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River guide · Georgia

Fly Fishing the Toccoa River

The Toccoa tailrace is North Georgia's premier coldwater trout fishery, rolling 14 miles out of Lake Blue Ridge dam through the mountains toward Copperhill, Tennessee. Consistent 50-degree releases keep rainbow and brown trout feeding year-round, and the river's reliable caddis and sulphur hatches make it one of the few Southern tailwaters where dry-fly fishing genuinely pays off.

  • 5 shops nearby
See fly shops ↓

When to fish

Year-round

Best months: year-round

  • Best

Black Caddis: March. Olive Caddis: April.

Where to fish

Along the Toccoa River

Four public access points along the 14-mile tailrace below Lake Blue Ridge dam: Tammen Park, Curtis Switch Park, and Horseshoe Bend Park are the primary wade-in and float launch spots. Two popular float stretches exist for drift boats and rafts. Water levels fluctuate with TVA generation: check release schedules and exit the river immediately if levels rise.

The water

Tailwater

Key hatches

  • Blue-Winged Olive
  • Midge
  • Black Caddis
  • Quill Gordon
  • Tan Caddis
Hatch calendar

6-day forecast

Loading forecast

Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Toccoa River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hookJFMAMJJASOND
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #18–22October–AprilJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Midge(midges)hook #16–24JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Black Caddis(caddis)hook #18–20MarchFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJuly
Quill Gordon(mayflies)hook #16–24MarchApril
Tan Caddis(caddis)hook #12–16AprilMayJuneJuly
Slate Drake(mayflies)hook #8–10JuneJulyAugust
  • Mayflies
  • Caddis
  • Midges
  • This month
Also on this water
  • Olive CaddisApril
  • SulphursMay–June
  • October CaddisOctober

Timing from Big Y Fly Co's Toccoa River hatch chart ↗. Notes are local timing; dates shift a couple of weeks with weather and water.

Fly shops near the Toccoa River

Shops and guides that fish the Toccoa River. See all 17 Georgia shops →

5 fly shops shownToccoa River at Elrod Mill

Species on this water

TroutBassPanfishStriper

Nearby towns

Elrod MillBlue RidgeMcCaysville

Rivers nearby

Soque RiverNantahala RiverTuckasegee RiverWatauga River
From The Fly Bench

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Step-by-step tying recipes & videos for these patterns.

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Gear up on the Toccoa River

Everything you need before the next trip — rods, lines, leaders, and fly-tying materials.

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The flies that work on the Toccoa River

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