Date fished: October 26, 2026  ·  Location: Noontootlah Creek, Gaorgia  ·  Water: Freshwater

My Paul E. Robertson
October 26-27, 2026

Judy and I were blessed to spend a few days in Blue Ridge, GA, this week with our long-time friends Jerrell and Martha Hutson at their cabin.

I was able to arrange a few mornings of fly fishing on Noontootlah Creek. I have fished there before and was anticipating a few good days on the water. My hopes were fulfilled.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous both days—blue bird sky days. The first morning the temp was about 39 degrees when I hit the water. I think it got up to the low 70s by noon. The water was cold enough for waders, but not too cold. After I had been in the water just a little while, I noticed that my right foot felt wet. I learned I had a leak in my waders. I had a squishy foot for the rest of the day, but not so cold as to be miserable. We were fishing in a wilderness section up the upper creek—all small wild trout. The creek bottom was slippery; lots of rock; some boulders; many downed trees; banks lined with rhododendrums. Those rhododendrums don’t give at all when you catch them with a hook! Let me just way it was tough wading for this 77-year-old body. I would have fallen a time or two had it not been for the steady arm of my guide. One time he grabbed the back of my wading belt just as I was about to go in. It felt like “the hand of God” grabbed me. After half a day I was exhausted. I suspect I’ll need to look for less strenuous wading next year. I was treated with a few fish: a nice brown trout (about 11”-12”—which is large for this section of the creek), a couple of rainbows, and a warpaint minnow.

Part of the joy of fly fishing is the eternal optimism. The next hole or the next log or the next bend might just hold the big one. But even more, I was rewarded with some gorgeous views, cool water and air on my body, wonderful sounds of running water, fresh air to breathe, and pleasant conversation with my guide.

I was introduced to the Joro Spider—large, colorful invasive orb-weaving spider native to East Asia that was first identified in the United States in Georgia in 2014. They began showing up on the Noontootlah about two years ago. It is known for its strong web—felt like a 4 lb line. Fortunately, they possess weak venom that is not medically significant or dangerous to humans and pets. But, I’ll say this, they look mean and I don’t plan to let one crawl around on me.

"I think I [fly] fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution." ~John Gierach

That evening, I did some repair work on my waders. Fortunately they did not leak the next day.

The second day I fished further down the creek in a much less rugged area. It was a nice change. At the first hole when I got in the water, I hooked a 18-19” rainbow. My guide had told me that the fish in that section of the river were strong and good-sized. Thus I needed to get the fish on the reel as soon as possible. We used 5X tippet. He did not exaggerate. I had a 5 wt rod and it felt like it took me 5+ minutes to get it in. He made several runs up and down the stream and did several aerobatic jumps. My day was made! Over the next few hours I was able to land several more fat rainbow trout.

We ended our morning on a section or the creek they call “The Aquarium.” There are literally hundreds of trout in a section of the river that might be 200’ long. These were wild trout, not stockers. If you look close at the last photo of the creek your can see dark spots in the water—those are all rainbow trout—and this is one small section. It was quite spectacular to see. At times, large trout were literally swimming within a few feet of me. There were clearly some fish that were over 20”. I felt like I was looking at a hatchery. I am curious, but my guide did not know why this section of the creek holds so may fish. My guide said they can usually get 3-5 fish out of there. I only got one, but that’s ok—I had the experience of being there.

After a couple of years of heath issues and living through these tumultuous political days, it really settled my soul to be in/on the water. I am grateful.

"I [fly] fish not because I regard fishing as being terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant, and not nearly so much fun." ~John Volker

PS: I used Chris Bradley with Reel ‘Em In guide service. I’d recommend them if you need a guide in the area.