – 16 (Sun – Fri) GA Trout Camp; RGNS; All Day & All Night;

We need all the help we can get!

Contact Charlie Breithaupt, he is the Camp Director:

Ph 706 782 6954 or E-mail knc615@hughes.net

June 20 (Tues) Chapter Meeting, 6:30 PM, Clayton Presbyterian Church Program: Mack Martin “Alaska Fishing Trips to the Dog Salmon River”

June 29 (Tues) Board of Directors meeting, Location TBD

July 11 & 12 (Tues & Wed) Electro-Shock Sampling of Chattooga River (USFS, SC DNR & GA DNR).Lots of Volunteers needed!

July 18 (Tues) Family Picnic, 6 PM, Kelly’s Water Falls Park

July 25 (Tues) Board of Directors meeting, Location TBD

FLY OF THE MONTH

by Terry Rivers

MARCH BROWN

THIS FLY IS A MUCH NEEDED FLY PATTERN THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN MAYFLYS ARE HATCHING AND YOU THINKING, “I WILL TIE ON A LIGHT CAHILL” WITH NOT TO MUCH ACTION. AND THEN YOU REALIZE THAT THE FLY SEEMS TO BE OF A LITTLE DARKER COLOR. YOU CAN SURE BET THAT IS A MARCH BROWN HATCHING. TIE ONE OF THESE ON AND SEE THINGS CHANGE.

HOOK: STANDARD DRY 12 TO 18

TAIL: BROWN HACKLE BARBS

BODY: BROWN DUBBING

WING: WOODDUCK FLANKS OR TIE IT PARACHUTE PATTERN

HACKLE: MIXED BROWN & GRIZZLY

RIB: BROWN 6/0 THREAD OR I USE SMALL VINYL RIB

"The flytier who practices with the flies he or she has created soon realizes that there can be a large degree of difference between a fly pattern that catches the admiration of anglers and those that catch trout."

Ken Iwamasa

JUNE HATCHES

The Bugs Time of Month Time of Day Suggested Flies Grey-Brown & Green Caddis Early Late PM 14–16 Dark Elk Hair Caddis w/Green 14–16 Dun & Green Caddis Pupa

Speckled Grey-Brown Caddis Early Late PM 14–16 Dark Elk Hair Caddis w/Yellow-Brown 14–16 Dun & Yellow Caddis Pupa

Small Dun Caddis All Month Mid AM 18 Brown Elk or Deer Hair Caddis 18 Grey Caddis Pupa

Giant Black Stonefly All Month Dawn to early AM 4–6 Black Stonefly Nymph

Brown Stonefly All Month Early to Mid AM 10–12 Brown Stonefly Nymph

Golden Stonefly All Month Early AM 6–10 Golden Stonefly Nymph

Light Cahill Mayfly All Month E to L pm 12-14 Light Cahill 12-14 Light Cahill Nymph

Trico Mayfly Mid to Late Mid AM 20 Parachute Trico

Trico Spinner Fall Late PM 20–22 Poly Wing Black Spinner

Midges All Month All Day 18-22 Griffith's Gnat 18-22 Midge Pupa

Terrestrials – Ants, Beatles, Crickets, Inch-Worms, Etc Various Times & Sizes

TU Chapter ‘Website-of-the-Month’: http://www.blueridgemountaintuonline.com/

(Take a look at “Members Scrapbook”)

The Fourth of a Series:

Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns

Smoky Mountain King: Size 12-16 Smoky Mountain Rattler: Size 10-14 Smoky Mountain Fork Tail (burnt orange): Size 6-10

Another set of 3 in the Smoky Mountain Series of Dry Flies

“By Golly Boys - - it takes a BIG fly to catch a BIG fish.” A Kellyism

Would you like to have the original receipt for any of these Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Flies?

Do you have a favorite Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns you would like to see featured here?

Just send an E-mail request to: edadams1@alltel.net

Rabunite Clay Hudgins has spent about 10 years researching, information collecting, and compiling a wealth of pictures and data on the Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns.

Clay has given us permission to share the results of his hobby with the readers of TIGHT LINES.

“It is quite easy to debase the sport, change its values, dilute its ethics and destroy its traditional associations with quietness, relaxation and the opportunity to think. Angling is not a competitive sport.

The fisherman’s only real competition is with his quarry and his only real challenge is the challenge to himself.

Nothing can add to this, but the blight of interhuman competition can certainly detract from it.”

From “Bright Waters, Bright Fish” by Roderick Haig-Brown

50 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

Georgia published this magazine. The Burton Hatchery was new and was one of the finest in the South.

Trout Unlimited is Committed to Protecting and Preserving the Upper Chattooga Watershed

I, Max Gates, being first duly sworn, depose and say:

1. I am a citizen and resident of Clayton, Georgia.

2. I am competent and have personal knowledge of the matters discussed herein.

3. I served as USDA Forest Service (“USFS”) Forest Ranger for the Andrews Picken District of the Sumter National Forest in the Walhalla, South Carolina office from 1961-1972.

4. I served as Resource Assistant District Ranger for the USFS Tallulah District of the Chattahoochee National Forest from 1972 to 1986.

5. During the course of my employment with the USFS from 1962 to 1986 and as a citizen that often used and still uses the Chattooga River for personal enjoyment, I had regular and consistent opportunity to observe the Chattooga River and its uses before and after its designation as a Wild and Scenic River.

6. During the course of my employment with the USFS, I regularly traveled to and observed other wilderness and park areas throughout the Southeastern and Northwestern United States.

7. During the course of my employment with the USFS, I was involved in the study as how best to manage the newly established Wild and Scenic River portion of the Chattooga River.

8. Prior to this period, users of the portions of the Chattooga River that are now designated as wild and scenic enjoyed an experience of solitude and enjoyment of nature that was unique in the Southeast.

9. Following the publishing of the Wild and Scenic River Study (1971) and the release of the movie Deliverance (1972), boating usage of the Chattooga River increased dramatically.

10. As boating usage increased, we in the USFS had to respond to a number of boating accidents on the river both above and below Highway 28. One group involved 15 to 20 boy scouts in canoes floating from Burrell’s Ford. Two of the boys showed up at my house at midnight after becoming separated from the rest of the group. Each of the canoes had capsized and I do not believe we recovered any of the canoes. We simply did not have the resources at the USFS to monitor and regulate adequately all this usage above and below highway 28.

11. As boating usage increased, we also had to respond to reports of conflicts between boaters and non-boaters. Many local non-boaters told me that they felt that boaters were intruding on their feeling of safety and solitude in areas long used by such non-boaters for camping, swimming, hiking, fishing and picnics. Some of these people responded by expressing their anger at boaters through verbal barbs, throwing stones, and even firing of gunshots. USFS and other law enforcement personnel had to break up a number of such confrontations.

12. I concluded that the increased boating usage presented a threat to the quality of wilderness experience available to non-boating users.

13. I, with other managers, concluded that the area of the Chattooga River being designated as a Wild and Scenic River should be divided into zones of usage so as to allow citizens reasonable use of the Wild and Scenic river while minimizing conflicts between user groups, maximizing the ability of the USFS to manage the resource, and preserving the unique natural qualities of the river that resulted in such designation.

14. We concluded that boaters should be allowed access to sections of the Wild and Scenic River (often referred to today as Sections 2 through 4) but that the portion above Highway 28 should be preserved for those who desire the solitude experience that all sections of the river formerly provided.

15. The USFS adopted these recommendations to zone use.

16. Following adoption of the use zoning, there were many people drowned while floating the Chattooga. (I remember 19 people were drowned in the first three years alone) There were a number of conflicts between boaters and other users in the sections zoned for boating. However, the conflicts between boaters and other users gradually declined because of limited road access and the sheer number of floaters which discouraged other uses.

17. In my opinion, based on 25 years of professional forestry experience in the area and 40+ years of enjoying the use of the Chattooga river, the portion of the Chattooga River above Highway 28 is unique in the Southeast in terms of the quality of its wilderness solitude experience, and the quality of its wilderness hiking, nature watching, fly fishing and other outstanding recreational experience.

18. In my opinion, based on 25 years of professional forestry experience in the area and my years of enjoying the use of the Chattooga river, lifting the ban on boating above Highway 28 will damage the unique wilderness solitude experience and quality of wilderness hiking, nature watching, fly fishing and other outstanding recreational experience above Highway 28. Boaters already have access to the majority of the river and their usage of the river has impacted the quality of usage by non-boaters. Therefore it is fair to protect the interest in solitude and outstanding recreation experience of non-boaters in the remaining section. In short, something should be set aside for solitude and wilderness experience.

19. Finally, in my opinion based on 25 years of professional forestry experience in the area (that includes 14 years of responsibility for USFS law enforcement) and 40+ years of enjoying the use of the Chattooga river, the USFS would not be able to enforce adequately any rules for limited boating access above Highway 28.

Further, Affiant sayeth not. Max Gates April 10, 2006

I, Jim Barrett, being first duly sworn, depose and say:

1. I am a citizen and resident of Rockport, TX.

2. I am competent and have personal knowledge of the matters discussed herein.

3. I served as USDA Forest Service (“USFS”) title District Ranger for the Andrews Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest in the Walhalla, South Carolina office beginning in 1972. As such, I was responsible for timber, recreation, wildlife and general forest management in the District, including management of the portion of the Chattooga River that flowed through the District.

4. I served with USFS for six years in the USFS regional office in Atlanta. I then transferred to Louisiana and retired in 1987. Although I lived in the Atlanta area during this period I had regular opportunity to observe the Chattooga River and its uses before and after its designation as a Wild and Scenic River and still visit the river. I also had the opportunity during my 23 years of work with the USFS to travel to and observe forests and rivers throughout the Southeast.

5. During the course of my employment with the Andrew Pickens Ranger District, the USFS was conducting its study of the portions of the Chattooga River that were being considered for designation as a Wild and Scenic River and I had responsibility to assist with that study.

6. As part of its study, the USFS held a number of public forums to receive input from the general public, and various user interests and groups participated. We also discussed at these public forums proposed changes to the historic practices the USFS had used to manage the area, including the proposed zoning of the river for boating below Highway 28.

7. After much study and consideration of the public comments, we recommended and the USFS approved the use zoning that is still in place, and that I understand is currently being challenged.

8. In my opinion, based on 30 years of professional forestry experience in the Southeast and years of personal experience enjoying the Chattooga river

a. The portion of the Chattooga River above Highway 28 is unique in the Southeast in terms of the quality of its wilderness solitude experience, and the quality of its wilderness hiking, nature watching, fly fishing and other outstanding recreational experience;

b. lifting the ban on boating above Highway 28 will damage the unique wilderness solitude experience and quality of wilderness Hiking, nature watching, fly fishing and other outstanding recreational experience above Highway 28. Boaters already have access to the majority of the river and their usage of the river has impacted the quality of usage by non-boaters. Therefore it is fair to protect the interest in solitude and outstanding recreation experience of non-boaters in the remaining section. In short, there is no legitimate, valid reason to allow boating from Burrells Ford to Highway 28, or from even further upriver as some suggest; and

c. given its limited budget, the USFS has done an excellent job of managing the Wild and Scenic Area of the Chattooga River, having a bright line demarcation between boating and non-boating areas has made that job easier, and maintaining the existing status quo would help the USFS continue to manage this unique resource for the benefit of all users.

Further, Affiant sayeth not. Jim Barrett March 30, 2006

What’s New?

Boaters File Suit Against the USDA Forest Service: On May 18th several boating organizations and 3 individuals signed-on as the plaintiffs for the filing of a lawsuit against the Forest Service (FS) in federal court in Gainesville, GA. The suit seeks to overturn the 30-year old zoning of the Wild & Scenic Chattooga River. As a result of an appeal to the FS filed by the boaters in April ‘04 and in accordance to the instructions from the Chief of the FS in April ‘05, the Sumter National Forest is currently preparing a user capacity analysis for the Upper Chattooga. The boaters are now saying, “The user capacity analysis faulters with delays, communication breakdowns, and inherently flawed study designs.” The present zoning allows boating below the Highway 28 Bridge and the entire West Fork of the Chattooga. The private boaters are seeking immediate and unregulated access (any number of boats, anytime, any water level) for rafting, canoeing, and kayaking on the last 21 miles of the Upper Chattooga. The stretch of river at issue is presently zoned for foot travel only (no horses, no bicycles, no boats) for those visitors seeking solitude, remoteness, and a true wilderness experience. (Editor’s note: The Friends of the Upper Chattooga believe this is fair and reasonable zoning.)

The Friends of the Upper Chattooga believe the lawsuit has no legal merit and expect the FS to defend itself vigorously in this matter. The group anticipates the FS will heed the lessons it learned downstream years ago as it continues to protect the resources of the Upper Chattooga. That experience reveals an 800-fold increase in boating along the Lower Chattooga from 1968 to the 1990s, a 500 percent increase in the 20 years after 1976, and a host of accompanying problems (including conflicts between user groups and resource damage). “This kind of usage suggests the outstandingly remarkable values of the river will be at stake if the federal government opens the river above the Route 28 Bridge,” said Buzz Williams, spokesman for the group.

To see the FS Use Data for the growth in boating count downstream of the Highway 28 Bridge since 1968, click on: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/recreation/riveruse.html

The Friends of the Upper Chattooga include the Chattooga Conservancy, Georgia ForestWatch, various state councils of Trout Unlimited, the Whiteside Cove Association and several private landowners along the upper corridor of the Chattooga, a Congressionally designated Wild and Scenic River. Members of the group, individually and collectively, possess decades of experience on this river.

The primary goals of the group are to help protect the Upper Chattooga’s wild and scenic values, to educate the public to threats to these values, and to assist the Forest Service in arriving at a reasonable decision that, above all, protects this river’s resources. The stretch of river at issue is a haven for hikers, hunters, naturalists, bird watchers, swimmers and trout fishermen. It includes the Ellicott Rock Wilderness Area and Rock Gorge, among the few remaining wild places in the tri-state area that still provide high-quality solitude and wilderness experience. The group wants to help the Forest Service do what is best for the long-term future of the Upper Chattooga.

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

NEWS RELEASE from TROUT UNLIMITED, ARLINGTON, VA (5/4/2006)– Brook trout populations have been eliminated or greatly reduced throughout more than 80% of their historical habitat in Georgia and South Carolina. These results reflect the condition of brook trout across their entire Eastern range, according to an assessment released today by a coalition of natural resource agencies and Trout Unlimited.

“Brook trout are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to water quality,” said Gary Berti, Trout Unlimited’s Eastern Brook Trout Campaign Coordinator. “The presence of brook trout in a watershed indicates that water quality is excellent. Declining brook trout populations can provide an early warning that the health of an entire stream, lake or river is at risk.”

The report, “Eastern Brook Trout: Status and Threats,” is the first comprehensive assessment of the status of brook trout in the Eastern United States. These beautiful fish historically thrived in rivers and streams stretching from Maine to Georgia, but land use pressures and stocking of competing fish species have largely relegated the remaining isolated populations to the headwaters of high elevation streams.

The Georgia/South Carolina assessment looked at 118 different watersheds of about 15 square miles each. Brook trout were found in streams in 25% of the watersheds where they likely existed prior to European settlement. Brook trout are currently found mainly above barrier waterfalls in headwater streams on U.S. Forest Service lands. Most of these populations have been stable for the last 50 years due to their isolation and good public lands management.

The loss of brook trout range began with early settlers clearing the land and continued through the early 20^th century when most of the Appalachians were extensively logged by industrial interests, without any environmental controls. Because these events reduced trout populations in many streams, hatchery trout were often stocked to restore trout fisheries. In many streams, brook trout have been unable to compete successfully with browns and rainbows, and many miles of former brook trout streams now support reproducing populations of rainbow and brown trout.

While the limited number of intact brook trout populations is cause for concern, it is not necessarily cause for undue alarm, since most of the loss of brook trout range occurred prior to the middle of the last century. Since that time, many streams have recovered to the point that they will now support wild trout fisheries, although they may be naturally reproducing rainbow or brown trout.

“While these results are sobering, we are already pursuing conservation opportunities with our partner agencies and volunteer groups to benefit Georgia’s brook trout resource,” said Lee Keefer, Fisheries Biologist, Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “Our collective challenge is to determine the most effective brook trout conservation measures while balancing factors such as cost, probability of success, and potential impacts to other forest users. Obviously it would be impossible to restore the brook trout to its entire former range. We must prevent further loss of brook trout habitat, enhance the habitat we have, and investigate the potential for restoring this species to some of its former range.”

“The Georgia Legislature recently named the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout as the state’s Cold Water Game Fish,” explained Kevin McGrath, Back-the-Brookie Chairman for Trout Unlimited’s Georgia Council. “They recognized the brookie as a ‘significant component of the state and region’s ecological integrity, biological diversity, and sport fishing legacy.’ Wanting to ‘contribute to the efforts to protect this magnificent state natural resource’ the Legislature included the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout in the list of state symbols.”

This assessment represents the first stage of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture’s collaborative efforts to restore brook trout habitat. The Joint Venture was initiated in 2002 as a pilot program of the National Fish Habitat Initiative. Participants include fish and wildlife agencies from 17 states, federal partners, conservation organizations and academic institutions. The results of this assessment will be used to develop state-by-state strategies for brook trout conservation and recovery.

The full report, as well as state-specific data and maps, are available at www.brookie.org.

Contacts: Kevin McGrath, 404-668-5835, TU Georgia Council Lee Keefer, 706-947-3112, Georgia DNR

Jim Wentworth, 706-745-6928, Chattahoochee NF

Kathleen Campbell, 571-274-0597, TU National

A Prelude to Interstate 3 Construction?

(Reprinted with permission from the April/May 2006 issue of Mountain Review magazine)

The following account of problems experienced in Rabun County, during widening construction of U.S. Highways 76 west of Clayton, at pristine Lake Burton, could be a prime example of the consequences that could be common all along the proposed route of Interstate 3 throughout the mountain counties of Georgia and North Carolina.

Please help keep watch for similar situations in your area. Water quality must be of a primary concern to all of us. If not for the efforts of a small group of concerned citizens, this abuse of our watershed by neglectful construction practices, and poor oversight by GA DOT may have gone unnoticed and uncorrected.

Prior to Valentines Day, February 2006, Acorn Creek and Jones Branch trout streams in Rabun County’s watershed were so heavily silted through the failed erosion and sedimentation practices by Wright Brothers, under contract wit GADOT, that Georgia Power Company, on the offense, negotiated the removal of several truck loads of silt from the bed of Lake Burton.

Early on, Wright Brothers and the GA DOT assured representatives of the Georgia Power Company that silt curtains in Acorn and Jones would be the solution. Sadly, that action came too late, and sadly, it was not a permanent nor a temporary solution.

Georgia EPD is investigating why Wright Brothers and its authorized representative, Atlanta’s Rindt-McDuff Associates, have been unable to halt erosion and the resulting transportation of silt at the fill sites.

Wright Brothers is under a consent order signed by Carol Couch, GA EPD. Nevertheless, the silt removed from the bed of Lake Burton where Acorn Creek and Jones Branch drain the watershed now rests atop one of the Wright Brothers’ owned fill sites under the consent order.

Whether Wright violated the state prescribed 50 foot stream buffer for cold (trout) state waters is under review by EPD.

What should friends of Rabun and other Georgia Mountains counties take away from the experience with GA DOT, Wright Brothers, Rindt-McDuff and the GA EPD?

400 truck loads of silt atop what was a valley and trout stream, making its way back into Rabun’s watershed is not a pretty picture. During a recent rain shower, Rabun residents witnessed silt flowing back into Clear Spring, now piped below the rubble, and back into the primary trout stream and then into Lake Burton.

Senator Chip Pearson, along with Senator Ross Tolleson was extended an invitation to visit Wright Brothers’ fill sites and see for themselves that Rabun’s watershed has been failed by the fifty foot stream buffer mandated for Georgia State Trout Waters.

Friends of Rabun County have concluded what would be obvious to Senators Pearson and Tolleson, if they came to see for themselves. Stream buffers for Georgia’s Trout Waters must not be encroached upon. Indeed, even a casual observer will argue that fifty foot stream buffers for Georgia’s Trout streams…..IS NOT WORKING! WHAT ABOUT INTERSTATE 3

Siltation conference beneficial to county (reprinted from The Clayton Tribune – 4/27/06) http://www.theclaytontribune.com/

I would like to commend the Rabun County Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Rabun County Marshal’s Office for the recent program on soil and erosion.

The presentation was well attended by interested residents and several agency personnel. Various soil and erosion regulations were discussed and the marshals showed pictures of good and bad practices.

The bottom line for a county that prides itself on clean water, air and beautiful scenery is that every resident must become aware of proper erosion and siltation practices and report violations to the marshal’s office.

Steve Barrett - Clarkesville, President Lake Burton Civic Assoc.

Stop I-3 - Update (from the Gainesville Times – 4/20/06) http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20060420/opinion/88510.shtml Former Gov. Roy Barnes, speaking to Gainesville Rotarians earlier this month, said the proposed Interstate 3 never would be built through the Northeast Georgia mountains. However, government efforts to construct the interstate highway from Savannah to Knoxville are moving forward. Proponents say the highway is needed for easy trucking of consumer goods. Some opponents believe it is planned to haul nuclear waste from Plant Vogtle on the Savannah River to the disposal incinerator at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. But the most important issue here is not hauling nuclear waste or serving consumers. The greatest threats to trout streams are sedimentation and elevated water temperature, which result from land use practices that disturb natural conditions. We have witnessed first hand the loss of trout habitat that occurs around highway construction corridors. The best mitigation efforts are unable to adequately stem the silt, petroleum runoffs, and thermal pollution that are integral to the construction and use of interstates. There is no corridor through the Chattahoochee National Forest capable of avoiding the destruction of some of Georgia's precious trout habitat. The Stop I-3 Coalition, based in White County, is the only organization formed expressly to stop the interstate. A growing confederation of community organizations and conservation groups in the four-state Appalachian region now are members, including Rabun TU and the GA TU Council. (Rabun TU & GA TU Council have each made donations of $100 to the Stop I-3 Coalition) http://www.stopi-3.org/

A great quote from John Muir:

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life.”

USFS – SC Burrell’s Ford Road Paving (4/1/06) The project that proposed to pave the remaining 2 and 1/4 miles of SC side of the Burrell's Ford Road (FSR 708) from Highway 107 to the bridge has been CANCELLED. http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/Report.pdf

Good News: Proposal to Sell Forest Service Lands is Rejected (5/4/06) The House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee passed legislation funding the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency in 2007. It does not include proposals put forth in the administration’s budget to sell Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands to fund rural schools and other federal operations. http://www.trcp.org/pr_goodbadconservationfundingnews.aspx

GA WRD, USFS, & TU - West Fork stocking (5/1/06) GA WRD provided 2500 trout paid for by fishing license and trout stamp fees and the USFS arranged for the helicopter and the supporting ground crew for loading the trout into a “fire fighting” type water bucket. The helicopter delivered the trout into the backcountry reaches of the West Fork of the Chattooga River. The next day the helicopter departed GA to fight forest fires in TX. (TU donated $500 in a challenge cost share project with the USFS to help pay the cost of the helicopter).

From: C.C. Barrett

Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 8:52 PM

Caught a 36 incher today on Lake Okeechobee. It was a "gator."
Honest.....really.......he took a top water bass bait. Top that one!!!

By Golly - - We don’t have to believe it - - if we don’t want to!

From: Alan Jenkins
Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 9:55 PM
Subject: Flyfishin' Southern Style
Season almost over here on the Hooch but with a cool cloudy day I thought it was worth a trip to test a Sage 3-weight. Bottoms-up day with fish hitting flies from below and swallows hitting them from above. One barn swallow came straight at me and swallowed a mayfly 6 feet in front of me. I was watching another mayfly float downstream and BAM, a swallow scooped it up and sped away. That wasn't the only aerial display as 6 Blue Angels roared overhead for the Air Show at the Air Force Base. With the sweet smell of honeysuckle on the breeze, it made for an unusual setting for fly fishing but this is the heart of Dixie after all. In this caddis and blue wing olive domain, it was a rare day when white #16 mayflies were hatching and after grabbing a few on my hand-tied #16 white-tailed BH wagger (due to the stiff wind), I tied on the #16 white cahill that almost never works here and it was off to the races - that 3-weight is a sweet thing indeed!

From: David Cannon

Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 11:47 AM

Subject: Chattooga Report - 4/29/06

      A group of several young NGTO members met up in Sautee-Nacoochee, loaded into one truck and started making our way towards THE RIVER (Chattooga). TreeFrog, Richie27, Bamboo Baboon, Darth Wader, and myself, TroutTackler, were all riding on the back roads between Helen and Clayton when we came up on an old farmer in an almost-as-old white Ford pickup. He was going 20 mph......in a 55 mph zone! I made everyone aware that I had been clocked beside a car before running 21 or 22 mph, so I thought that I could catch up with the old boy if they would let me out of the truck. So, Darth Wader whipped the truck over to the side of the road and I jumped out. I started booking it as hard as I could, but never could get close enough to the truck. My goal was to catch up with the truck and actually dive into the bed, really just to get a good laugh out of the guys we were with. But, apparently sitting in an office chair for the last nine months combined with the 20 pounds I've gained took my top speed down to about 15, according to the guys. Pretty sad, really.
     Darth Wader, who was behind the wheel, earned a new nickname as we were going over the mountain. Everyone but Darth and me got motion sick on those windy roads. So, Darth's new nickname is "Ol' Dale."
     After a short stop at Wendy's in Clayton to calm our stomachs with some Sprite and get a bite to eat, we headed down Warwoman, then to 28, over the bridge and into the parking lot. There were only four other cars in the lot, which was a shock to me on such a nice Saturday in late April.
     The "Baboon" and I had been talking trash, literally, since early that morning. He landed a 23" brown on some private water and was sure to let everyone know that he out-fished me for the morning. So, in response, I made the claim that I was going to land 60 at the Chattooga.
     Once parked, I jumped out of the truck, threw on my waders, grabbed my rod and took off running without the others. Somebody yelled and asked me what I was doing, so I replied that I had to get busy if I was going to land 60 from the time we got there (about 5:00) until it gets dark (about 8:30).
     I slowed down a little as I was walking down the trail, taking time to look around and remember why I love this place so much. It's a place that I hopefully will come back to until I can't walk anymore and reminisce about friends and fish and fun times. It's a place that I hope will have people standing up for it forever, so that I won't be the last one to feel this way about it. It's a place that feels so distant and removed from anything modern, yet is accessible to anyone with a desire to enjoy solitude, a desire to enjoy the beauty that God has created, and a few gallons of gas. And, oh yeah, fish.
     When I came to my first "spot," I tied on a 14 light cahill after seeing a few of them floating around and dropped a size 16 gold-ribbed hare's ear a few feet off of it. I landed two and missed three in about the first ten casts, so I thought I was off to a pretty decent start. The next two hours would prove to be a challenge, though.....
     Switching back and forth about every 15 minutes from dry and dropper, two dries, three dries, two dries and a dropper, and a strike indicator, two wets and some split shot, I was only able to coax two fish to hand. I did get a very hard hit in some fast water from a fish that probably would have gone 17 inches had I landed it, so again, retying......
     I kept telling myself not to get frustrated, that the "magic hour" would start soon and all my frustrations would drift downstream. But, the magic hour ended up being about a magic 15 minutes. It had been cloudy all day, so the hatches were very sporadic. And, by the time I would get my nymphs, split shot and indicator off of my line and tie on a dry or two, the four or five fish that had risen to the hatch had now gone back below as the small hatch was over.

     At about 7:40, I tied on a big stimulator with a 14 light cahill trailing behind it. The fish responded. I hit a small piece of pocket water as I was hurrying to get to a favorite run. A pretty 15-inch male rainbow took and put up a nice fight before landing in my net. In the run I was hoofing it to get to, I brought six rainbows up to 15 inches to hand. Then, as it was starting to get dark and I was making my way out, I landed four more in a row in the same run walking downstream and roll casting! I crossed THE RIVER and began trucking it downstream to see how my buddies had done. Darth Wader had landed five on dry flies, which was awesome considering that it was only his third time fly fishing and it was a pretty tough evening. Baboon ended up with seven, mostly on dries. TreeFrog landed about the same as he and Richie27, who ended up with about a dozen, were mouthing back and forth all day.
     After I met up with all of them, we got pretty close to the place where you cross the river to get back to the parking lot and threw a few more casts as all light disappeared. I landed five more and Baboon landed three as we had to use our ears more than our eyes to "listen" for rises to our dries.
     It ended up being a pretty fun evening on THE RIVER, as everyone landed a decent number of fish on a cool spring night.
     I think this deserves a mention, too: my 18 fish compared to Richie's dozen has nothing to do with skill OR luck. Richie is a much better angler than I am. So, what's the difference? The difference is that I've probably fished the Chattooga 20 more times than Richie. I know the "honey holes" a little better. Put him and me on Noontootla or Smith and he'll out-fish me at least 2-to-1.
     So, I guess the moral of the story is to really get to know one or two streams that you enjoy fishing. That way you can take your buddies there and really show them a good time - and you'll be the "expert"!!! That is, unless you are trying to land 60 fish and have to leave them all behind! Sorry guys!

Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 4:05 PM

Subject: RE: TIGHT LINES May 2006 Newsletter

Who the hell is Hawthorne Rigsby and what does he know about cougars? Don (Broken Knee) Atkinson – Sylvania, OH

Editor’s note: I don’t know, but I’ll ask Nugget.

Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 10:51 PM

Subject: Re: TIGHT LINES May 2006 Newsletter

Who in the world is Hawthorne Rigsby? Has to be one of the guys who was up on the PM beating up on our king salmon a few years back. Did you write this Doug or was it someone else that was up there that weekend. Jim Nixon perhaps? What a great "yarn". Sounds like the fishing has been fantastic this spring! Dave Schmidt – Petersburg, MI

Editor’s note: I.D.B.I.S.

Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 8:52 PM

Subject: FW: TIGHT LINES May 2006 Newsletter

Can you tell me where I could get a copy of the Bell Telephone ad? I sell to the Bell companies and would like to reproduce some to give to my customers.

Many thanks, Bill Cunningham – Cumming, GA

Editor’s note: A copy has been E-mailed

Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 4:28 PM
Subject: RE: TIGHT LINES May 2006 Newsletter
OK, the next time my name appears in TIGHT LINES, it will be for catching one of the larger trout in that area...fishing location, of course, not specified.... Cecil Greene – Raleigh, NC

Editors note: Cecil’s name appeared in the May issue as a New Member of Rabun TU. And then appeared again right here!

Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 3:00 PM

Subject: Membership/Transfer Chapters

I would like to receive the Rabun TU News letter. I have just transferred chapters due to relocation to Demorest GA. My previous chapter doesn't seem to be as active as yours and I would like to start volunteering and meetings/campouts etc. I switch through the national site is that all I need to do? I fished Northeast GA, SE Tenn., and NC. I researched the majority and Rabun TU is the perfect Fit. Please let me know if and when I need do anything else membership wise and hopefully I'll be at the next meeting. Thank You, Matthew A. Calvin – Demorest, GA

Editor’s note: Matthew, welcome to Rabun TU. You have done all you need to do to become a Rabunite! Looking forward to meeting you in person.

Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 7:58 PM

Dear Rabun TU,
Thank you very much for helping to sponsor Back-the-Brookie’s two interns for this summer with your generous donation. The interns will be working with GA DNR and the USFS for ten weeks collecting data, sampling streams, conducting population surveys and water sampling. We sincerely appreciate your support. WAAAHOOO! Kevin F. McGrath - Chairman, Back-the-Brookie; GA Council of TU

Editor’s note: Rabun TU’s BOD voted to donate $1440.

Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 12:02 PM

Dear Editor and fellow TU members,

As an angler of 43 years, TU Saluda Chapter member, Swiftwater Rescue volunteer, Conservationist, boater of 18 years and instructor of both rescue and kayaking, I take great exception at the articles in the January and May issues of "Tight Lines" and find them personally and professionally insulting.

Misrepresentation of fellow anglers simply because they have other hobbies only divides river conservation advocates.

Based on the principles of the US Constitution we all have a right to a difference of opinion. We should agree to disagree in non-personal ways and carry our issues in a professional manner to maintain working relationships that foster joint efforts to protect the resources threatened everyday.

Charlene Coleman, Trout Unlimited, Saluda River Chapter –Columbia, SC

Editors note: Charlene is an active and valued member of Saluda (SC) Chapter of TU and a SE Regional Coordinator for American Whitewater (AW). Charlene has been an integral part of the AW "Chattooga Defense Team”, along with AW Vice President Don Kinser (a member of Rabun TU) and led by AW’s National Stewardship Director, Kevin Colburn. She signed the April 2004 Appeal Document that AW submitted to the USFS for opening the Upper Chattooga to unrestricted year-around private boating. She is AW's March 2006 "Volunteer of the Month". http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/display/articleid/1654/display/full

Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 2:28 PM

Gents, we received the TU grant for the helicopter stocking on the West Fork. As always, Thank You very much. By the way, Mitzi Cole is back to work and we are starting to plan for the Ramey Creek workday. I'm looking forward to another great day in the field! Hope all is well. Keep in touch.

Mike Brod – USFS – Clayton, GA

Editor’s note: Mike is the new Wildlife Biologist for the Chattooga & Tallulah Ranger Districts

“BACKCASTING”

May 6 (Sat) Betty Creek In-Stream Clean-up: Charlie and Kathy had come the day before and flagged the stream into 3 sections. We divided into 6 teams of 2 or 3 people starting at each end of the 3 sections and worked towards the centers. A BIG “Thank You” goes to the crew of 15 volunteers. The crew was made up of members from 4 TU Chapters (including 9 Rabunites), a prospective member, and a 2006 Trout Camper. The stream was cleaned in short order and ready for the 2006 GA Trout Camp.

May 16 (Tues) The Family Cookout with our guests, the Boy Scout Troop and their parents, and special guests - C.C. & Shirley Barrett. About 50 Rabunites and guests attended, and so did about 100 bream!

May 17-21 (Wed - Sun) Fishing & Camping Between 20 and 25 Rabunites and guests took part. This letter says it all:

Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 Rabunites: I cannot remember having this much fun on any Georgia fishing trip in my lifetime. What a quality experience with the great food, fishing and yarns around the campfire. A simple thank you seems pitifully weak for a personal comment to a fantastic time in the woods with great people. I still am wondering about the "Twinkies & Fairies". Many thanks, Ray Gentry (A Rabunite)

May 23 (Tues) Board of Directors Meeting: We selected our Program Speaker for the 2007 Rabun Rendezvous, Jeff Durniak, and he accepted. Great choice! We discussed the fly rod raffle, the summer interns working with GA WRD, greeting and welcoming our guests & visitors at meetings, “thank you” gifts & supper for program presenters, the chapter logo, program for June meeting, location for July picnic, program for August meeting, and the details of the final plans for the 2006 GA Trout Camp.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

A Big Rabunite welcome to 6 new members this month: Matthew A. Calvin (transfer), 176 Legacy Drive, Demorest, GA 30535; Ron Grob, 100 Travelers Point, Toccoa, GA 30577; The Thomas Stroud Family, 7 Plantation Way, St. Simons Island, GA 31522; Hugh Thompson, 218 O’Connor Drive, Milledgeville, GA 31061; Donald Thomas, 7233 Sherwood Mill Drive, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, and Jacob Shelton, 2903 Sandy Ford Road, Clayton, GA 30525

Thanks for re-upping: Don Stenhouse, Frank Allan, Tom & June Landreth, Monte Seehorn, Ray Kearns, Erwin Ford, Max Gates, Ronald McKenney, Dale Powell, Robert Larsen, Jimmy Whiten, Charles Cawthon, and David Bentley

It is time to renew your membership: Eugene Nolte, Daniel Rabern, Patrick Gorman, Andy Gaston, M. Pierce, and Hal Northrop

Congratulations to Rabunite Daniel Rabern upon his graduation from Habersham Central High School. We wish a speedy recovery to Charter Rabunite Russ Tyre after his recent surgery. Charter Rabunite Tom Landreth has recovered nicely and is back wading and “researching” for his next trout stream watercolor scene. It seems Prez Terry Rivers may require surgery for his “railroad knee”. We offer our deepest condolences to the wives and families of Rabun TU member John Martin and his business associate Warren Palmer. John and Warren were killed in a private airplane accident in AL on May 10^th.

Rabun TU Officers & Directors

President - Terry Rivers, PO Box 371, Clayton, GA 30525 Ph 706 782 7419 E-mail tlr1121@alltel.net

Vice President - Jimmy Whiten Ph 706 886 6546 E-mail jimmywhiten@alltel.net

Treasurer (w/Newsletter & Meeting Raffles) - Doug Adams Ph 706 746 2158 E-mail edadams1@alltel.net

Secretary - Tom Matthews Ph 706 782 0369 E-mail tmatt@hemc.net

Past President (w/Membership) - Ray Kearns Ph 706 782 9913 E-mail raykearns@alltel.net

Director (w/Programs) - Bill Kelly Ph 706 746 2104 E-mail bkjk1@alltel.net

Director (w/Website) - Kathy Breithaupt Ph 706 782 6954 E-mail knc615@hughes.net

Director (w/Campouts & USFS Work-outings) - Charlie Breithaupt Ph 706 782 6954 E-mail knc615@hughes.net

Director (w/Publicity, Letters, & Hospitality) - Tom Landreth Ph 706 746 2295 E-mail landreth@alltel.net

Director – Larry Walker Ph 706 244 4345 E-mail amosndixie@alltel.net

Director – Lea Richmond Ph 706 782 6898 E-mail learichmond@alltel.net

News from the President...... Terry Rivers

Hi Folks,

Well the best months for fishing, or should I say catching, is soon to end. But so far it has been a season to remember. If you did not get to the Delayed Harvest streams this year you missed a great season. The DNR did a wonderful job putting some really good’uns in the streams.

I want to personally thank the people that attended the picnic at Indian Lake. The food was great, and the fishing was too. I just hope the Boy Scouts were left with good memories. And maybe someday they will step into our places and continue the work we have started

The campout was another big success. Food was outstanding and the fellowship we had cannot be beat. If you did not get the chance to attend you were surely talked about, I just cannot remember if it was good or bad.

You do not want to miss the June meeting Mack Martin is presenting on Alaska Fishing. Please try to attend this one. He is the person that donated the custom rod to our Chapter for a fundraiser. We need to have a big turnout and welcome him. We also have just a few tickets left so see Ray Kerns to purchase them. Also they have some at Reeves in town and at the Dillard store.

The 2006 GA Trout Camp is drawing close so please join us. We have filled all the campers’ spots and we surely can use all the help we can get.

See Ya’ll On THE RIVER.

Terry

Have a great day - Hope you catch a lot of fish!

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For more pictures, info, and back issues of TIGHT LINES, visit the Rabun TU website: http://www.rabuntu.com/ Georgia TU Council website: http://georgiatu.org/ & National TU Website: http://www.tu.org/index.asp We would love getting your “Letters to the Editor”, suggestions, stories, articles, and questions for our panel of experts in the Q & A section, or your comments about our Website and Newsletter.

Send them to: edadams1@alltel.net Or to: Rabun TU, PO Box 65, Rabun Gap, GA 30568

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Please tell us if you have E-mail, it will save the chapter $1.23 per newsletter mailed: E-Mail edadams1@alltel.net

RABUN CHAPTER of TROUT UNLIMITED PO BOX 371 CLAYTON, GA 30525

MARCH BROWN

Trout Unlimited is Committed to Protecting and Preserving the Upper Chattooga Watershed

New Data Shows Brook Trout Imperiled Throughout Entire Eastern Range

Georgia and South Carolina Brook Trout Populations Greatly Reduced From Historic Levels

Siltation conference beneficial to county (reprinted from The Clayton Tribune – 4/27/06) http://www.theclaytontribune.com/

Rabun Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Over $700 Retail Value!!

Terry