Seasons & Conditions

Holiday Week Fly Fishing in North Georgia: How to Plan a Guided Trip With Family in Town

Daniel Bowman Updated November 4, 2026 11 min read

When the family comes to town, everyone needs something to do between the big meals. A few hours on the river is a good answer, even for relatives who have never held a fly rod. This guide is for the person doing the planning: which days to look at, who should go, what everyone needs and what the weather will be like.

If you want to skip ahead, our trip finder asks a few questions about your group and suggests the right trip.

Can you go fly fishing over Thanksgiving or Christmas in North Georgia?

Yes. "Trout fishing is available year-round in Georgia," according to Georgia WRD, and our trout water is open both holiday weeks. Here's the holiday calendar this year:

Call us to check which days around each holiday we're guiding. The days next to a holiday, like the Friday after Thanksgiving or the weekdays between Christmas and New Year's, are the natural fit for a trip with family in town.

Every trout water we guide in North Georgia is open over Thanksgiving week and the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Which waters are open during the holidays?

All five of our trout waters. Our Soque and Etowah private water rests only in summer (the Soque from June 10 and the Etowah from June 15, through September 20), so both are open through the holidays. The Toccoa, fed from the bottom of Blue Ridge Dam, runs cold in every season. Noontootla Creek fishes year-round. And we fish the Tuckasegee in North Carolina only during that state's delayed harvest season, which starts each October and ends the first Saturday of June, so it's open both weeks.

Which trout water fits your group:

• Soque or Etowah, for a mixed family. Both are beginner friendly, with even first timers having great success catching both quantity and big fish. December through February is a good time to hook a big one.
• The Toccoa, for a float. You fish from a drift boat or raft, so you're not standing in cold water, and you don't need waders. First-timers often prefer floats.
• Noontootla Creek, for the experienced angler in the family. It's technical water, better suited for someone with some fly fishing experience.
• The Tuckasegee, for a full day out. It's full day only, and it needs a North Carolina license. North Carolina doesn't sell a single-day fishing license; its nonresident 10-day inland license, which covers trout water, is $29 (North Carolina regulations).

Fishing a weekend or a holiday on public water can leave you feeling like you should have brought your own rock. Our private streams are different. All of our private water is catch and release, so plan the holiday dinner without the trout. The Dragonfly, our property on the upper Soque, has a limited calendar, so ask which dates are open. For the winter fishing itself, see our guides to winter fly fishing in North Georgia and December fly fishing.

What time do holiday trips start?

Most trips meet at the river around 8 a.m. Your guide sends the exact meeting time and directions the day before, so plan the holiday meal around that time. For how fishing changes in the cold, see our December fly fishing guide.

Should you book a half day or a full day over the holidays?

A half day, for most families. It's four hours on the water, so it fits around a holiday meal. A full day is eight hours with a riverside lunch, which suits the angler in the family who wants the whole day.

Every trip includes gear, instruction and everything you need for a great day on the water. Every trip and price is listed on our trip rates page.

How do you plan a trip for a mixed group of relatives?

Count the anglers, then count the guides. Each guide on our private water takes one to three people, and two is the sweet spot. Groups of four or more get more than one guide, so everyone gets real attention.

A few common holiday groups, and how they'd work:

1. Two adults who want to try it. One guide, a half day on the Soque or Etowah, $550.
2. A parent and two kids. One guide for three anglers, $675 for a half day on the Soque or Etowah. Kids 8 and up are typically ready, and four hours is the right ceiling for most of them.
3. Grandpa, Dad and a grandson. A three-generation trip with one guide, $675 for a half day on the Soque or Etowah.
4. Four to six cousins. Two or three guides on private water. Ask us for group pricing.
5. One serious angler. A full day on Noontootla Creek ($600 for one angler, technical water) or a full-day Tuckasegee float in North Carolina ($575 per boat) while the rest of the family does something else.

For people who have never fished, the start is quicker than they expect. Kids who've never held a rod are casting in 20 minutes and catching fish in an hour. We provide kid-sized rods, reels, waders and boots. For more on fishing with kids, see our guide to family fly fishing with kids in North Georgia.

What should you have ready when you call?

Three things, so we can match the water and the number of guides on the first call:

• The dates you're considering.
• The headcount, including kids and their ages.
• Who has fished before, even once.

A group of four to six may need two or three guides on the same day, so the sooner we have your dates, the easier that is to line up.

What licenses do out-of-town relatives need?

Every relative age 16 and up needs Georgia fishing and trout privileges, even on private water with a guide. For a relative visiting from another state, short-term licenses keep it cheap. Prices from Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (license options, price list):

A few things to know:

• Short-term licenses can start on a future date, so a relative can buy one before they arrive. The DNR says they "cover 1 day (which may be a future date)."
• Buying online adds a $3.00 fee per order. (Georgia DNR)
• Buy at Go Outdoors Georgia, the state's license site.
• The Tuckasegee is in North Carolina and needs a North Carolina license instead.

Rules and prices change, so check with Georgia DNR before you buy. For every license type, see our license and trout stamp guide.

How cold and wet is North Georgia over the holidays?

Cool to cold, but very fishable. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 averages for Helen, in the mountains near our water, put November highs near 60°F and December highs around 51°F, with lows in the 30s. (NOAA, Helen) In December, Dahlonega averages 11.8 days of measurable rain, or about one day in three. (NOAA, Dahlonega)

Rain doesn't cancel a trip, so dress for it. Snow is rare: Helen averages 0.3 inches in December. On a public USGS gauge on the Etowah downstream of Dahlonega, the water averaged about 47°F over December 20 to 31 last year, and 52°F in late November. That's last year's reading on public water, not a promise for this year or our private water. (USGS)

We fish rain or shine, since trout don't mind the weather. We'll cancel or reschedule only for dangerous conditions: lightning, flooding or extreme cold.

How much daylight is there for a holiday fishing trip?

Plenty for a half day, and enough for a full day. Even on December 21, the shortest day of the year, the sun is up in Dahlonega from 7:39 a.m. to 5:29 p.m., almost 10 hours. Times from the US Naval Observatory: (USNO)

What does a holiday trip day look like?

If anyone in the group has never fished with a guide, what to expect on a first guided trip walks through the day step by step. Here's one way the day can go with family in town, built around the meeting time your guide sends:

1. Check the meeting time your guide sent the day before, and plan breakfast and the drive around it.
2. Drive to the river.
3. Gear up at the water. Your guide brings the rods, reels, waders, boots and flies for everyone, kids included.
4. A few hours on the water, with your guide working with each person at their own level.
5. Back to the family with the rest of the day free.
6. An evening out, like Dahlonega's square in December, if you fished near Dahlonega.

What should everyone bring?

Warm layers, a hat and gloves, polarized sunglasses and their licenses. We bring the rods, reels, waders, boots and flies. A quick list to send the family before the trip:

• Layers: a base layer and a fleece under the waders, and a jacket on top. On a float, just wear the layers.
• A warm hat and gloves for a cold morning at the river.
• Polarized sunglasses, so they can see into the water.
• Sunscreen, since there's little shade on a float.
• Licenses for everyone 16 and older: a Georgia fishing license and a trout license.

Our guide to what to wear on a guided fly fishing trip covers layering in detail.

What else can the family do in North Georgia that week?

Pair the trip with a town visit. Dahlonega's Old Fashioned Christmas is "a month-long celebration starting the day after Thanksgiving," with a Lighting of the Square and "extended merchant hours, wine-sampling, carriage rides, & more" in December, according to the town's tourism office. (Dahlonega) A trip on the river and an evening on the square make an easy holiday day for a family that's split on fishing. If relatives are staying more than a couple of days, our three-day North Georgia itinerary lays out where to stay and what to fish each day.

Gift certificates are an option too, if you'd rather give the trip for later. They never expire, can be combined and work on any trip except the Dragonfly. See our gift certificates page.

A holiday trip checklist

If you're the one planning, work through these in order:

1. Pick the day. A weekday between the holidays, or the day after a big meal. Call us to confirm we're guiding that day.
2. Count the anglers. Include kids 8 and up and anyone who wants to try.
3. Choose half or full day. Half day for most families, full day for the serious angler.
4. Choose the water. Soque or Etowah for a mixed group, a Toccoa float for first-timers who'd rather not wade.
5. Book it. Within 24 hours we'll text or call to confirm the date and time and take payment to hold the trip.
6. Buy licenses. On Georgia water, everyone 16 and older needs a fishing license and a trout license, and visitors can buy a one-day license in advance. A Tuckasegee day needs a North Carolina license instead.
7. Plan the meal around the meeting time your guide sends the day before.

How do you book a holiday week trip?

Tell us who's coming, how many of them have fished before and which days work, and we'll match the trip to the group. Request a trip through our trip finder or the booking page, or call (706) 963-0435.

Daniel Bowman

Owner & Head Guide · Bowman Fly Fishing

Daniel has guided fly fishing trips in North Georgia for more than 10 years. He runs Bowman Fly Fishing with a team of 10 guides on the Toccoa, Soque, Etowah, Noontootla, and Tuckasegee — including private water access most anglers never get to fish.