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North Chickamauga is slated to be Chattanooga's newest and nearest trout fishery thanks to a collaborative effort between The Hatch Outfitters and TWRA. The plan, for now, is to have yearly stockings in the winter months and potentially for a delayed harvest program in the fall, but plans for this years stocking program were quickly shelved due to the impacts of the Coronavirus. Unfortunately, the lockdown happened between two planned stockings resulting in a second stocking that didn't happen. The result was less fish, but a fun fishery that has allowed many of us to scratch the trout itch without having to wear out much tire tread.
The fish aren't easy to find and most of the time they aren't where you'd expect them to be (think outside the box and beyond the deeper holes), but angler's who have put in the miles and located fish are taking them on dry flies, nymphs, and streamers in one of the most beautiful waterways and landscapes in the region. All in all, it ain't half bad.
As summer weather settles in throughout the Tennessee Valley, water temperatures are rising and the end of this seasonal fishery are undoubtedly around the corner, but for now the fish are still biting and anglers should take full advantage.
Summer months and the recent Memorial Day Weekend also brought a lot of foot traffic to the North Chick Gorge. Unfortunately, that means lots of trash and scattered throughout the landscape. So we're going to give back to our new fishery with a day of hard work, camaraderie, and fishing as we take to the Gorge with trashbags and rods in tow. Join us at the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Trailhead at 9:30am on Monday, June 1st to help us out and have a good time on Chattanooga's trout stream. The Hatch will provide bags and will haul out our bounty. We just need your help! The attendee who collects the most trash by 3pm will receive a surprise gift from The Hatch. See you out there!