Rock creek/Cooper creek

Ryman07

Member
Could anyone tell me if the roads to access these areas are still open?(Rock, Cooper creeks) I know a lot of campsites are closed but the greater areas still available for primitive camping, fising, etc.. They just stocked recently so should be open I guess.
 

transfixer

Senior Member
Curious about this as well, I had thought about riding up there yesterday to find out, I've been going to Coopers creek since I was about 13,, and I'm 59 now.
 

Ryman07

Member
Curious about this as well, I had thought about riding up there yesterday to find out, I've been going to Coopers creek since I was about 13,, and I'm 59 now.

Well I heard today in a interview with the Fannin Co Sheriff that they are patrolling popular areas, including Rock creek, and asking people not considered locals to return home. Dang, pretty sad even the outdoors are getting closed down to access.
 

Pig Predator

Useles Billy’s Fishel Hog Killer ?
I went through rock creek this past Thursday and Coopers creek Saturday. I drove through easy enough. Probably aint a fish left in the creek from all the folks I seen on coopers though. Joking about the no fish but you may have to get out of the popular holes to catch any.
 

northgeorgiasportsman

Moderator
Staff member
Well I heard today in a interview with the Fannin Co Sheriff that they are patrolling popular areas, including Rock creek, and asking people not considered locals to return home. Dang, pretty sad even the outdoors are getting closed down to access.
There's been a pretty substantial pushback from locals towards "outsiders" from the metro area coming to the mountains during the Covid-19 crisis. I know it may seem ridiculous to "shut down" the outdoors, but it's the only way to discourage people from coming up here when they should stay home.

I see both sides. It makes sense as an outdoorsman to want to escape the craziness of the city to the wilds here in the mountains. But apparently, everyone has had the same idea. There were literally hundreds of cars parked on the side of the road on 129 where the AT crosses at Walasiyi. Vogel state park had zero vacancies. The lakes looked like the 4th of July the last weekend of March.

All these people coming to visit are over-burdening our already diminished grocery stores and possibly bringing coronavirus with them. In a few of these mountain counties that have already adopted a shelter-in-place policy, outsiders coming to visit like there's nothing going on rubs them the wrong way.
 

Bream Pole

Senior Member
I know how I would feel and think if Atlanta or Macon etc started poring into this little town to fish Altamaha or Ohoopee or just to get away bringing what they are trying to get away from with them. Its time for everyone to stay put
 

transfixer

Senior Member
There's been a pretty substantial pushback from locals towards "outsiders" from the metro area coming to the mountains during the Covid-19 crisis. I know it may seem ridiculous to "shut down" the outdoors, but it's the only way to discourage people from coming up here when they should stay home.

I see both sides. It makes sense as an outdoorsman to want to escape the craziness of the city to the wilds here in the mountains. But apparently, everyone has had the same idea. There were literally hundreds of cars parked on the side of the road on 129 where the AT crosses at Walasiyi. Vogel state park had zero vacancies. The lakes looked like the 4th of July the last weekend of March.

All these people coming to visit are over-burdening our already diminished grocery stores and possibly bringing coronavirus with them. In a few of these mountain counties that have already adopted a shelter-in-place policy, outsiders coming to visit like there's nothing going on rubs them the wrong way.

People up there have always resented " lantans " for coming up there and fishing, I was lucky in that some of my relatives lived in Blairsville when I was a teenager, my father grew up up there, I had an uncle that lived right off Mulky Gap rd on the Blairsville side, back then sometimes we'd go to his house first, and then go with him over to fish, I always fit in with most of the locals, but as the years went by if you had a sticker on your tag that said what county you were from, you stuck out like a sore thumb, that and depending on what kind of vehicle you drove,

I've still got a couple cousins up there, I used to be familiar with the people that owned/worked the store on 60 at the end of Mulky gap rd, but I have no idea who owns its now, I have a special place in my heart for that creek, having fished it with my Dad and uncles growing up, having introduced my stepson and daughter to trout fishing up there, and having scattered my Dad's ashes in that creek years ago, and when my time comes thats where my ashes will be scattered .
 

Bream Pole

Senior Member
State should close all the state parks. Very inconsistent to keep them open and close schools etc.
 

Grizzly45

Member
I was up at Rock Creek sunday. There were about 4 Fanin Co Sheriff dupities at the main entrance turming people around. They told me it was closed, so I went Coopers Creek. I went in the back way and fished the far upstream of the main areas. I never camp or fish near anyone and I never go to the store, I bring what I need. There were no signs saying it was closed that I saw. I did see a sign on a hiking trail was closed. A whole lotta stupidity is going on.
 

chrisn1818

Senior Member
This is total garbage. They will be begging people to come spend money up there when this is done. I will probably never spend a nickel in Fannin County again if I can help it. Hiking and fishing are definitely things people need to be doing now as long as they maintain the 6 ft apart rule. I know I will catch flack for it but tax dollars pay for these places for all to enjoy not just the select few who live there. That’s like saying you can’t go to Florida and enjoy a beach because your not from Florida. Good grief!!
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
This is total garbage. They will be begging people to come spend money up there when this is done. I will probably never spend a nickel in Fannin County again if I can help it. Hiking and fishing are definitely things people need to be doing now as long as they maintain the 6 ft apart rule. I know I will catch flack for it but tax dollars pay for these places for all to enjoy not just the select few who live there. That’s like saying you can’t go to Florida and enjoy a beach because your not from Florida. Good grief!!
I understand that sentiment. But, there is another side to it.

You chose to live where you live. So did I. Many people choose to live where they live for money and financial gain. I choose to live back in the mountains in a secluded rural area for seclusion, at a great sacrifice to my financial opportunities. My whole life. What is happening here right now, is suddenly, all those folks from NY and NJ and the big, infested cities are fleeing to here in an attempt to get away from the places they chose to live. How do you think that makes me feel, when I'm suddenly surrounded by people from somewhere else who are potentially infected with Coronavirus, endangering me and my family, packing up around me and trying to root their way in until this is over, then they'll go right back to their fancy lives in the city and leave me here potentially without my loved ones or my life.

We all make sacrifices to live where we want to live. Here, it's living on very little money. In the city, it's living without nature and being surrounded by people, and being at risk when something like this happens. Don't put me at risk because you suddenly want to flee your home to get away from the conditions that you chose to live in.

In normal times, tourism is one thing. Right now, it is potentially a death sentence.

There is one rural county here that has physical roadblocks on every road entering. I get it. So far, they are the only county around with no COVID infections.
 

transfixer

Senior Member
As I stated before, I have a long history with those trout streams, Coopers Creek especially, and still have relatives living in the area, but I totally understand the need to keep people out of the area who might be carrying the virus, especially those from areas that have a significant amount of people with the virus, the local hospitals just couldn't handle a scenario where a lot of people came down with this, and a good portion of the population up there are older, as much as I would love to be up there camping and enjoying the mountains, I'm perfectly fine with the reasons I don't need to be up there, the streams and the mountains will still be there when this is all over.
 

transfixer

Senior Member
This is total garbage. They will be begging people to come spend money up there when this is done. I will probably never spend a nickel in Fannin County again if I can help it. Hiking and fishing are definitely things people need to be doing now as long as they maintain the 6 ft apart rule. I know I will catch flack for it but tax dollars pay for these places for all to enjoy not just the select few who live there. That’s like saying you can’t go to Florida and enjoy a beach because your not from Florida. Good grief!!

I understand your frustration, but I believe in fact many of the Florida beaches are closed, and not just to tourists, but also residents , currently Fanin county is only showing 9 cases of the virus, Polk county has 21 cass, but if you were to stop in stores around Cartersville on your way up to the mountains, you'd have a greater chance of being exposed to the virus, Bartow has 208 cases, and you inadvertently could pass it on to someone you come in contact with in Fannin county ,,,,,, my county, Douglas, has 148 cases, I could have the virus now and not just show any symptoms, but I supposedly could pass it on to someone else, even though it hasn't affected me,

That is why they don't want people outside the county coming in, it would completely overwhelm the health care facilities up there if it were to get really started, obviously its already up there, which means someone from probably the metro Atlanta area traveled up there, or someone from up there came down to the Atlanta area and caught it from someone .

Every time I go to a grocery store around where I live I take a chance on being exposed, so I don't go until I have to, I stay home,

It'll all blow over at some point, we just need to be patient.
 

chrisn1818

Senior Member
Let me again stress. I do not live in Atlanta or near it. I do however make the 1:15min drive there 4 days a week for work. I understand to a certain extent about the grocery stores and supplies in that area. I can understand closing the campgrounds. I don’t understand shutting down the fishery. That being said I have been fishing those streams for over 30 years with my dad and grandfather and I get annoyed when some of the city slickers come up there blaring music and acting like they own the place as well. You are not going to get Corona from fishing a stream or turkey hunting those mountains. Again just my 2cents
 

boissage

Senior Member
Chris1818;
I understand your frustration, but the issue is not catching Corona from a stream of turkey hunting, but like Transfixer said, it's bringing the virus into a small town with an ill equipped hospital. Fannin's hospital is small. They don't generally handle serious cases. My father was sent to Erlanger in Chattanooga when he had congestive heart failure. My mother was sent there when she had colon cancer. There is a large population of retirees in Fannin, because there are not a lot of well paying jobs for younger people. NCHilbilly said it very eloquently. We all make choices where to live. A lot of hiking trails have been closed, and not just in Fannin Co., and my understanding is that the trails are closed to all, not just people from out of town.
 

gunnurse

Senior Member
Since the outsiders are banned from the stream, the stocking numbers should be reduced from Rock and Coopers Creeks by the numbers that would be normally be caught by “tourists.” The trout that are normally stocked into Rock and Coopers Creeks should be redistributed to other waters throughout the State that can sustain ANY trout population at this point in the season. I’m sure that the Fannin Countians are keeping those creeks off limits to locals, as they stand a similar chance of contacting COVID-19.

The bottom line is, I believe that I have the same vested interest interest financially and logically as do Fannin County residents.
 
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