Toccoa River fishing restrictions.

[MadDawg51]

I fully agree but I don't see anybody getting money that the TVA doesn't want to give up.

I fully agree. If the TVA finds out there are big trout in that river, they will claim it is because of the dam and charge us to use the river.

 

[FordHunter]

I am all for the restrictions on the Toccoa River Tailwater and have already signed petitions in support of these new regulations. The fish hatchery up there is no longer going to stock that area and for that reason, if these regulations are not put forth, then there will be no more trout for even the "catch and keep" fisherman to catch.

Just one more step toward landowner only fishing there. They already have signs up on part of it declaring catch and release only. I almost fell for it until I studied the signs and saw that they weren't official.

As for this, I am not sure what the rules are with this on the tailwaters, but on the upper Toccoa if someone states catch and release only, or no fishing, it is law and they can call the sherriff or game warden if you are caught. Over the summer I saw a few people receive fines over 1,000 dollars. So watch yourself when it comes to those areas and make sure you really do know the rules.

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

Just one more step toward landowner only fishing there. They already have signs up on part of it declaring catch and release only. I almost fell for it until I studied the signs and saw that they weren't official.

As for this, I am not sure what the rules are with this on the tailwaters, but on the upper Toccoa if someone states catch and release only, or no fishing, it is law and they can call the sherriff or game warden if you are caught. Over the summer I saw a few people receive fines over 1,000 dollars. So watch yourself when it comes to those areas and make sure you really do know the rules.

On the tailwater section below the Dam some landowners stock and feed the fish and have posted very "official looking" signs stating CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY, since occording to Ga Law they own the river bottom so you are fishing on their property so if they want me to Catch and release I will (I would have anyway). If I was a landowner my sign would say NO FISHING and I would call the Sheriff, so I think they are/were doing you a huge favor by LETTING YOU FISH and requesting you return the fish to the river and only take pictures and memories.....

 

[trout man]

I could be wrong but I think the tva owns the river bottom and not the land owners. This is the only tva river in ga and is different than say the soque. Another thing is when a private land owner stocks fish they become property of the state and the land owner can not tell you it is catch and release only. I doubt it will ever happen but it would be nice.

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

I could be wrong but I think the tva owns the river bottom and not the land owners. This is the only tva river in ga and is different than say the soque. Another thing is when a private land owner stocks fish they become property of the state and the land owner can not tell you it is catch and release only. I doubt it will ever happen but it would be nice.

According to the discussion (of fishermen, a couple of NGTO member landowners and at least one real estate lawyer) on NGTO the TVA owns the water, the land owner owns the river bed and the state owns the trout. No the land owner can't tell you what to to with your catch but he can have you arrested for fishing on his land. By law you can float the Toccoa tailrace but if you anchor or wade you are tresspassing, and if the landowner asks you to move on and stop fishing "his" hole you need to move on. You are not getting it!!! it's not common sense it's the law!!! I've floated the Toccoa 50 times over the years and have never had much of a problem, we have been asked to move along after anchoring on a nice hole, no I was not happy but why anger the landowner, the law is on his side and 90% of the landowners don't care about who floats and fishes and many of the ones who stock and feed the fish don't care if you catch them they just want you to catch the big fish, take a picture, and return it to the water so it can be enjoyed by others.. to kill a trophy fish is just SELFISH!!!!
WHY KILL THE FISH???? Few Taxidermists do skin mounts anymore they just pick a form that matches the dead fish, use it for copying the coloration and then THROW AWAY THE DEAD FISH. Take several pictures and measure length, and girth, RELEASE THE FISH, and get a reproduction done its the same thing!!! and the fish lives to be someone else's "FISH OF A LIFETIME" For the guys who are fishing for supper, I'm all for that but why not kill 12" stockers which are so easy to catch most of the time at Tammen park, Curtis switch and Horseshoe Bend Park

 

[trout man]

I don't keep trout and I have seen many times what happens when you let them grow. I have been a guide for about ten years. I did not say to keep the fish and I stand corrected on all the laws. I am for the slot limit and think it would be a good thing for the river and the area.

 

[Tightliner]

Personally, I'm all for slot limit. Particularly on streams that offer sustainable reproduction and hold over. There are plenty of hatchery supported streams that not only offer, but need fish to be harvested. I could never bring myself to harvest a brood fish. Pictures and fiberglass reproductions are available for bragging rights. Also, large fish do not taste good (at least not like a smaller cookie cutter). Usually if I want to eat fish, a popper for bream is the ticket. Cant beat the taste!!!!!! I own a stretch of land on a very fine non hatchery supported river. It just kills me to see a stringer with large brooders hanging on it. It will take many years to replace them. There are tons of medium sized, stream born trout for the taking. I just dont understand ..............

Later.................................................

 

[Fire Eater]

If the Toccoa were made into a "slot limit" stream, I would fish there and nowhere else. People, this is a great idea...you would be able to catch trout "like you see in Montana."

DNR needs to make sure that the public has access to the river...Blue Ridge is a TVA dam(Federal) so that would imply public access to its water(TVA controlled), regardless of what Georgia law says. See "easements" for power companies across private land for precedent, legal eagles. Not a situation like on the Soque, Noontootla, etc.

As for the bait fishermen, nearly all other streams are open to "catch and keep" fishing...just send more stockers over to Rock Creek for them to catch.

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

I agree slot limits should be enforce on all rivers/creeks that normally overwinter/oversummer trout. Everyone Pro or Con send your thoughts to the political people listed above.

 

[drewpatt]

I can agree with a slot limit & a reduced creel limit, but I don't agree with single barbless hook. I may get slammed here but I use ultra lite spinning gear & fish with spinners & rapalas as well as some single hook artificals like doll flies. These rules just seem to me that the spin fisherman has been left out or maybe not welcome. I fish the Toccoa a good bit its my favorite place to trout fish. I for one hope these rules don't pass as they are written.

 

[Mako]

Nothing has changed at Horseshoe or Tammen. You can still use bait to catch trout. Even in between, you could cut off a couple hooks on your spinner or rapala and mash the barb and your ready to go. I have found with a single hook you get better hook ups anyways. I have caught a bunch of huge trout with a big gold bladed mepps spinner with two hooks cut off. Where else will you be able to go fish for trophy trout for $17 a year?
With the feds not stocking anymore something has to be done.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I'm for it, I'm from Western NC and saw how much delayed harvest streams and catch and release only areas improved our fishing.

I'm also in favor of lowering the creel limit and adding slot limits.

I'm not in favor of restricting the possession of natural bait or treble hooks on certain streams. That's just pure laziness from the DNR, I fish multiple streams in multiple ways. If you catch me using a prohibited bait or hook on a stretch of stream, write me a ticket. Otherwise, why should I have to empty my trout vest or change contents every time I change streams?

 

[Fire Eater]

For those objecting to this proposal because "they only spin fish," please take note: Just because you would have to use a single barbless hook does NOT stop you from using an ultralight spinning rod - just modify your gear slightly to comply. You can even use ordinary trout flies if you attach a "casting float" above it on the line to give it weight.

This proposal is not for fly fishermen only...EVERYONE would have a chance for a hookup with a beast.

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

I'm for it, I'm from Western NC and saw how much delayed harvest streams and catch and release only areas improved our fishing.

I'm also in favor of lowering the creel limit and adding slot limits.

I'm not in favor of restricting the possession of natural bait or treble hooks on certain streams. That's just pure laziness from the DNR, I fish multiple streams in multiple ways. If you catch me using a prohibited bait or hook on a stretch of stream, write me a ticket. Otherwise, why should I have to empty my trout vest or change contents every time I change streams?

Sounds like pure laziness alright, your pure laziness of empting out your vest of restricted equipment. Also the discussion is about 1 river only not other streams or certain streams. If the treble hooks are allowed in someone's possession it isn't much of a stretch till somebody using them. I could personally care less about barbless hooks, fly fishing only, or no treble hooks but I follow the law what ever it is. I'm more concerned to stop bait fishing (only because of the trout swallowing the hook), total limit on the daily harvest numbers, AND SLOT LIMITS!!! I only support this on the Toccoa Tailrace
I'm not in favor of restricting anyone's method of fishing as long as it is not damaging the fishery. I remember when I was a kid my Grandfather was talking about fishing with a crank telephone and catching Horney Heads in the creeks around, when I asked him to take me fishing his answer was that there hadn't been any fish in the creeks in 30 years. I wonder why??? There has to be a balance between fishing methods, creel/slot limits, and the health of the fishery.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Sounds like pure laziness alright, your pure laziness of empting out your vest of restricted equipment.

Weeellll, Mr. Georgia hard Hunter, here's something you probably didn't know.

I enjoy spin and fly-fishing, and I tie my own when I choose to fish with flies, have been for 30+ years.

I don't get to fish much, and when I do, I typically hit four or five rivers in a day. I might use a Panther Martin on a spinning rod, or I might use drys on a fly rod, depending on whom I'm with and my mood.

I've cut two hooks off treble hooked Panther Martins, and I've used corn and worms on a fly rod. I fish legally wherever I am.

Quite frankly, I don't care what you think, what matters to me is what is on the end of my line. Write me a ticket if I'm using an illegal bait, but if I just happen to have two treble hooked Panther Martins on my fly patch that I'm not using, leave me alone.

I'm tired of the snobbishness that has infested trout fishing.

 

[Twenty five ought six]

On the tailwater section below the Dam some landowners stock and feed the fish and have posted very "official looking" signs stating CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY, since occording to Ga Law they own the river bottom so you are fishing on their property so if they want me to Catch and release I will (I would have anyway). If I was a landowner my sign would say NO FISHING and I would call the Sheriff, so I think they are/were doing you a huge favor by LETTING YOU FISH and requesting you return the fish to the river and only take pictures and memories.....

I could be wrong but I think the tva owns the river bottom and not the land owners. This is the only tva river in ga and is different than say the soque. Another thing is when a private land owner stocks fish they become property of the state and the land owner can not tell you it is catch and release only. I doubt it will ever happen but it would be nice.

Trout man, you are correct. The Toccoa below the dam is one of the exceptions to the Georgia rule about abutting landowners owning to the middle of the river. TVA owns the bed of the Toccoa River. Any landowner restrictions are wishful thinking.

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

Trout man, you are correct. The Toccoa below the dam is one of the exceptions to the Georgia rule about abutting landowners owning to the middle of the river. TVA owns the bed of the Toccoa River. Any landowner restrictions are wishful thinking.

Twenty five ought six, It has always been my understanding in all that I have read on the Toccoa that the TVA does not own the river bottom of the Toccoa tailrace but if you have a link to this information please post it, I can always stand to be corrected. I can't find anything that states that the TVA owns the river bed. Here is the Georgia law regarding the river bottom

§ 44-8-2. Nonnavigable streams -- Rights of adjoining owners; principles when stream is boundary; accretions-
The beds of nonnavigable streams belong to the owner of the adjacent land. If the stream is a dividing line between two parcels of land, each owner's boundary shall extend to the thread or the center of the main current of the water. If the current changes gradually, the boundary line follows the current. If from any cause the stream takes a new channel, the original line, if identifiable, remains the boundary. Gradual accretions of land on either side accrue to the owner of that side.

 

[allenww]

Passage rights

I must have read 7,000 posts on this subject.

This is the first that has cited law

Thanks!

wa

 

[Georgia Hard Hunter]

The question of ownership of the Toccoa Tailrace river bottom bothered me so I shot an e-mail to the TVA. I recieved a phone call from them yesterday. I was told by the TVA they DO NOT own the river bottom but have easements to access the river when needed. The tailrace river bottom is in fact owned by the landowners along the river in keeping with Georgia Law. The water is not owned by the TVA but they are empowered by the Federal government to manage the flow of water for flood prevention, recreation, and to produce electricity. The trout regardless of who stocks them are owned by the state of Georgia as soon as they are released into the river and therefore covered by Georgia game laws in this situation.
I hope this somewhat clears up a very cloudly issue