A River Runs Through it - Atlanta that is...

Trout fishing within the city limits of Atlanta? You bet! I caught up with Chris Scalley at ‘River Through Atlanta Outfitters’ for a afternoon of trout fishing on the Chattahoochee. Amazingly just 20 minutes from my downtown hotel was the winding green water of the river. Once on the river, it was beautiful. We put in at a gentle bend in the river with downed trees (“structure” in the vernacular) and a good mix of fast and slow moving water indicating more structure below the surface. Chris began working with an Atlanta outfitter in 94. Having fished this river his entire life, he began running his own Drift Boat guide trips on the side and then started his own business. Drift Boat Trout Fishing enabled us to fish about ½ a mile of water in the Jones Bridge area of the river. Chris would motor us up river and then use oars to skillfully manage our float back down. I would cast perpendicular to the boat, mend my line (a fly fishing term), and watch as my lure would float down stream with the boat being pushed gently by the water at the same pace. With the line making large graceful arcs overhead I was able to place the lure where I wanted it. Using a more arm than wrist, I would roll the line out and watch my artificial bait, a nymph, gently land on the water. My guide would correct bad behavior or compliment my basic skills with catchy little statements. As I cast into the likely path of a fish he would say with unrehearsed enthusiasm “you’re in the kitchen now!” If I were casting too much, a gentle reminder “… there aren’t any flying fish in the Chattahoochee.”. Very attentive and professional the river man would manage the boat, point out the best ‘channels’ for fish and tend the line and lures as necessary. While fishing, the conversation would ramble like the river, but mid sentence as if in a fit of turrets, he would shout “strike!”. It was my cue to yank upwards on my rod tip and begin dragging in my line with another beautiful 12 – 15” trout on the hook. As the hook was set, the fish would run towards deeper water. I was urged to have fun with it, steering the fish “gently” in the direction that I wanted it to go, and also to bring it closer to the boat. We hooked two types of trout – Rainbow and Brown. Despite Chris’ shout, there was never a vicious strike it was more of a ‘take’. Rainbows would subtly hit the bait from below the surface. Brown Trout however would take the bait the same way, but the second I would set the hook, the fight was on. The Brown trout were bred in the river and are much stronger than the Rainbows which are stocked regularly. The first Brown to strike was a surprise. With about 20 feet of line in the water, I began to drag in what felt like a monster on the end of my rod. In direct opposition to the pounding of my heart, Chris urged me to be patient while bringing in the fish. My rod was bent in a great arc that led from my hands, towards the sky and then downward with the tip almost touching the water. The line ran from left to right and then left again, with blurry flashes of fish at each turn. The thrill was incredible. The fight was intense. It was easy to imagine a lunker the size of my leg fighting me from the depths. This fish was as determined as I was but we had opposing goals. In total I caught 5 fish, there were twice as many exciting strikes. But as my guide readied the net and this 6 inch monster came into view, it was obvious that despite its smaller size, this was by far… the largest fish of the day.