The sound wasn’t exactly deafening but it enveloped me as I stepped out of the car at the boat ramp. Located on the South Carolina side of Lake Russell, an impoundment of the Savannah River, the forest that surrounded the border between Georgia and South Carolina was humming with the sound of cicadas. These insects, known as Brood XIX, have a 13-year life cycle and provide a rare opportunity for fly anglers in the Southeast. Their numbers, truly biblical in proportion, have been estimated in the trillions and when some inevitably fall into the water, carp rise to feed on them.
My wife, Chris, and I had just arrived in Sautee on a yearly vacation to northeast Georgia when I got the call from Unicoi Outfitters owner Jimmy Harris to join him and store manager Wes McElroy to fish for carp. While I was aware of fly anglers targeting carp, this was the first time I had ever had the opportunity and I jumped at the chance. Readers of this column will have heard of McElroy and Harris, both of whom have provided me with some unique opportunities over the years, including fishing for stripers in the Chattahoochee and Lake Lanier and shoal bass on several local rivers. This trip was going to be special.
The weather this spring has been particularly wet, and while I was concerned about the forecast 80% chance of rain, I’ve learned never to cancel a trip based on the weather guessers. As it turned out, it never rained a drop while we were on the water, and we experienced one of the most beautiful days of the trip. McElroy is an excellent fly angler and fly tier and he extensively researches every species he pursues. For this trip, he had tied two dozen flies that almost perfectly matched the brood that would litter the water and bring carp to the surface to feed. We began by slowly moving along the edges of the lake looking for cruising carp. During the first hour, the carp seemed concentrated in certain areas, and we only boated a couple of fish. As the day wore on and the forest warmed, the cacophony intensified, and carp began to rise at almost every cove we visited. The next challenge for me was to time the strike after a carp had taken my fly, a task that proved a bit perplexing. I’m familiar with waiting a split second after a snook hits a top water fly but carp take this patience to a new level. The trick turned out to be to strike only after they had inhaled the fly and turned away. It was such a long wait that we joked about getting a hit, having lunch and then setting the hook. For the balance of the afternoon, we took turns throwing at carp and had some incredible action. In the end, we boated close to 20 fish ranging up to 10 pounds. We left the lake late that afternoon satiated with the action and relived the day on our way back to Clarksville.
If you’re ever in the area, make a point of visiting one or both of Unicoi Outfitters’ excellent shops and inquire about the fishing. There is excellent trout fishing nearby on their private water at Nacoochee Bend as well as other local rivers and lakes. Plan a trip by visiting their website at www.unicoioutfitters.com. Check out the action in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/zHYhls4VXxY?si=dWGT4hSftCup34US
