Freestone · Acidic Metamorphic · South Carolina / Georgia

Chattooga River (headwaters)

The Chattooga River flowing calmly between wooded banks, with a bridge visible in the distance.
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River lifting fast on the rain. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.46 mLifting fast
  • Water temp21.9°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.46 m
Lifting fast
Water temp21.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather24°C
WindW 5 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead6.9 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
21.9°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 21.9°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Early Black StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Eastern Golden StoneHatch
2
2
Slate Drake / IsonychiaHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
1
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here at 21.9°C — the fishing's alive, but these are cooler if you'd rather rest the warm water.
Tuckasegee River
39 km
~10°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Chattooga River flowing calmly between wooded banks, with a bridge visible in the distance.
    20171114-FS-CHF-SMB-00
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Native brookies in the cold upper forks; wild rainbow/brown lower. brook_trout (char comfort-overlay), rainbow_trout and brown_trout all score post-seed; native brookies handled conservation-first.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Chattooga River' (GAR030601020222), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Metals Other Than Mercury, Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · GAR030601020222

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 80%
How the 16 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature12 × 28%3.4
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity45 × 18%8.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity33 × 12%4.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.9°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 39
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts