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Welcome to Fly Fishing West Georgia and Beyond. I hope there's plenty of info here to get you excited about some of the world's finest fly fishing. No, that's not hyperbole. West Georgia has some of best fishing anywhere - look around and see what I mean.

Flog

December 9 - Well, here's bad news for Jim W who "wussed" out of an 8 am trip this morn - I guess he thought it was too cold or something. It was down in the twenties early, but the trout were happy and eating. Another guide, Ben, came by and we caught fish all morning just fishing from the bank. Too bad you missed it, Jimbo.

December 4 - Fished at Callaway today with Tom and Sue from West Palm, but the Florida folks had no trouble adapting to some cooler temps. They spanked the trout from the bank and the driftboat - here's one of Tom's big ones...

November 27 & 28 - We had the fly fishing school at Callaway this weekend. Weather was fine (if a little cool), and a great group of students. All were new to the fly rod, but wasted no time in getting ready to fish.

Elizabeth H., a backpacker from CA, wanted to learn to catch those high-lake trout in the Rockies. She got a good start...

Mark, who travels all over with his camper, also got a taste....

Jason from LaGrange, GA also got his intro to west Georgia fly fishing, as he banged `em left and right...

November 26 - Fished Callaway today with Greg H. from FL. It was Greg's first time with a fly rod so we spent a little time casting on the grass. Greg "got it" pretty quick and was soon into big Callaway trout.

November 24 - Finally back home after mucho road time, I needed to check this season's trout over at Callaway Gardens. With my pal Joel, we launched the drift boat under overcast skies and immediately began whacking trout. The vedict - Callaway tout season is here.

November 9 - Still on the road but had to get in another day's fishing, this time in SC, with Captain Tommy Scarborough of Georgetown Coastal Adventures. Tommy's on the TFO pro-staff and does it all - offshore, bait, tackle, catfish, marsh hen hunts, and the fly. Don't let his diversity fool ya' though, he's the consummate  fly guide. Poling a beautiful Beavertail skiff and loaded with the best (TFO) equipment, Tommy put me on fish all day long even under the somewhat adverse conditions.

When you call his number (843-546-3543), you'll probably get his seemingly good-ol-boy message, "Sorry we can't answer, but we're probably out on the water catching lots of fish and having a big ol' time." Well, I'm here to tell you to take him at his word - lots of fish and a big ol' time is a perfect description of my day. Call him now - his redfish are on the feed all winter long!

November 9 - In the midst of a 3-week road trip, I laid out and fished the morning with Chuck L. up in Harkers Island, NC. The false albacore weren't doing it so we came back in and fished a trout flat. The fish weren't big, but we used the TFO 7' 4-wt Bug Launcher (with 200 grain heads) and had a blast with several dozen of these boys...

October 12 - Fished Callaway today with long-time customer and a great friend,. Bill was one of my first customers when I started guiding and he's still coming... a sucker for punishment. Thanks Bill.

October 10 - Spent the weekend at Jekyll with my fishing bud Joel and the wives. They went shopping, and as much as we wanted to join them...

October 10 - `Been spending a lot of time on the road, but slipped off today to look at some property on the Flint where I'm considering leasing some property. Naturally, it was necessary to fish a bit, and it just so happened that I had the new BVK rod from TFO in the car - it's mighty sweet!

September 26 - Fished stripes with Paul on the Hooch below West Point this afternoon. We got on a school of smaller fish and had a little fun with `em.

September 18 - Gretchen & Tim fished with me again today at Callaway. Gretchen has been on a couple of episodes of ESPN's "Flats Class" and they are talking about shooting an episode with  Freedom Hawk kayaks, so we put the boats in on one of the lakes. Gretchen and Tim loved the stand-up fishing boats and spanked some bass.

September 17 - Fished the Flint today with Gretchen & Tim M. from Florida. I've been fishing with them for several years now and it's always fun, but this was their first time to the Flint. As expected, they had little trouble making the transition from the salt to the Flint shoals.

Tim was on the fish all day long, but in addition to catching plenty of fish Gretchen took timeout for one of my favorite activities on the Flint (no, not when I'm guiding). Those warm rocks can feel mighty fine for an after-lunch power-nap...

September 2 - Slipped off on a busman's holiday with Paul H, my longtime fishing buddy and manager of fly fishing at Callaway Gardens. We floated a section of the Flint River in our Freedom Hawk kayaks. `Caught a few fish and had a lot of fun...

August 29 - Out with Stephen again today, this time on the Flint for a moving water primer. In spite of high off-color water, Stephen got `em again on the Tokyo Spiders. The fish seemed to be out on the edges away from the fast, deep water.

August 28 - Stephen came to Callaway today to get started with the fly rod. `Spent some time in the grass casting and then hit the water. This new fly angler spent most of his time sight-casting Tokyo Spiders to big bream he spotted from the bow of the drift boat. And they ate!

August 27 - Fished with Ron and Rusty on the Flint today. The shoal bass and the redbreasts were quite cooperative, and were willing to eat the Stealth Bomber and the Rubber-Legged Dragon in near equal quantity. Here's one of Ron's shoalies....

July 24 - Fished on the Flint with Sammy, Wallis and Wallis' grandson, Harrison. It was plenty hot, but these Alabama boys managed to find a couple of dozen fish, including shoal bass and this big redbreast that Harrison nailed on a Tokyo Spider.

July 21 - Chris and his son Benjamin came to Callaway for a one-day private school, prepping for a trip to fish in Idaho. With the high-90 temps we didn't expect midday fishing to be very good on the lakes, so after some classroom work and some casting in the grass, we fished a small creek. We found lots of fish willing to eat, and then Benjamin pulled a big bass from the skinny water. Pretty dang good for his first time with the fly rod...

July 10 - Fished the Flint with Steve and his son Josh. Fish were in the expected low-water/hot weather pattern, but we found `em. Here's one Josh took from a from the edge of a grass bed on a small secondary flow...

Maybe the best part of summer on the Flint is the ability to cool off at will...

July 5 - Joel D. and I fished the top end of the Flint his morning from the Freedom Hawk kayaks. We were on the river at first light and it was beautiful.

In addition to an assortment of shoal bass, spots, and redbreast, Joel wrestled this largemouth from some nasty snags.

June 26 & 27 - Fished two days with David P. from Augusta. David was new to the fly rod, but he's a vet now. We got largemouth, bluegill, and redbreast at Callaway on Saturday, then topped it off with shoal bass (including the fatty below) Sunday on the Flint.

June 20 - Flint has fished real good this week - the water is dropping and the low-water/hot weather pattern is setting in.

Today was Father's Day, but I slipped out before daylight to get a personal fish fix before doing the family thing in the afternoon. I spent most of my morning fishing a tight little side channel. Most of the fish weren't big...

...but they were banging it. In one slow, gentle run a 3-4 lb bass came out of the weeds to chase the smaller one I'd hooked all the way to my feet.

Maybe the best part of fishing the Flint these days is the possibility of cooling off anytime it gets too hot...

June 17 - Fished Callaway today with Steve S - it was his first time with a fly rod and he picked it up real quick.

Just to get some exposure to fishing moving water, we slipped down to the outflow of Mountain Creek below the lake. The water was way down and low, but we had some fun there, spanking the redbreast and small bass on topwaters..

June 13 - Spent the morn at Callaway fishing with Bill B., his dad, and a couple of friends. Here's a big redbreast that was willing to eat for Jess...

June 11 - Fished the Flint with the Challis boys today. Water was up again,  but it was their only possible day. The spider lilies were still blooming, we managed to catch some fish, and had a fine day on the river.

June 7 - Fished with Bryan and his son, Hunter today. Water was up with fairly heavy stain. Fishing was tough, though the boys caught a few. Later in the day, we moved over and fished a couple of small side channels. It was pretty close quarters, but Bryan and Hunter are accustomed to small water, regularly frequenting the brook trout streams in the "Park". They switched off, fishing one at a time. It was a blast!

Bryan had the fish of the day, not because of its size but rather the take. The fished swirled on Hunter's fly on his first drift through. He quickly tossed in back in and the shoalie came up and sipped the Stealth Bomber like a trout.

May 30 - Called off a trip today because of hard rain last nite and forecast of heavy thunderstorms. Of course the day turned out perfect. Only one thing to do now - go fish! Water was up but the shoalies ate...

May 29 - The Flint has been in great shape this month, even with a couple of hard rains that blew it out for a few days.

Ken and Gail fished with me today. The water was up a bit with some color, but we found plenty willing to eat. This one of Gail's came up and smacked a Tokyo Spider, after missing it the first time through...

May 2 - Everyone who heard we fished today questioned our sanity. True, the wind was blowing 15-20 mph, and gusting to 30+. But Richard and Stephanie were here from Virginia for one day, so we toughed it out. Stephanie had said the wind gave her trouble, but you never have known it.  She was sending tight, tight loops right into the wind - and the shoal bass gave her the ultimate approval. Here's one of the several that said yes...

May 1 - Fished at Callaway Tuesday through Saturday this week, capping the week with the crowd from NGTO yesterday and today. These boys are always a hoot, and certainly proved no exception this time. Lots of bass and bream (many on top), and plenty of fun. Here's one of Grizz's big bream, amid the flaming azaleas.

April 21-23 - Fished with Steve H from Cincinnati for 3 days. We missed the stripers on the Hooch, but got almost everything else at the Flint (shoal bass, redbreast, bluegill, and shellcracker) and at Callaway (largemouth, bluegill, shellcracker, yellow shiner, and warmouth).

Here's one of the Callaway shellcrackers that made a fool of itself over the Stealth Bomber...

April 20 - Fished the Flint today with Zach F - we used the Freedom Hawk kayaks. Here's Zach shooting a rapid, and then doing what the Freedom Hawk lets you do best - "Stand Up & Fish!

The shoal bass are definitely on, and the water is in great shape.

April 15 - Fished the Hooch above West Point today with Tom T. and Sam C. Going was tough, with the fish few and far between. We took time out in the afternoon to stretch our lines on some gar, and then went back after the striped fish. The patience and perseverance of the anglers paid off as we finally found a few more fish in a couple of unlikely spots.

April 13 - Fished the Columbus Hooch with Sam Adams - stripers didn't cooperate, but the skipjack were rampant. They're small but a real hoot on 2 wt to 4 wt rods - fishing droppers you'll often get double hookups.

The colors in these fish are unbelievable. And they're members of the same family as ladyfish and tarpon, so they fight and jump the same way.

April 7 - Fished the Hooch at Franklin with Paul. Fish were turned on and stacked pretty good. Paul busted a giant striper (we think) that turned immediately downstream in a rip of current - anchored amidst a long stretch of shallow shoals, there was nothing to do but clamp down on the line and try to turn the fish. Didn't work...but he managed some nice hybrid, a white bass, a spotted bass, and a couple of cute-as-a-button baby stripers.

March 7 - In Charleston for a TFO dealer day, I managed to fish on Sunday with my old pal, Carter Nelson. If the name is familiar, Carter ran the fly-fishing program at Callaway for many years, and is the creator of the Rubber-Legged Dragon.

Anyhow, we slipped out Sunday morn real early and found some scattered red schools. They were a little sluggish and weren't eating aggressively, but we managed to feed a half-dozen or so. A black clouser was the choice for these spot-tails.

January & February, 2010 - Again, most of my time has been on the road but with the weather and rain, it was almost just as well. Striper conditions on the river have not been good with high water and lots of mud, but we did find a few fishable days and reasonable numbers of fish.

Be there!

NEW - The Stealth Bomber page has been revised.

Foam Cutters for the Stealth Bomber

Custom cutters for the foam used in tying the Stealth Bomber are now available from River Road Creations. The cutters make it very quick and easy (not to mention way neater) to cut the foam. They are available in single sizes or in a set of 3 with a wood caddy for flies from size #10 to #3/0 .

The Bead-Rattle Flies

Lately it's been the  Bomber that's gotten all the attention on my fly tying pages, but it's the time of the year to consider another fly too. When the water temps get high and the fish get deep, I like a fly that makes a little noise (like the Stealth but this one needs to get deep). Often my choice is one of my bead-rattle flies. I've been tying these even longer than the Stealth, and they still work fine. The bead-rattles are also a good bet later in the year when warmwater fish get deep.

In addition to TFO fly rods, Rainy Flies, Teeny flylines, Islander fly reels and some other great lines, I now represent Freedom Hawk kayaks in the SE territories. Without a doubt, it's the best fishing personal watercraft I have ever used - designed from the water up for the fly angler. Here's Paul giving the new Freedom 120 a workout....

The Freedom Hawks are great for anglers, but on a recent family beach trip we found another great use for them....introducing kids to the joy of paddling.

Above Jonathon navigates at low tide, and below Allison celebrates her debut as a paddler. Oh yeah!

The May/June 2010 edition of American Angler magazine features an article on the shoal bass - great stuff from Zach Matthews. Included in the article (pg. 36) are tying directions for my latest version of the Stealth Bomber. Included is the new template for cutting the foam for this fly.

The Flint River in Eastern Fly Fishing

Check the September/October issue of Eastern Fly Fishing magazine. I'd fished with Bill Chiles, their SE editor, back in 2007 and was wondering if the article was ever going to show. It did, and was worth the wait. Thanks, Bill..

Fly Fishing West Georgia

on Podcast at the Itinerant Angler

Damselflies get together!

Flint River shoal bass

The Stealth Bomber is my favorite topwater bug for bass. This video talks about its design, and then the last 1:50 shows it in action. You can also see the Stealth tying instructions  and the feedback from some other users.

The Stealth Bomber is now available through Rainy Flies. Ask for them at your local fly shop.

 ...in the Blog -

"The Most Un-Appreciated Fly Cast"

43-pound Chattahoochee striper

Want to catch more fish? Improve your casting with lessons from an FFF-certified casting instructor.

Support the new

Flint River Riverkeeper

Above, canoeists and kayakers negotiate the shoals of the Flint River above Sprewell Bluff during Paddle Georgia 2008. I was on the river with a couple of anglers that day as the first paddler came through. He slowed and we talked a couple of minutes. He'd never been on the Flint before but said it was "the most beautiful river I've ever seen."

Benjamin Edmonds - future fly rodder, for sure!

Allison Marie's first fish...

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