Zac Brooks: Float North Georgia

Zac’s profound appreciation for the outdoors is nothing new; it’s been around for as long as he can remember. Long before Zac was guiding on Georgia’s famed Toccoa River, he developed a love for wild places through time spent outside with friends and family. “I’ve grown up camping my whole life. Being outdoors always feels like pressing the reset button. It’s refreshing to put the phone and laptop away and just be a human and share conversations around a fire with friends. I love the feeling of not knowing exactly what each day will look like.”

As he got older, Zac found that guiding offered a similar experience to his early camping trips. “My favorite part of guiding is the conversations and experiences you get to share with people on the water. You hear so many stories from different walks of life. And getting to show people fly fishing is so much more than fishing. It’s unplugging from the day-to-day, being present in the moment, and appreciating the incredible ecosystems that support this amazing sport.” 

Zac’s approach to guiding is grounded in his early outdoor experiences, and it shines through each day on the water. “I do everything I can to catch as many fish as possible. But on the days where the fish aren’t cooperating, we’re going to have great conversations and an amazing experience. I’ll spend time teaching and working with you on casting, mending, and helping you learn as much as possible. When the fish do cooperate, you’ll be set up for success.” 

For Zac, a successful trip starts long before the day of fishing begins. “I put the effort in every day to make sure that, whatever the day may hold, you’ll have a great experience. I will always go out of my way to ensure communication is top-notch leading up to a trip. I want my clients to feel confident that they are taken care of before we even set foot on the water.” These preparations often include impressive culinary undertakings. “On full days, I try to make lunch a fun experience, instead of just scarfing down a sandwich. I love cooking good food and experiencing the beauty of the river while enjoying lunch on the bank.”

At the end of the day, Zac’s goal is to give his clients a taste of the many wonderful facets of fly fishing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. “I want to make sure that my clients leave the river having had a great experience whether the fishing was good or not – that they can appreciate the beauty and the mountain air, and that there is a lot more to fly fishing than just catching fish.”

Zac recognizes the great fortune of guiding in the North Georgia area. “The Toccoa offers by far the best trout fishing on a river in Georgia from a boat. The tailwater holds some monster browns and the upper section holds beautiful wild rainbows. For anglers in the Southeast, it gives you an opportunity to have a great fly fishing experience without having to make the trek out West.” The Toccoa truly is a trout fishing gem in the Southeast — one that holds some massive fish, and that Zac has learned inside and out over the years. 

When you make your living working within a beautiful ecosystem like the Blue Ridge region, you develop a passion for conserving the resource for future anglers. “I care deeply about protecting the banks of the Toccoa river. A lot of new homes have been going up and a fair amount of them will completely rip out all of the trees and vegetation on the banks. The hemlock blight has gotten pretty bad in our area with woolly adelgid, so I always try to bring awareness to that with clients on the river.” The woolly adelgid is an insect which sucks sap from hemlock needles, killing the hemlock’s needles, shoots, and branches, and ultimately the entire tree. This can quickly speed erosion in areas like the Toccoa River Valley, where hemlocks quite literally hold the riverbank intact throughout the seasonal flood cycles. Zac wants all his clients to know about the importance of these trees to the health, stability, and longevity of his home waters. Time on his boat is about becoming a better angler and steward of the land too.

Zac is also intentional about the way that he approaches community building in fly fishing. “Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s not a competition. As a guide, we're here to help each other and give our clients the best possible experience."

Zac’s knowledge of the rivers and streams in Blue Ridge, Georgia is vast, but he notes that there’s always more to discover. “I think it’s a constant learning process. Water levels, seasonal patterns, insect hatches – the river is always changing, which makes every day look a little different. It’s hard to get tired of life out here.” This learning and growing has become an essential part of who he is. “Being a fly fishing guide isn't just a job for me; it's a way of life. I feel truly lucky to be able to share my love for fly fishing with others and to play a small part in conserving our natural environment.” 

Zac is excited by the prospect of forging more strong relationships with his anglers over the coming seasons. “I envision building a list of long-time return clients, while also hopefully teaching younger guides the beauty and respect of guiding and teaching people how to fish.” Zac is truly a fantastic person to fish with and learn from. If you find yourself in the Georgia mountains with trout on the mind, you won’t regret carving out a slice of your trip for some time on the river with him on the oars.