Stream Location: Chestatee WMA
Wild Trout: Unknown, but they are there
Stocked Unknown, however the state does stock this stream once a year
Other Species of Note:
Gear:
Dry Flies: Adams, Caddis, Royal Wulff, Terrestrials
Nymphs: Caddis Puppa, Pheasant Tail, Prince, Hares, Stone, Squirmy Wormy, Mop, and Perdigon
Streamers: None
Waders: Yes
Net: Yes
Wading Stick: Yes
Casting: Tuck, Overhead, and Roll
About:
Waters Creek… Bless it’s heart, it means well. That right there pretty much sums of Waters Creek, everything about it just screams I AM A TROUT STREAM, but sadly this is far from the truth. With that being said, work on Waters Creek is still on going so that it has a chance to become a wild trophy trout stream.
Waters Creek, which is a tributary to Dicks Creek, located in Lumpkin County, is a beautiful sandy/gravel bottom stream that is clean and cold. Trout Unlimited and the State of Georgia have done a lot of work on this stream, even making it one of the few streams that you can only fish on certain days of the week, signing in at the lodge located at the beginning of the stream. Honestly the possibilities are there for this stream to be completely refurbished and wild trout to flourish here, however it will cost a lot of money to get it there and to maintain it.
I have been to Waters Creek area several times on the days that fishing is not allowed on Waters Creek, the parking area for Dicks Creek is also used for Waters Creek, and I have seen fishermen coming off the trail to Waters Creek back to their vehicles, obviously the regulations are not being enforced like they are on Waters Creek sister regulated stream Dukes Creek, and anglers are going into this area at their leisure. Also I am seeing a lot of signs that the special regulations for artificial lures only on Waters Creek are also being ignored by the signs of power bait and worm containers that I see on the sides of the stream. This leads me to a highly educated guess that the locals or careless anglers that are in the know are coming to Waters Creek and fishing it out before the fish can even establish themselves.
Realistically if the State of Georgia wants to see this stream take off then they are going to have to set it up like Dukes Creek; gate it off, have Wardens on site daily, and realistically only open it from October to May. Also they need to gate off the stream so that the fish that are stocked in Waters Creek do not swim downstream and get into Dicks Creek. If not, I see any money and restoration put into Waters Creek being wasted.
Honestly I loathe being negative about a stream, especially one that is gorgeous and has such possibilities, I really love the area that Waters Creek and Dicks Creek are in, however I promised myself years ago when I started this site to tell the truth and that’s what I am doing. As far as how to fish Waters Creek I have no clue, I have only seen one fish in the stream and I have been skunked every time I have fished this stream. The only pointers I can really give you is about the gear you take; during the summer you can easily wet wade this area, just make sure your sandals have some studs in them. During the winter: waders that come down to your hip should be fine. As far as styles of fly fishing: there is plenty of room in places to dry fly fish, in other areas I can see where nymph fishing would be prime, and also I have seen areas that streamers should work. But like I mentioned above, I honestly have no clue what will definitely work – all I can do right now is guess. If by chance I do figure out Waters Creek I will update this section immediately. Also I will update this stream as stream restoration goes forward.
***Update***
As I was going to get photos for this writeup I noticed that the stream has a lot of wild fingerlings in it. I am unsure of what type, they looked to be brook trout, so now I know this stream definitely has some wild fish in it, or some stocked fingerlings. With any hope these fish will grow up unscathed by natural predation and become big and strong. They are literally everywhere throughout the stream. Also it looks like some people have cleaned up the park tremendously. However the park still needs a lot of work and they need a Warden onsite, they only have a sign in sheet. What I did find hilarious was that someone was soo disgusted with the stream that they wrote, “What a f@#king joke of a creek GADNR,” in the guest sign in sheet.
Again I can only hope that this stream will get better as the years go by.
Directions:
Fly Bum Outdoors 