Advertisement
Trout Fishing
Blue Ridge native Hunter Barnes had seen this fish before. He had watched it for two weeks in the tailout of a big run while guiding on the Toccoa River tailwater. A college student and wrestler at UT Chattanooga, Hunter spent the summer guiding, and in one stretch of river he watched a resident mallard…
We’ve got a couple of impressive new records to report this month, a big Toccoa River rainbow trout and the coveted West Point flathead catfish record. Last year at this time, GON was reporting on trout populations devastated in the Toccoa River tailrace by warm-water discharges associated with construction at Blue Ridge Dam. A lot…
Trout anglers showed up in force Nov. 10 to voice varying opinions when the Toccoa River Watershed Coalition (TRWC) held a public meeting on its proposal for special regulations on the Toccoa River tailrace. The proposed regulations would restrict anglers to single-hook, artificial lures, a slot limit and reduced creel limit on a large section…
Atlanta area trout fishermen may have been thrilled with the news that the brown trout below Buford Dam are reproducing so successfully that there is no longer a need to stock them in the tailwater. However, those big browns are still very tough to catch. From previous catches and shocking surveys, we know the…
It’s official. Following six years of study, biologists with DNR have concluded that brown trout are reproducing in numbers significant enough to warrant a permanent cessation of brown trout stocking in the Chattahoochee River tailrace below Buford Dam. DNR Fisheries Biologist Patrick O’Rouke said they’ve finished crunching all the numbers from a study that began…
The Chattooga River downstream of Burrells Ford has produced a second South Carolina state record brook trout in less than a year for the same angler. Wes Coker, of Gray Court, S.C., caught a 2-lb., 14.56-oz. brookie on March 25, 2010. He broke that record on Dec. 23, 2010, with a 4-lb., 10-oz. fish measuring…
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) deep drawdown of Blue Ridge Lake to more than 60 feet below full pool for dam repairs this summer has all but wiped out the trout population in the Toccoa River tailrace below the dam, rendering one of the state’s premier trout fisheries almost barren. An electrofishing survey was taken…
On Monday, March 8, DNR Law Enforcement officers recovered the body of a man who drowned on the Chattahoochee River in Suwanee after his boat flipped following a water release at Buford dam. The body of Ira Braitsch, 64, of Lawrenceville, was pulled from the water just south of McGinnis Ferry Road about 24 hours…
Jonathan Lewis caught an 11-lb., 7.52-oz. lake-record brown trout on Lake Nottely on March 16, 2010.
Hidden in the southern Appalachian Mountains in north Georgia are approximately 4,000 miles of streams designated by the Georgia DNR as trout streams. That number is a bit deceptive when you account for private property, stream size, stocked versus wild populations and a myriad of other factors. Nonetheless, north Georgia is a trout fisherman’s paradise…
Trout Recipes
Buttermilk Fried Rabbit Wild rabbit make excellent table fare if prepared correctly, and a little extra effort will take the dish to a new level. If you didn’t put some rabbits in the freezer this past season, you can buy commercially raised rabbit. As a general rule, a cottontail will serve one person. Cut the…
Bacon-Wrapped Georgia Shrimp Whet the appetites of backyard grill fans with a serving of bacon-wrapped shrimp. Keep an eye out for the opening of Georgia’s recreation shrimp season, which typically runs from early June to the end of January. Use your cast net or seine to take advantage of this plentiful natural bounty on our…
Crockpot Crispy Wild Turkey 1 whole turkey I pound butter divided in half 1 tbsp thyme 1 tbsp rosemary 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp black pepper Pat the turkey dry with one or two sheets of paper towel. Slather the entire turkey with half the butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary.…