Fishing Corner · Tips & tricks
How to fly fish the Chattahoochee
A guide’s-eye view of Atlanta’s tailwater: the water, the flies, the rules, and how to read a river that changes by the hour.
Why the Hooch fishes like a western river
Buford Dam releases water from deep in Lake Lanier, and that water stays cold enough for trout all year. Below the dam, 48 miles of the Chattahoochee are designated trout water, from Buford Dam to Peachtree Creek.
Georgia stocks about 180,000 rainbows a year, and the browns are wild. Georgia’s state-record brown trout, 20 pounds 14 ounces, came from below Buford Dam in 2014.
Start with the water level
Releases from Buford Dam can raise the river quickly, and the water stays near 50°F. Check the release schedule at 1-855-DAM-FLOW before every trip, and if you wade, get out as soon as the water starts rising.
Rig for the current
- Nymphs under an indicator are the workhorse rig on the Hooch.
- Tailwater trout eat small bugs, so carry midges and small nymphs.
- Streamers can move big browns, especially in low light.
- Add enough weight to get your flies near the bottom in the current.
Read the river
- Fish the seams where fast and slow water meet.
- Riffles and drop-offs hold feeding fish.
- A drift boat covers miles of water and reaches runs wading anglers can’t.
Know the rules
- You need a Georgia fishing license and a trout license.
- From the GA 20 bridge to the Medlock Bridge ramp, it’s artificial lures only.
- Delayed Harvest rules apply from Sope Creek to US 41, Nov. 1 – May 14.
- Life jackets are required from Buford Dam to the GA 20 bridge.
- Fishing hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Ask Chris
Headed to the Chattahoochee? Ask Chris.
Chris Scalley has fished just about every water in Georgia and the Southeast, and he has guided since 1994. Ask him where to go, what’s biting, or who to fish with. He reads every question himself.
- Where and when to fish the Chattahoochee
- Which local guide or charter is worth booking
- A trout trip on the Hooch with River Through Atlanta
From the guides at River Through Atlanta
The fastest way to learn the Hooch? Fish it with a guide who’s on it 200 days a year.
Below Buford Dam, cold water from the bottom of Lake Lanier keeps 48 miles of the Chattahoochee cool enough for trout all year. It’s western-style fly fishing from a drift boat, for rainbows and wild browns, right through Atlanta. Our Orvis-endorsed guides have fished it since 1994, and beginners are welcome.
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