Atlanta’s Big Browns Require Big Baits

Atlanta area trout fishermen may have been thrilled with the news that the brown trout below Buford Dam are reproducing so successfully that there is no longer a need to stock them in the tailwater. However, those big browns are still very tough to catch. From previous catches and shocking surveys, we know the bruisers are in there, but they won’t often hit a fly or even a No. 5 Rapala. If the below photo of WRD Fisheries Biologist Patrick O’Rouke (right) and Trout Unlimited (TU) volunteer Russ Fraze (left) tells you anything, it should scream “Use bigger bait!”

Patrick and Russ were conducting a shocking survey below the dam May 10 during a joint WRD/TU study to gather data on the growth, diet and movement of browns in the tailwater. They shocked up and netted this 18-inch, 3-lb. brown, and while Patrick was taking measurements he noticed a fin protruding from the fish’s gullet. Curiosity got the best of him, and Patrick pulled a mostly digested 8-inch brown from the larger fish’s belly. Another surprise: the smaller trout had a hook and line coming out of its mouth. Patrick guessed some angler out there got a bit of a surprise after hooking the smaller trout.

So, try using much bigger lures next time you fish on the ’Hooch. And if you catch the fish in Patrick’s left hand, it’ll have a very small brightly colored tag just behind its eye. These tags are part of the study, but anglers need not report them. Just do whatever you were planning to do with the fish to begin with.