Micro streamers become more important as the season progresses, but fall and winter also offer hatches of midges, blue-winged olives, and little black stoneflies. Load your box with Mop Flies, Y2Ks, Squirmy Worms, and Gummy Worms. And despite a good trail, Ekberg says the middle portion of the specially regulated water hardly gets touched.Įarly in the season, freshly stocked trout are suckers for the “big flashy and rubbery stuff,” adds Ekberg. There are only two access points to the 3-mile DH stretch. The river’s ledges, drop-offs, deep river-bend holes, and an abundance of riffle water hold rainbows, browns, and brookies. The Chauga fishes just like the Chattooga, only a little smaller, explains Karl Eckberg of Chattooga River Fly Shop. The Chattooga draws most of the fishing pressure, allowing the Chauga to fly under the radar. That’s part of what makes the Chauga such a great option during South Carolina’s Nov. Among them is the Chauga River, which features some 20 miles of remote, lightly pressured water known for brown trout.Ībout an hour and a half west of Greenville, the Chauga flows a ridge east of the well-known Chattooga River. There are a handful of really good backcountry trout streams in Upstate South Carolina. Here’s a look at some of the best special-regulations waters around the region: Chauga River, South Carolina Also, streams with year-round special regulations fish very well when insect abundance wanes and trout are forced to feed opportunistically. Delayed harvest (DH) waters around the East carry us through to spring with heavy stockings and catch-and-release, artificial-only regulations. These fisheries are intentionally tailored to fly fishing and give anglers a very good reason to brave the cold weather. It’s primetime on specially regulated trout waters of the Blue Ridge. They are feeding up before hard winter, which makes now a great time to be on the water. Trout are rejuvenated by increased flows and cold nights. The warm, low-water conditions of the early fall are over. It may feel a little too cold to cast a line, but the chilly months at the end of the year offer new opportunities for fly fishing.

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