Tailwater · Acidic Metamorphic · Georgia, US

Chattahoochee River — Artificial-Lure Reach (GA 20 to Medlock Bridge)

Below the GA 20 bridge the Buford tailwater becomes artificial-lures-only water, and stays that way down to the Park Service ramp at Medlock Bridge.

Prime · Brown Trout
Blue Winged Olive · 16–20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.55 mLast reading 12 min ago
  • Water temp13.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Blue Winged Olive
Blue Winged Olive16–20
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.55 m
Last reading 12 min ago
Water temp13.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindE 14 km/h
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13.1°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. Measured 14 km from the gauge. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Brown 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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Blackflies
  • Blackfly larvae/pupaeMost likelyLower confidence
    #16–18–20 · Pupa
    Small dark soft-hackle drifted through riffle seams.
Chironomids
Aquatic beetles
Gammarids
Molluscs
  • Pond snailsMost likelyLower confidence
    #10–12–14 · Adult
    Dead-drift or twitch a snail pattern near weed beds.
Oligochaetes
  • Aquatic wormsMost likelyLower confidence
    #12–14–16 · Adult
    Dead-drift a worm pattern deep - a year-round staple.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Artificial lures only, all year, GA 20 to Medlock Bridge; 8 trout a day
  • Georgia licence plus trout licence.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Chattahoochee River — Buford Dam Tailwater (Buford Dam to GA 20)
7.0 km
87
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Chattahoochee River — Delayed Harvest (Sope Creek to US 41)
38 km
84
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Amicalola Creek — Delayed Harvest (Dawson Forest)
38 km
Rainbow trout
About this water

Below the GA 20 bridge the Buford tailwater becomes artificial-lures-only water, and stays that way down to the Park Service ramp at Medlock Bridge. It is a big, shoaly river through the northern suburbs, with the same wild browns and stocked rainbows as the reach above, a little more room, and a little less cold. The generation pulse from Buford takes hours to arrive here, which makes the timing friendlier to plan. Late summer can push the lower end past comfortable trout temperatures, so fish it hard from autumn to spring.

  • Acidic metamorphic
Conservation note

Wild brown trout from the self-sustaining Buford tailwater population, thinning downstream; rainbows are stocked.

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts