The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) will hold a public meeting to present a proposal to implement a Delayed Harvest regulation on a portion of the Toccoa River and to receive public input on the proposed regulation change. The meeting will be at the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association building at 420 West Main Street in Blue Ridge, Georgia on Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 7:00 pm.
Delayed harvest is a management program designed to provide a "fish-for-fun" experience with high catch rates for trout. In this program, trout are stocked in streams to provide catch-and-release fishing, using single-hook artificial lures from November 1 through May 14. From May 15 through October 31, the stream is managed under general regulations, which means natural bait can be used and up to eight trout can be harvested.
Some important features of the delayed harvest program include: trout can be caught several times each because no harvest is permitted between November 1 and May 14; periodic restocking replaces trout lost to injury and natural mortality; research indicates that catch rates average three to four times higher in delayed harvest streams when compared to traditional stocked streams; delayed harvest streams are popular with anglers wanting to introduce new anglers to trout fishing because the high numbers of fish stocked greatly improves the chance of success.
The portion of the Toccoa River being considered for this regulation is a 1.2-mile section located on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) property. This section includes the portion of USFS property located just upstream of the Shallowford Bridge, which is roughly 9 miles southeast of Blue Ridge.
This meeting is being conducted in a facility that is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Wayne Probst at (706) 624-1161. All interested parties are invited to attend this meeting and provide comments. Persons who cannot attend this meeting should submit written comments before April 31, 2006 to Wayne Probst, WRD Fisheries Management, P.O. Box 519, Calhoun, Georgia 30703.
Directions: The Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association is located in the old Fannin County Court House (next to new court house) located in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia. From the intersection of U.S. Highway 76 and GA Highway 5 north in Blue Ridge, turn south, onto West First Street. Travel on West First Street until the first stop light and turn left at the light. Take the first right (before railroad tracks), which is West Main Street, and travel for two blocks. The Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association building is just past the new courthouse on the right.
For more information, contact the Calhoun Fisheries office at (706) 624-1161.