Trout Fishing Bowman's Island

A long time ago, Bowman’s Island was a real trout fishing hot spot. However, in the past five years, the secret has been let out of the bag. If you are confused about what I am talking about, then I will clear it up a little. This island is located on the section of the Chattahoochee near Buford Dam. It’s not far from where the boat ramp is in the park and you can actually see where the river splits when you drive over the Dam. Anyways, the trout fishing from the beginning to the end of Bowman’s island is still really good. You see, nobody ever used to fish this section of the river for a few reasons. It’s a decent little trek down the river – both ways – and I don’t think that everyone knew about it. I remember when I was about twelve and was actually strong enough to make it that far and back, I was really surprised to see someone down there. Now, I am surprised if I don’t see a person fishing down there. The abundance of people trudging through this part of the river has put a damper on the spot, but it is still a great place to trout fish if you want to put forth the effort of going down there.

One of the best parts of the river and Bowman’s Island is the very beginning on the right side. The right side of the island has a lot more hot spots than the left does. The only spot that I ever fish on the left side is at the beginning. There is a big, big rock to stand on and a few little pools where a couple of trout hold out. Anyways, the left side of Bowman’s Island is pretty shallow. The right side, however, is deeper and has some bigger rapids. The very beginning on the right side is one of my favorite spots to fish for trout on the whole river. It gets really deep right there at the beginning and I can usually get about ten right there on a good day. I only use one type of trout fishing lure when I fish this river and I usually catch a lot fish. A good day for me on this part of the Hooch is around thirty fish. The most I have caught is around seventy. Sounds like a lot, but if you know where all of the good spots are on the river like I do, it’s not hard at all. Anyways, there are several little pools on the beginning of the right side where you can catch a lot of trout, so you will just have to check it out for yourself in order to fully understand what I am talking about. It is also a good idea to take a float tube and life jacket with you if you plan on going to Bowman’s Island. Near the end, the river starts to get deep and slow, and then right at the end there is decently long section of shallow rapids with a few deep holes in the middle. There is some great fishing to be had right at the end of Bowman’s. Anyways, from there on to the Highway 20 Bridge, the river is really deep and slow. I hope you enjoyed this review on trout fishing Bowman’s Island.