Sometimes Mother Nature alone creates good fishing, other times she needs a little help. Heath Lake is one of those places where the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), is actively assisting Mother Nature to provide the best quality bass fishing possible. Biologists can only do so much through rule and regulation though; anglers must maintain an active role and through selective harvest, do their part to best manage a fishery.

Heath Lake, 202 acres, is part of Plant Rocky Mountain, an Oglethorpe Power hydropower development in Floyd County north of Rome. The WRD Fisheries Management Section manages the 5,000-acre area as a PFA with 100 percent of the operational funding provided by Oglethorpe Power. Antioch Lake, spreading across 357 acres, also is available to anglers on this area. Since two lakes are available, the area presents a unique opportunity for special management of one lake, with the other lake remaining under standard PFA rules and regulations that are designed to best meet the needs of most anglers.

In 2001, with strong agreement from local anglers, one lake was placed under special management to attempt to produce the very best bass fishing possible by regulating fishing pressure and harvest. Due to several management-related reasons Heath Lake was chosen for the special attention. Even though it was already a favorite of bass anglers, electro-fishing surveys revealed that of the two lakes, it actually had the weaker bass population and was in more need of corrective action. The two-prong plan included increasing the minimum length limit for largemouth bass to reduce harvest, and limiting fishing to only the first seven days of each month to help keep the fish naïve and eager to bite.

Scientific surveys revealed that within a year, these changes were successful and had led to more and bigger fish in Heath Lake for anglers to catch. With limited harvest though, by 2005 Heath Lake had become too much of a good thing. There now are too many 11" - 13" fish competing for the same forage, resulting in slow growth and smaller fish for anglers to catch. So, as part of their active role to intensely manage the lake’s bass population, WRD has implemented new regulations on Heath Lake to best benefit both the bass population and anglers.

Beginning in Spring 2005, Heath Lake went to a 14" - 20" slot limit on largemouth bass. All fish between 14" and 20" must be released immediately, fish less than 14" or more than 20" are legal for harvest. The daily creel limit remains five fish, but only one can be over 20". Also, to allow anglers more chances to harvest smaller fish while generally staying within the limited-access management scheme, the lake is now open to fishing from sunrise to sunset the first 10 days of each month.

The purpose of the new slot limit is to allow anglers to harvest size groups of fish that are overabundant while still protecting the larger fish that are the driving force for a dynamic, high quality bass fishery. Reducing the number of smaller fish will allow all fish to grow better through reduced competition. Smaller bass are great table fare, and while 100 percent catch-and-release angling certainly has its place in maintaining the fishing Georgia bass anglers enjoy today, it is not always the best answer. The success or failure of the new Heath Lake regulations is completely in the anglers’ hands. For the regulation to work, anglers must harvest some bass below 14”. For those anglers who do not wish to harvest smaller bass, an excellent way to help is to introduce a child to fishing and allow him or her to harvest some smaller fish. This helps the lake short term and also helps long term by introducing the next generation to angling and an interest in our natural world.

Rocky Mountain Recreation and PFA is definitely worth the drive. All anglers can do their part to manage this unique fishery by giving Heath Lake a try this summer and taking home some smaller bass for the table. Both lakes at Rocky Mountain are excellent summer fishing, and idle-speed only restrictions are enforced to make the lakes pleasant for anglers. The area offers camping (RV and tent), a designated swimming beach, hiking, and picnic areas. A wildlife management area license is not required to fish at Rocky Mountain, but all vehicles parked on the area must have a valid parking permit which are available at all entrances.

For more information on Rocky Mountain Recreation and PFA, visit www.gofishgeorgia.com or call the Area Manager’s Office at 706-802-5087.

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