Mclose look - georgia
T
he Chattooga River flows down the border of north Georgia and the highlands of South Carolina. Along its way to becoming part of the Savannah River, this stream triggers a range of differing emotions in the trout fisherman. For some, a mention of the river evokes scenes of outrageous whitewater rafting runs. The tumbling chutes and roaring falls provide some of the most exciting paddling in the eastern portion of the nation. The filming of the movie Deliverance on the stream back in the 1970s imprinted other images upon the psyche of outdoorsmen in the last quarter of the 20th century. An uneasy feeling sweeps over us whenever banjo music is heard drifting down a mountain hollow. From that same well sprang the phrase “squeal like a pig” to haunt Ned Beatty’s acting career and make the rest of us cringe. But, despite Hollywood’s best efforts, for most anglers today, the Polly Dean fishing the lower portion of the Chattooga Chattooga’s main legacy is synonymous with River DH near the SR 28 bridge. great trout fishing. Camping Access the river is stocked with catchable-sized brook, brown and rainbow Here again the view of the river is a multitrout. faceted one. Indeed, the Chattooga is like four rivers in one. From its headwater The area that presently gets the most around Bull Pen Gap in North Carolina down attention from anglers, especially in the past Ellicotts Rock where Georgia and the winter months, is the Delayed Harvest (DH) two Carolinas meet to Burrells Ford, the water. The DH regulations were introduce water harbors almost all exclusively wild in 2002, and during the ensuing decade, stream-bred trout. Next, the river courses through an isolated section where fingerling the rules have proven quite popular. But, even this stretch is not easily accessed by trout are stocked with the use of helicopters fishermen. Hiking trails along both shores of once per year. The rainbows and browns the river provide the only way to reach the of this portion act more like wild fish than best fishing areas hatchery plantings. Then, from the mouth of Reed Creek downstream to the State Route 28 bridge, the river is managed by Georgia and South Carolina as a delayed-harvest fishery. This third section is the “newest” portion of the fishery, and it is what has brought refreshed attention to the Chattooga. Finally, from SR 28 down to the Long Bottom
The DH water stretches upstream from the bridge at SR 28 for 2.3 miles. The upper boundary for the section is the mouth of Reed Creek, which enters the river from Georgia on the western side of the flow. Both Georgia’s and South Carolina’s DH seasons on the Chattooga run from November 1 to May 15. annually. Only single-
94 | Southern Trout | February 2014 | www.southerntrout.com