Boggs Creek May 2019
Boggs Creek, Ga. Fishing May 12, 2019
I know a lot of people put this area down since a tornado flatted the trees on the eastern side of this stream in April 2011. Since then the camping area has been closed and the area is now day use only. Many of the trees downed by the tornado, or leftover from the salvage logging that followed, are in the stream making a mess as far as casting, but it is great natural habitat for trout. The hillside to east on the north side of Bee Tree Ridge is flatten. It does open views to the ridges to the east including the rocks on Cowrock Mountain, best seen in the winter. I also like how clean the area is.
I have been fishing this area the past few months. So I have seen it go thru Fall, Winter, and now Spring. I have not caught any large trout there. Nor do I ever catch many fish. But this place surprised me in a couple of ways, which I will reveal later.
I see this area as two sections, pre-gate and post-gate. As you may have guessed, the forest service road 443 is gated after one mile closing about 1.5 miles upstream to vehicular traffic. When you first enter off of the highway there are tall evergreens, deep shade. The stream is a good size here. The first campsites offer some good pools and of course easy parking in the old camp sites.
I call this area the fore country area. This area receives weekly stocking of rainbow trout of good size from Spring until early Summer. There is a section just upstream of the first camp sites where the stream enters an area where it departs from the road with steep hillsides and difficult stream access. After this you enter tornado alley, this is where the trees are down, mostly to the east of the stream opening the tributaries to the east to sun. Stream access here is not too difficult, in fact there is a huge sun exposed deep pool a couple of feet from the road. In the winter, it is fun to watch trout swimming in the deep water next to the bank and for me a warm-up after fishing in the deep shade. (I almost never see anyone here in the Winter, and if so; they are hiking.) Just a couple of hundred feet up the road beyond this, the gate is closed. This is where trout stocking ends, do not believe the maps showing it heavy stocked beyond this. There is good parking here and one old campsite. Just beyond the closed gate, the back-country begins.
Walking pass the closed gate you will find the forest service road in good shape. The tornado damage continues on the east side for the next .6 miles or so, but the stream is truly amazing in this section. There are many deep blue pools holding small "native" rainbow trout.
Some of the pools must be five or six feet deep, something I did not expect in a small stream. They are many small and large drops between huge rock formations.
This seems to be blocking the hatchery raised trout, as all the trout I have caught here are six to ten inch colorful rainbows. Walking up to about the .6 mile mark pass the gate, the road crosses a tributary at Little Ridge. This area formerly had a few campsites and many of the hemlocks and white pines are still there. This must have been a beautiful area to camp. There is a small footbridge (Thanks Eagle Scout), crossing it will keep your feet dry.
However following the path to the left before the footbridge, the Little Ridge tributary has some large pools. The elevation here is about 1,800 feet.
This where I start catching brook trout, all about five to six inches.
Yes, brook trout below 2,500 feet on a south slope with rainbows. I still catch rainbows in here as well. I have followed the path along this stream up about .5 miles, it is rough. I have reached the three large waterfalls, at about 2,000 feet elevation according to my GPS. I have not fished above the falls, but it appears the stream goes on for another mile pass the falls. If you make it to the falls, you are brave. The last trip I encountered two copperheads.
Also the path starts out okay, but soon it is overgrown and has many blowdowns.
Old Forest Service road maps show this trail as FS 443B. I believe it, as I found this about a .4 miles up trail.
Returning to footbridge, crossing it; the good forest service road continues. It continues following the main Boggs Creek for .4 miles to a stream fork.
The stream to the North is Cowrock Creek and Upper Boggs creeks heads East. There is gate here and forest service road is soon abandoned just beyond. I have not fished a great deal in this area. Last time I sat and watched the turkeys in the nearby food plot. There are some old campsites here, I believe this is where the trout stocking ended years ago before the first gate about 1.5 miles back closed access. (Maps still show this as the end of heavy stocking, I assure you it is not.)
There are still areas to explore here. There is Forest Service road 443A following a eastern tributary. The extreme headwaters in Cowrock creek. Also the rather difficult access area in the lower section near the first campsites, it is almost a gorge. The biggest surprise here by far is catching brook trout, including a rather large one near the very first campsite as soon as you enter the area. Hatchery raised or wash down? Don't care. (It may be still in there, good luck!) For an area not highly regarded for native trout, and is fished as a put and take stream with corn; this stream holds many surprises. Be safe and enjoy!
I know a lot of people put this area down since a tornado flatted the trees on the eastern side of this stream in April 2011. Since then the camping area has been closed and the area is now day use only. Many of the trees downed by the tornado, or leftover from the salvage logging that followed, are in the stream making a mess as far as casting, but it is great natural habitat for trout. The hillside to east on the north side of Bee Tree Ridge is flatten. It does open views to the ridges to the east including the rocks on Cowrock Mountain, best seen in the winter. I also like how clean the area is.
I have been fishing this area the past few months. So I have seen it go thru Fall, Winter, and now Spring. I have not caught any large trout there. Nor do I ever catch many fish. But this place surprised me in a couple of ways, which I will reveal later.
I see this area as two sections, pre-gate and post-gate. As you may have guessed, the forest service road 443 is gated after one mile closing about 1.5 miles upstream to vehicular traffic. When you first enter off of the highway there are tall evergreens, deep shade. The stream is a good size here. The first campsites offer some good pools and of course easy parking in the old camp sites.
Walking pass the closed gate you will find the forest service road in good shape. The tornado damage continues on the east side for the next .6 miles or so, but the stream is truly amazing in this section. There are many deep blue pools holding small "native" rainbow trout.
There are still areas to explore here. There is Forest Service road 443A following a eastern tributary. The extreme headwaters in Cowrock creek. Also the rather difficult access area in the lower section near the first campsites, it is almost a gorge. The biggest surprise here by far is catching brook trout, including a rather large one near the very first campsite as soon as you enter the area. Hatchery raised or wash down? Don't care. (It may be still in there, good luck!) For an area not highly regarded for native trout, and is fished as a put and take stream with corn; this stream holds many surprises. Be safe and enjoy!
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