Recently released by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), these two guidebooks provide fish population trends, fishing tips and fishing location information for 31 reservoirs and 18 rivers throughout the state.
The free guides, entitled 2008 Georgia Reservoir Fishing Prospects and 2008 Georgia River Fishing Prospects, are currently available in print or by e-mail from any WRD Fisheries Management office and soon will be available online at www.gofishgeorgia.com .
Georgia waters offer anglers some of the most diverse fishing opportunities in the Southeast with more than 500,000 acres of reservoirs and 12,000 miles of warm water streams.
Outlook information for each Georgia reservoir and river is compiled annually by WRD Fisheries biologists and is based on sampling efforts, knowledge of past fishing trends, fishing experiences and angler and marina owner information.
Lakes detailed in the 2008 Georgia Reservoir Fishing Prospects guide include: Allatoona, Andrews, Bartlett’s Ferry, Blackshear, Blue Ridge, Burton, Carters, Chatuge, Chehaw, Clarks Hill, Goat Rock, Hamburg, Hartwell, High Falls, Jackson, Juliette, Lanier, Nottely, Oconee, Oliver, Rabun, Randy Poynter, Richard B. Russell, Seminole, Sinclair, Tobesofkee, Tugalo, Varner, Walter F. George, Weiss and West Point.
Rivers detailed in the 2008 Georgia River Fishing Prospects guide include the Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Conasauga, Coosa, Coosawattee, Etowah, Flint, Ochlockonee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Oostanaula, Satilla, Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee and Toccoa rivers.
The information collected during the guide creation process doubles as both a helpful resource for Georgia anglers and as useful management information for WRD Fisheries staff. Fisheries staff annually sample these major water bodies to determine such things as recruitment, growth, condition and abundance of important game fish.
For more information on fishing opportunities in Georgia, visit www.gofishgeorgia.com or call any WRD Fisheries Management Office:
·Northwest Georgia (706-624-1161)
·Northeast Georgia (770-535-5498)
·Central East Georgia (770-918-6418)
·Central West Georgia (478-825-6151)
·Southwest Georgia (229-430-4256)
·Southeast Georgia (912-285-6094)
·Coastal Georgia. (912-727-2112)
Take Me Fishing! ™ A recent national survey indicated that 87 percent of Americans believe fishing and boating have a positive effect on family relationships. So take your family fishing and you will always have something in common.
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