Best Flies for the Chattahoochee in Fall

Fall is one of the best times to fish the Chattahoochee. The water cools down, the leaves start changing, and the trout usually get a little more active after the summer heat.

There is not one magic fly that works every day on the river. The Hooch can change quickly depending on water level, generation, weather, pressure, and what bugs are moving. That said, there are a handful of flies I almost always want in my box when I am fishing it in the fall.

Pheasant Tail

A Pheasant Tail is hard to beat.

It is one of those flies that just catches fish. It looks enough like a lot of different mayfly nymphs that trout will eat it in a bunch of different situations.

I like carrying a few different sizes. Beadhead versions are useful when you need to get down into deeper runs, while smaller, lighter versions can be better when the fish are being picky.

Zebra Midge

If you fish the Chattahoochee long enough, you are going to end up fishing midges.

The Zebra Midge is simple, cheap, and effective. Black, red, and olive are all worth having.

When fish start refusing bigger flies, dropping down to a small Zebra Midge can save the day. I like fishing one behind a larger nymph and letting the trout decide what they want.

Rainbow Warrior

The Rainbow Warrior is another fly I keep around.

It is flashy, does not look exactly like one specific bug, and sometimes that is exactly why it works.

I especially like it when I am covering water and trying to figure out what the fish are doing. It also pairs well with a more natural nymph like a Pheasant Tail.

Pat's Rubber Legs

Sometimes you need to give the fish a bigger meal.

Pat's Rubber Legs is great for deeper runs, faster water, and places where trout are holding close to the bottom.

It is also a useful fly when you need some extra weight to help get a smaller dropper fly down into the strike zone.

Woolly Bugger

I carry Woolly Buggers almost everywhere, and the Chattahoochee is no exception.

Olive, black, and brown are my main colors.

You can dead drift them, swing them, or strip them. That makes them especially useful when you want to fish more actively instead of watching an indicator all day.

Once the water starts cooling off in the fall, trout can be more willing to chase.

Sculpin Patterns

If you are looking for a better fish, it is worth throwing something that looks like a real meal.

Sculpin patterns are a good option around deeper water, structure, and places where bigger trout have somewhere to hide.

You may not catch as many fish as you would with a tiny nymph, but sometimes the fish that eats the sculpin is the one you remember.

Blue-Winged Olives

Blue-Winged Olives are worth paying attention to in the fall, especially on cooler or cloudy days.

I carry both nymphs and dries.

If you start seeing trout rising, do not immediately start throwing every dry fly in the box. Watch the water for a minute and see what they are actually eating. Matching the size can matter more than anything else.

Griffith's Gnat

Small flies can be frustrating, but sometimes they are necessary.

When trout are feeding on midges near the surface, a Griffith's Gnat can be a great choice. It does a good job of looking like a cluster of small midges and can fool fish that are sipping bugs off the top.

Streamers

Fall is a good time to throw streamers too.

As the water cools and brown trout move toward spawning season, some fish become more aggressive. Woolly Buggers, Zonkers, sculpin patterns, and smaller articulated streamers are all worth trying.

Work them around structure, deeper runs, and undercut banks.

Streamer fishing is not always about numbers. Sometimes you are just looking for one good eat.

What I Keep in My Fall Box

If I were putting together a simple fall box for the Chattahoochee, I would carry Pheasant Tails, Zebra Midges, Rainbow Warriors, Pat's Rubber Legs, Woolly Buggers, a few sculpin patterns, Blue-Winged Olives, Griffith's Gnats, and a handful of streamers.

The main thing is to stay flexible.

Some days the fish want something small and natural. Other days they will crush a streamer. Pay attention to the water, change flies when something is not working, and do not get too attached to one pattern just because it worked last week.

That is part of what makes the Chattahoochee fun.

If you want to learn the river, improve your fly fishing, or just spend a day on the water, Thin Line Fly Co. offers guided trips on the Chattahoochee and throughout North Georgia.

Whether you are brand new to fly fishing or have been doing it for years, we can build the trip around what you want to get out of the day.

Tight Lines. Steady Minds.