Wading Fightingtown Creek

[Pig Predator]

State stocks the Toccoa, and Fightingtown is a feeder. Browns go up Fightingtown creek for sure. And yes, residents stock and feed Fightingtown.

Old definition of navigatable may rule FC out, but I hope GA redefines navigations. But also, if a creek or stream is connected to a body of water that is stocked then those public fish are fair game for the public to fish for.

Not on private property they're not. Thats like saying I can fish young cane creek from where it dumps into nottely lake all the way up to old blue ridge highway because they're trout in there. You can't fish it for good reason cause all that is private property.

 

[transfixer]

Its just like the section of coopers creek where seed creek dumps into coopers and mulky gap road turns into coopers creek road. From there all the way to coopers creek store is private, They stock trout and run feeders. If you find yourself wading in that area catching huge trout you're trespassing.

Very familiar with that section, I've fished Coopers creek since I was a youngster, way back then my uncle was friends with the people that owned that section, they grew collards every fall and so did he, he lived off Mulkey Gap rd before it started up the mountain ,

if you went past the bridge, and later past the cable you were trespassing, but they didn't "own" the fish, just the property,

I'll have to remember where I saw that they stocked Fightingtown once a year, and they may not do it every year, as it isn't in the 23 report, but when I was researching the regs for the stream I did see it somewhere that it was only stocked once a year , which I suppose is because so much of it is on private property ?

 

[basshappy]

State needs to stop stocking waterways that people claim ate private, or open access to public to fish.

Public funds pay for the stocking.

The Soque River is stocked multiple times each year by DNR.

I do have a problem with public funds used to stock public fish in a moving body of water where landowners want to claim no those fish are ours only.

Again this goes back to the state needing to update and redefine the books.

 

[transfixer]

Okay , I found where I saw it, but I suppose this is old info , and it does say it is not public water ,,

Trout Fishing Blue Ridge Georgia

Blue Ridge, Georgia has been a hotspot for tourism and fly angler for decades. The Scenic Tailwaters of Lake Blue Ridge and hundreds of mountain cabins that line the tributaries of the Toccoa River provide a great escape for the visitors of North Georgia. Fly Fishing is an easy escape and the...

www.georgiawildtrout.com

 

[Flyguyflies]

State stocks the Toccoa, and Fightingtown is a feeder. Browns go up Fightingtown creek for sure. And yes, residents stock and feed Fightingtown.

Old definition of navigatable may rule FC out, but I hope GA redefines navigations. But also, if a creek or stream is connected to a body of water that is stocked then those public fish are fair game for the public to fish for.

100% disagree...that would literally make every body of water in GA open to the public. Further, how are you going to tell which fish the DNR stocked and which ones were privately stocked?

Even if GA redefines navigable, Fightingtown won't be...you'd be hard pressed to even get a kayak down it.

 

[Raylander]

Quite honestly, who cares? There are plenty of places to fish. Many of those better than anything FTC has to offer.

If yuppies want a little river community. Let them have it, keeps em off the other water

 

[Flyguyflies]

State needs to stop stocking waterways that people claim ate private, or open access to public to fish.

Public funds pay for the stocking.

The Soque River is stocked multiple times each year by DNR.

I do have a problem with public funds used to stock public fish in a moving body of water where landowners want to claim no those fish are ours only.

Again this goes back to the state needing to update and redefine the books.

This is also incorrect....The Soque is not stocked by the state primarily, only one small section is(I think). Doesn't appear there was any state stocking in 2023. The majority of that river is privately stocked...refer to the same links I posted previously.

 

[Pig Predator]

Very familiar with that section, I've fished Coopers creek since I was a youngster, way back then my uncle was friends with the people that owned that section, they grew collards every fall and so did he, he lived off Mulkey Gap rd before it started up the mountain ,

if you went past the bridge, and later past the cable you were trespassing, but they didn't "own" the fish, just the property,

I'll have to remember where I saw that they stocked Fightingtown once a year, and they may not do it every year, as it isn't in the 23 report, but when I was researching the regs for the stream I did see it somewhere that it was only stocked once a year , which I suppose is because so much of it is on private property ?

That "own" the fish is not my word but they do own the land. There's another section like that on the Toccoa River that is private on both sides. They can't stop you from floating through and fishing but you can't anchor and fish. It's stupid I know but it is what it is.

 

[basshappy]

This is also incorrect....The Soque is not stocked by the state primarily, only one small section is(I think). Doesn't appear there was any state stocking in 2023. The majority of that river is privately stocked...refer to the same links I posted previously.

Are we referring to two different bodies of water?!? The Soque I am referencing is stocked regularly by GA DNR. Here are a few I pulled from 2023. Is there a different Soque you are referring to?

 

[Flyguyflies]

Are we referring to two different bodies of water?!? The Soque I am referencing is stocked regularly by GA DNR. Here are a few I pulled from 2023. Is there a different Soque you are referring to?
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No, same river. See my post…they stock a small section, the majority of that river is privately stocked.

 

[Pig Predator]

We're talking about the cherry log area right? Habersham aint no where near cherry log...

 

[Flyguyflies]

We're talking about the cherry log area right? Habersham aint no where near cherry log...

Fightingtown is near Blue Ridge. The Soque is near Clarkesville.

 

[basshappy]

No, same river. See my post…they stock a small section, the majority of that river is privately stocked.

Right. But there us no barrier to keep those stockers from swimming upstream, downstream, into the Hoitch, etc.

Don't stock public fish in "private waters". Way I see it.

 

[Flyguyflies]

Right. But there us no barrier to keep those stockers from swimming upstream, downstream, into the Hoitch, etc.

Don't stock public fish in "private waters". Way I see it.

Just not the way it works my friend. If that was the case there would be no stocking of anything. Those people pay the same taxes you do.

What about privately stocked fish making their way to public waters after a rain just like the one we just got? Should those fish be off limits to “public fisheries”? There’s no barriers to keep the privately stocked fish in a certain section either.

 

[F.A.R.R.]

For the OP , hope you catch some fish on your trip- there’s plenty of other water to fish in the area if the complexities of private water trout fishing make it no fun- seems like if you rent a private cabin, along with it should come renting the owners right to the fishing too.

I don’t know if they still have them, but I was a fan of Montana’s stream access laws that were in place 30 some years ago and hoped more states would try that .

 

[trad bow]

A very good discussion. I can understand the landowners feelings but can’t quite understand how they can stock fish that has the potential to make it to state control waters. Do they buy their fish from a state certified hatchery? I’m more concerned about introducing diseases such as whirling disease than who catches them.

 

[Flyguyflies]

A very good discussion. I can understand the landowners feelings but can’t quite understand how they can stock fish that has the potential to make it to state control waters. Do they buy their fish from a state certified hatchery? I’m more concerned about introducing diseases such as whirling disease than who catches them.

No different than stocking your pond with bass, brim, or catfish. They come from a hatchery.

 

[trad bow]

Fish released in a private pond can’t migrate up and down a river or creek. And once stocked into said pond, those fish cannot be removed and placed into public water.
So it’s not the same. Those stocked trout have the ability to migrate up and down a waterway as trout that are in public waters have the ability to do the same. I’m only concerned about diseases being transmitted into the fish and not who catches them or where

 

[gobbleinwoods]

No, same river. See my post…they stock a small section, the majority of that river is privately stocked.

Which is a short 1/2 mile I am guessing from where the Soque turns private.

There was a case a few years ago that the judge threw out that the private land owner brought about when a citizen was in public water fishing in the land owners portion.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

No different than stocking your pond with bass, brim, or catfish. They come from a hatchery.

But are all hatcheries state certified to be disease free?