Anglers will have much better luck fishing for trout in the Chattooga River in Northeast Georgia thanks to a recent joint stocking effort. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited stocked more than 20,000 rainbow trout utilizing a helicopter in remote parts of the Chattooga River.
“This project is a great example of how a public/private partnership should work,” says Lee Keefer, WRD Fisheries Biologist. “Anglers are fortunate that Trout Unlimited and the Forest Service make this possible by providing the funding for the stocking effort.”
The WRD Fisheries Management Section reared the rainbow trout at the Burton Trout Hatchery. The fish were stocked using a USFS helicopter with a bucket attached underneath it in a section of the river where natural reproduction is limited. They grow through the winter and will provide catchable size trout for anglers next spring.
Trout fishing information is readily available. Anglers can get a copy of the current Georgia Sportfishing Regulations on the WRD website, at all WRD offices or through fishing license agents. This guidebook contains information on special trout stream regulations, general trout fishing information and more. Trout stream maps also are available by visiting the WRD website at www.gofishgeorgia.com.
Anglers must possess both a current Georgia fishing license and a trout license to fish in designated trout waters and to fish for or to possess trout. Anglers are reminded to respect private property rights on streams flowing through private lands. The landowner controls access to, and fishing rights in, such streams so permission must be obtained before fishing on private property.
For more information on trout fishing in North Georgia, visit the WRD website at www.gofishgeorgia.com or call (770) 535-5498.