Georgia Outdoor News (GON)
By Nick Carter
Posted Wednesday March 30 2011, 11:18 AM

It's official. Following six years of study, biologists with DNR have concluded that brown trout are reproducing in numbers significant enough to warrant a permanent cessation of brown trout stocking in the Chattahoochee River tailrace below Buford Dam.

DNR Fisheries Biologist Patrick O'Rouke said they've finished crunching all the numbers from a study that began in 2005, and the results clearly show the fishery would not benefit from a resumed stocking of brown trout.

The brown trout in the section of river between Buford and Morgan Falls dams will now be managed as a wild population. DNR will continue stockings of about 160,000 rainbow trout per year in this section.

"From what we've seen, we don't see any reason to be stocking (browns)," said Patrick. "So that's our plan."

DNR began stocking trout in the tailrace in 1962, and for years afterward brown trout reproduction had been rumored. In 1998, the presence of wild, young-of-the-year browns was verified. Then in 2005, DNR temporarily stopped stocking brown trout in order to gauge the extent to which the fish were reproducing. The findings of the study leave no room for doubt.

In comparing results of electrofishing surveys for several years before and after the moratorium, catch rates remained stable or increased, brown trout continued to make up about 3/4 of the total trout population, and there was no shift in size structure of the brown trout population. Wild, reproducing browns are sustaining a fishery that's the same, if not better, than when they were being stocked in the river.

Since that is established, Patrick is moving on to a tagging study, starting April 1, so managers will better understand the growth, age, diet and movement of brown trout as well as competition with stocked rainbows. Information from the study should help guide management of the fishery, including future regulations and stocking rates.

"Right now, we're not married to any management plan," said Patrick. "We're going to let the science tell us how to go forward."

Stocked or Wild?

Experts in the field have clarified how to definitatively tell the difference between stocked hatchery fish and wild trout. Click the following link for what the experts say about how to precisely tell the difference (hint... it's NOT by visual observation).

                            Identification: Stocked or Wild Trout?


Delayed Harvest Section (The "Lower" 'Hooch)

A special regulation delayed harvest section that is heavily stocked between November 1 and May 14 is located from the Hwy. 41 bridge near Cumberland Mall up to Sope Creek including easy access at Cochran Shoals just above the I-285 bridge. Due to very warm water conditions in the summer months below Morgan Falls dam, virtually all trout do not survive the year.  However, this area is becoming a recognized shoal bass fishery and fairly sizeable shoal bass have been caught in this area of the 'Hooch.

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