Tiger, Georgia
On The Fly Freshwater
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June 2024
Article and Photos by Jimmy Jacobs
In the case of some fisheries, they get overlooked because of another nearby and much publicized body of water. In other instances, they may just be hard to access and fish, or there is little information available about them.
Then there are streams like Stonewall Creek that exhibit all of the above! This flow is a tributary of the Tallulah River, and pretty much flows under the radar of most Peach State anglers.
Located in a patch of Chattahoochee National Forest property in the southern end of Rabun County, Georgia, Stonewall is not well known. Being in the vicinity of the oft publicized Chattooga River that is on the border with South Carolina is one reason for Stonewall’s anonymity.
It’s most prominent feature that gets any recognition is Stonewall Falls that is located on its course. Even that can be a bit confusing, since there is also a Stonewall Creek Falls positioned in northern Rabun County in the drainage of the Chattooga River on a tributary of Holcomb Creek.
I first became aware of Stonewall Creek when I noticed it on the list of streams that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocks with trout. An emailed query to John Lee Thomson, the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division Trout Stocking Coordinator, then revealed that the one on the list was indeed the more southerly creek.
Asking around a bit, I also turned to fishing guide Kyle Burrell, who grew up in that area of the state. He now splits his year between taking anglers down Georgia’s Chattahoochee River for River Through Atlanta Guide Service in the spring and fall, while spending his summers guiding in Wyoming. Kyle said that he had fished Stonewall many times in his youth when it was full of small wild rainbow trout. On the other hand, he admitted that was some years back.
The management scheme for the creek today is a bit different. The WRD now stocks catchable-sized trout in the creek four times each year. Unlike most other streams using that same schedule, which have fish released from March through August, Stonewall only gets trout from March to July 4. Thus, it basically boils down to having fish planted once per month in the spring. All of which suggests that the water warms in the summer to marginal levels.
The stocking coordinator pointed out that at one time the regular stocking trucks drove down an old gated road to the stream to release the fish, but that has changed. They now use a 4-WD pick-up with stocking boxes in the back for the job. The point of mentioning that fact is to add another reason for Stonewall not getting a lot of notice. It is not easy to get to the creek. Anglers are required to expend a bit of shoe leather to walk down to the stream. While that walk is only a couple of hundred yards, it still cuts down on the number of fishermen making the trek.
Once on the stream, you find a small to medium-sized flow that is heavily foliaged along the shore. Expect to encounter some downed trees across the creek, as well as tight casting conditions. Another drawback is the trail along it often is 10 to 12 feet up a steep bank from the water. There are only few side trails leading to entry points, as well as access at the foot of Stonewall Falls.
Reaching Stonewall Creek begins with a drive to just south of the small village of Tiger on Old U.S. Highway 441 to its intersection with Stonewall Creek Road. Head west along that dirt and gravel track for 1.2 miles At that point you reach an intersection where there is room for parking and a gated road running downhill to the left.
Passing the gate, it is a 200-yard walk down hill to where the road joins the White Twister Mountain Bike Trail that runs along side Stonewall Creek. From this point, Stonewall Creek Falls is 260 yards upstream to the right. Above the falls the trail continues for 0.2 mile upstream to where it fords the creek. The trout, however, are stocked below the falls and the stream above it is rather small and has very tight cover.
From the gated road’s junction with the White Twister, the bike trail runs downstream along the creek for another 0.4 mile, before the path runs uphill away from the stream. So, all told, you have just over a half mile of water from that point upstream ot the falls. That stretch constitutes the practical fishing area.
Like most stocked streams, hitting Stonewall a few days after the fish are released offers the best action. Those dates are available on the WRD website’s weekly stocking report. You can expect to encounter mostly rainbows in the 8- to 10-inch size range.
After a couple of visits to Stonewall Creek, it seems most of traffic on the trail system is from hikers headed to view the waterfall, along with a occasional mountain biker. Anglers, on the other hand, appear quite scarce on this stream, particularly during weekdays.
