Fly Fishers Will Find Excellent Waters in Northeast Georgia

We love the mountains surrounding Lucille’s for their
majestic beauty, but this area is also beloved for its great fishing waters.
Both rivers and lakes around here provide miles of opportunity for visitors who
enjoy casting a line in hopes of a big catch. The following is a list of some
top-notch places to head. For even more places in the northeast Georgia
mountains, check out the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website.
 
Close to the inn, just outside Helen, you’ll find DukesCreek, in the Smithgall Woods-Dukes Creek Conservation Area, one of the State’s
premier destinations for trophy rainbow and brown trout. The creek is large and
open, and flows through a fairly level valley, so wading is easy, and there’s
room for careful fly casting. The area is catch-and-release, and you can find
some good-sized species.
 
Boggs Creek, part of the upper Chestatee River, is about a
15-minture drive southwest of the Inn. Most of the creek is located in the
pretty Chattahoochee National Forest and Chestatee Wildlife Management Area
near Blairsville. Fishers here catch mostly rainbow trout. The supply of fish
is boosted through stocking, mostly in the more accessible portions of the
creek, nearby the road.
 
Another place to head in the Blairsville area—just over an
hour’s drive from the Inn—is Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park. Named for a
Cherokee Indian maiden, the 22-acre lake and its feeder stream, Wolf Creek, get
periodic stockings of rainbow. Anglers will also find plentiful warm-water
species here, including largemouth bass and sunfish.
 
Head 30 miles northeast of Sautee Nacoochee and you’ll come
to Tallula Falls, home to Lake Rubun. Managed by Georgia Power, the lake is a
favorite for nighttime fishing. Largemouth bass rule here, and catching a big
one is a possibility. Bluegill and sunfish are also common, and you might find
walleye, which were introduced to the lake in the mid-1990’s.
 
If you’d prefer to go fishing on a guided trip, we often
suggest Blackhawk Fly Fishing based in Clarkesville. The smaller, winding Soque
River runs right past Clarkesville and the company maintains about a two-mile
Blackhawk Trophy Trout Stream    along
those waters. With skilled guides leading you, that elusive trout might just
find its way onto your line!
Blackhawk Fly Fishing
9400 Highway 197 North, Clarkesville
706-947-3474
Open year-round, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., weather permitting
 
Why not call your fishing buddies and plan a long weekend
stay at Lucille’s? We’ll start you off
every day with a great breakfast, and you can return to the patio in the
evenings to share stories—and maybe even pictures of the “big one.”