Waters Creek

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.

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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:

Jones Creek

Stream Location: Lumpkin County (Special Regulation Water)

Wild Trout: Brown

Stocked Trout: None

Other Species of Note:

Dry Flies: Adams, Caddis, Royal Wulff, Terrestrials 

Nymphs: Caddis Puppa, Pheasant Tail, Prince, Hares, Stone, Squirmy Wormy, Mop, and Perdigon 

Streamers: Small Minnow 

Waders: Yes

Net: Yes

Wading Stick: Yes

Casting: Tuck, Overhead, and Roll

About:

If you want a stream that is very beautiful, very technical, full of waterfalls, stealthy approaches, and very cold, clean water – then Jones Creek is the creek for you. Forming out of a natural spring in the mountains, the stream slowly meanders down from its head waters, gaining faster water as it hits several waterfalls below the Jones Creek Campground. There has been a lot of restoration efforts by the State of Georgia and Trout Unlimited to make this a wonderful wild brown trout stream. However these efforts are still in the works and have not totally taken a foot hold as of yet.

Imagine a stream that has some pretty significant pools, fast runs, and a lot of structure to hide in – not to mention a large amount of gravel beds that a brown trout can spawn in, this is Jones Creek. The bad part as I have mentioned earlier, is that this stream is just in the beginning stages of restoration, it might take twenty years to see this stream grow into what it could become. So with that, don’t take what I am about to say with a grain salt, Jones Creek is not going to be a trophy stream for years to come, it is not an easy stream to fish, you must be very stealthy (I would suggest wearing camo and felt boots) using long leaders or a euro leader setup, and I definitely wouldn’t fish heavy nymphs or streamers unless the stream was very high (ie after week of rain).

The main thing an angler that comes here must realize is that this stream is meant to be a “wild brown trout” stream, brown trout are known for being very easily spooked and they love to hide in undercuts. Because of this you might not even see a trout, thinking that it is a dead stream, and you will more than likely get skunked. Jones Creek is definitely not for those anglers that are wanting to catch trophy sized brown trout… yet.

However, if you are still reading this and you still want to fish this stream because you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the other trophy wild brown trout streams (Dukes Creek, the Chattahoochee River, or any of the other tail waters in Georgia) then you need to heed my advice. Be as sneaky as you can! Seriously; sneaky, sneaky, sneaky! Do not wear bright colored clothing, wear camo or something very drab, also I would suggest felt boots or sole less moccasins. Also take the bare minimum with you, rod, one or two fly boxes, tippet, and floatant. Realistically you will want to be able to carry everything you need in the pockets of your jeans or pants, you really don’t want to carry a bag with you when you are fishing Jones Creek. It’s all about stealth on this creek. Realistically treat Jones Creek as if you were fishing for brook trout. Be prepared to not see a fish, if you do see one be prepared to never catch it, be prepared to be skunked on a regular basis here, and if by some miracle you do catch one of the gems of this creek treasure it like it is gold!

When it comes to casting: make very few false casts, be very accurate to hit right on the edges of rocks and logs, start from the bottom of the pools and work your way up to its mouth. If you are nymph fishing: start fishing a line very close to you and work your way out from there, again its worth mention that you should use a euro nymph setup on this stream or a very buggy indicator (New Zeland Strike Indicators). As for fishing streamers, don’t! Not unless there has been a very significant rain and the creek is raging, this will be the only time that you could sneak a small streamer into this creek. Finally it is worth mentioning that if you are into Tenkara fly fishing, then this stream would be a very good stream to use a Tenkara rod on.

Directions:

Nimblewill Creek

Stream Location: Chestatee WMA

Wild Trout: None

Stocked Trout: Brown, and Rainbow

Other Species of Note:

Gear: Smaller Sized Rods

Dry Flies: Adams, Caddis, Royal Wulff, Terrestrials 

Nymphs: Caddis Puppa, Pheasant Tail, Prince, Hares, Stone, Squirmy Wormy, Mop, and Perdigon 

Streamers: Small Minnow 

Waders: Yes

Net: Yes

Wading Stick: Yes

Casting: Tuck, Overhead, and Roll

About:

Nimblewill is a marvelous cute freestone/clay bed stream, that is in the middle of nowhere. If you are wanting to go fishing for stocked trout and want absolute seclusion then this stream is a must. The only downside to fishing here is that it is in a primitive campground area, so there are the occasional campers and fishermen that you will have to deal with. If you don’t mind this then Nimblewill is a lot of fun. Actually the first time I explored here I had more on the road to Nimblewill then I did actually fishing there, the stream crosses the stream several times before you get to a good fishing area so you in up with a very wet and muddy vehicle before leaving.

Realistically this stream is not the best stream for trout, because of very weak water flow. During the summer and fall, unless an angler was to fish after a thunderstorm, the stream is very shallow in almost all areas. There are only a few large holes that can hold trout, providing them with the oxygen that they need. However there are a couple fast riffles here and there that keep the stocked trout going. Aim towards fishing these larger holes and riffles.

Usually, and what makes Nimblewill a very nice spot to fish, the stocked trout tend to school together and you can catch ten to twenty fish in just one hole. It is absolutely one of the best places for a beginner fly fishermen to hone their skills on; they will catch fish, they can practice almost every cast, and there is very little pressure. Just don’t expect any size in the fish that you catch. It is also a perfect place to take a person on a date on if they are interested in learning to fly fish, like I said before it is just a great place to learn and it will you 

Directions:

Dicks Creek

Stream Location: Chestatee WMA

Wild Trout: None

Stocked Trout: Brown, and Rainbow

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: Small Minnow 

Waders: Yes

Net: Yes

Wading Stick: Yes

Casting: Tuck, Overhead, and Roll

About:

Besides mostly being on private property the sections that are open to the public make Dicks creek one of the prettiest gems of the Northern Georgia trout streams. Nested in one of the gorges that run through Northern Georgia, Dicks creek is a major limestone creek that every angler should visit at least once. What makes Dicks creek such a wonderful place to go to is it’s monstrous waterfalls, yes I am very much a sucker for waterfalls. But the fishing here is also brilliant, above and below the falls. However one could easily be discouraged by Dicks creek by seeing all of the water that is located on private property, that water just screams “fish are in these waters.”

Even though the prettiest parts of Dicks creek are in private waters, the rest of the stream is a delightful place to fish for all skill levels. I mainly focus on the waters below the falls down to the “No Trespassing” sign and the waters from the parking area, located at the trail of Waters Creek, down to the head of the waterfalls. These waters are moving very fast in certain sections, and in others they are dropping down to form enormous deep holes. I am almost certain that there are holdover trout in these waters that are becoming giants. However I am also certain that a majority of the holdover trout are getting into the waters below the “No Trespassing” sign and probably spawning.

When fishing these waters use a two nymph dropper system and make sure you are fishing them very deep. The fish here also love squirmmies, mop flies, and Pat’s stoneflies. I would not bother fishing dry flies at all, well not unless you see fish hitting the surface on a regular basis. Also I would not recommend using streamers here, the reason I say this is that I have seen too many spin fishermen here that have constantly gotten skunked using spinning flies while I am catching fish, using nymphs, on every other cast. 

Above the parking area at Waters creek trail head the water here are very slow and meandering. Occasionally you will find a good deep hole, but for the most part this area is a slow riffle area. In this area I recommend using a single nymph set up or using a streamer, casting the streamer to the other bank and quickly moving it back across to yourself.

Directions: