# Gorgeous Hiwassee River Browns



## TroutManJoe

I got out to fish the Hiwassee Friday for my birthday and wound up fishing a great stretch of water with my friend and fellow guide Bill Stranahan. Wouldn't have the pic if not for him. This makes the third brown in the 15"and above range in the course of two weeks. This one ate a size 12 black, rl BHstone at about 4 pm under generation. I also caught lots of bows over the course of the day. I can't think of a better way to spend a birthday.


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## SamYaAK

nice looking fish and great bday awsome


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## Cy Grajcar

WOW man!!!!  Those pic's are GREAT!!!  Although it looks like great trout waters my first though in pic #1 was "I think I can get my jet boat up there!"  Looks like a blast man hope I can get out there with ya sometime!


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## lilturkeyhunter70

awesome pics! beautiful fish


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## T.P.

Cy Grajcar said:


> Although it looks like great trout waters my first though in pic #1 was "I think I can get my jet boat up there!"



LoL... I thought the same thing!


Great fish and awesome pics, especially the last one!


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## fishfryer

Beautiful fish,congrats.


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## Oak-flat Hunter

Awesome pic's Happy belated Birthday'...


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## Paymaster

Great pics! Thanks for sharing with us.


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## Miguel Cervantes

Looks like an outstanding time was had.


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## Tightliner

Nice pics. Fished the same section Saturday morning (Judging by your pics). Quit counting at 30. Early season has been decient this year, although they do need to start pumping some water. The unusually warm temps combined with only pulsing, has got the water temps up high. Hatches have been sparse but the fish in that section are opportunistic. When they start pumping, it should be on fire!

Later................................


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## zacherwalker

my question is on the last two pictures what type of filter or effect did you use on your camera? or was that added on the computer prior to posting? like the colors


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## pstrahin

Man oh man, great job and some good looking browns.


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## shakey gizzard

Awesome pics!


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## dawg2

Great looking fish!


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## tkyklr1

Great Pics! And a beautiful fish!


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## panfried0419

Beautiful fish! Looks better than the dog food mutant Soque giants.  That 2nd pic is beautiful.


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## pine nut

Beautiful fish and fishing!


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## Oconostota

Yes, beautiful pictures, beautiful fish, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful time, I am sure.

That river has got to be one of the "heavens" for trout fisherman in the east.  I have paddled it a few times, but never fished it, despite drooling over what I saw beneath my kayak.

And unlike anything south of extreme north GA, I wouldn't be afraid to eat any fish caught there.  No, I will never eat any fish at all caught south of the headwaters of Lanier.  But I'd eat my daily limit up there...daily.  

Man, I really need to make a trip up there and paddle it again - this time with a TN license and a cooler with ice awaiting me at the takeout!  Yummy!


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## F.A.R.R.

Oconostota said:


> Yes, beautiful pictures, beautiful fish, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful time, I am sure.
> 
> That river has got to be one of the "heavens" for trout fisherman in the east.  I have paddled it a few times, but never fished it, despite drooling over what I saw beneath my kayak.
> 
> And unlike anything south of extreme north GA, I wouldn't be afraid to eat any fish caught there.  No, I will never eat any fish at all caught south of the headwaters of Lanier.  But I'd eat my daily limit up there...daily.
> 
> Man, I really need to make a trip up there and paddle it again - this time with a TN license and a cooler with ice awaiting me at the takeout!  Yummy!



If you keep some fish up there be carefull about how you plan your float.  I haven't been there in a couple of years but the river laws used to be that you couldn't be in possesion of fish which where caught outside of the trophy section if you were floating through the trophy section with your catch.  

If things haven't changed the Trophy strech is from Big Bend down to the Reliance bridge.  If you are upstream of Big Bend you are fine -or if you are downstream of Reliance Bridge you are fine.  If you want to do float longer than from Powerhouse to the take out at the creek (forget name might be Towee) than try floating from Reliance down to the 411 Bridge.


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## Tightliner

F.A.R.R. said:


> If you keep some fish up there be carefull about how you plan your float.  I haven't been there in a couple of years but the river laws used to be that you couldn't be in possesion of fish which where caught outside of the trophy section if you were floating through the trophy section with your catch.
> 
> If things haven't changed the Trophy strech is from Big Bend down to the Reliance bridge.  If you are upstream of Big Bend you are fine -or if you are downstream of Reliance Bridge you are fine.  If you want to do float longer than from Powerhouse to the take out at the creek (forget name might be Towee) than try floating from Reliance down to the 411 Bridge.



This section is no longer under special reg's. 

Later......................................


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## Bitteroot

Tightliner said:


> Nice pics. Fished the same section Saturday morning (Judging by your pics). Quit counting at 30. Early season has been decient this year, although they do need to start pumping some water. The unusually warm temps combined with only pulsing, has got the water temps up high. Hatches have been sparse but the fish in that section are opportunistic. When they start pumping, it should be on fire!
> 
> Later................................




Didn't I leave my hat down there once?


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## blackbear

Big Trout! 
Is this the River that runs from swallows creek wma near the check in station??


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## Canyon

Happy birthday and great fish!  Love that river and surrounding area.


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## Bream Pole

Beautiful fish Thanks for the post


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## River Rambler

Great Fish!


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## The mtn man

blackbear said:


> Big Trout!
> Is this the River that runs from swallows creek wma near the check in station??



That is the headwaters, I have a brown on the wall I caught a few miles below chatuge dam, 26 1/2 ", the stretch between chatuge dam and mission dam, is awesome fishing, mostly rainbows though, and its hard to find access, due to private property.


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## Killer Kyle

Great story, and GREAT pics Joe!  And happy belated birthday brother!!


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## blackbear

Thanks for the info,Chatuge dam is in North Carolina right?
I don't know the area much and was just wondering where these Hiawassee river trout waters are...Is there a bridge over the Hiawassee river on highway between Hayesville and murphy?
I figured there were some dandy's in it but WOW!


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## David Parker

jealous.  Way to wrangle'm


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## The mtn man

blackbear said:


> Thanks for the info,Chatuge dam is in North Carolina right?
> I don't know the area much and was just wondering where these Hiawassee river trout waters are...Is there a bridge over the Hiawassee river on highway between Hayesville and murphy?
> I figured there were some dandy's in it but WOW!



Yea , I guess the bridge you are refering to is at the clay, cherokee county line, I perfer fishin upstream from that, between mission dam and chatuge dam, mission dam is about 3/4 of a mile above that bridge, the stretch you are refering to has trout, smallmouth, and at certain times walleye.stretch upstream from mission is only trout. If you hit it right is awesome. And yea the big brown suprised me, I couldn't beleive I landed it on 5x, she hit a #14 tellico nymph, I have fished there all my life, that was the first and only brown I'v ever caught there.


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## blackbear

Thanks,I know now where the mission dam is,i saw it before but didn't know the name...I love that whole area!
Now I gotta figure out where the chatuge dam is located...LOL
Good luck and hope you catch some more "River monsters" this season!


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## The mtn man

blackbear said:


> Thanks,I know now where the mission dam is,i saw it before but didn't know the name...I love that whole area!
> Now I gotta figure out where the chatuge dam is located...LOL
> Good luck and hope you catch some more "River monsters" this season!



Chatuge dam is located in Hayesville, there is a redlight at the river bridge on hwy 64 in hayesville, turn south on Myers chapel rd, chatuge dam rd. is about 3/4 mile on the left, I'ts hard to get fishing access, this whole stretch of river is private property, best fishing is acctually above shallowford bridge on fires creek rd. to the mouth of Tusquittee creek, If your up that way, shoot me a PM I will get you some access.


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## blackbear

Thanks!Pm sent


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## TroutManJoe

Just FYI, not sure if I missed something, but all these fish came from the Wass in Reliance TN, below Apalachia Powerhouse.

In Georgia the river is spelled HiAwassee, in NC and TN it's Hiwassee... one way to figure out which stretch you're looking at on a map


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## The mtn man

TroutManJoe said:


> Just FYI, not sure if I missed something, but all these fish came from the Wass in Reliance TN, below Apalachia Powerhouse.
> 
> In Georgia the river is spelled HiAwassee, in NC and TN it's Hiwassee... one way to figure out which stretch you're looking at on a map



Yep I know where you are, we are way upstream.most of it is pretty good fishing.River flows from swallows creek wma in hiawasse ga, to the tennessee river, with different fisheries between lakes.pretty neat how it offers all kinds of different opportunities, from walley to smallmouth, to trout.Nice brown by the way.Is the stretch you fish in tennessee hatchery supported?Do you get to it off hwy 68?


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