GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Did you know that more than one million trout will be stocked in Georgia this year? We hope that helps grab your attention and encourages you to make plans to head to the North Georgia mountains to take advantage of beautiful spring weather and a trout fishing trip.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have recently begun the 2018 trout stocking effort, and experts say trout fishing will be great this year! Historically, stocked trout were typically 9 inches long. This year, fisheries staff will grow trout to 10 inches before stocking. Abundant rainfall, increased funding (thanks to the passage of House Bill 208 which brought hunting and fishing license fee changes), and excellent growing conditions have made the new goal achievable.

With this new goal in mind, John Lee Thomson, Georgia trout stocking coordinator, said, “Some slight alterations to the timing of trout stocking are necessary to meet our goal of stocking 10-inch trout. Trout stocking will begin in early March and continue well into the fall.”

Some popular stocked waterbodies that have received trout during this early stocking effort include Lake Winfield Scott in Union County, Little Amicalola Creek at Amicalola State Park, Holly Creek in Murray County, and Johns Creek in Floyd County. Want to keep current on stockings? Be sure to sign up for the weekly trout stocking email at http://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout.  

The daily limit is eight trout on general regulation trout waters. Anglers are reminded to respect private property rights along streams flowing through private lands and to obtain permission before fishing on private property. 

Georgia anglers support fisheries conservation! Did you know that your license purchase allows the Georgia WRD to continue to do important research, maintain and operate public fishing areas and more? Purchase a Georgia license at https://gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/.

Purchasing a Trout license plate supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs.  These efforts positively impact trout production, stocking and stream restoration throughout north Georgia.  Purchase or find out more at your county tag office.

For a list of stocked trout streams, online versions of the Georgia trout stream map, and other trout fishing tips, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout or call (770) 535-5498. If you need a weekly fix of fresh fishing news, check out our blog report every Friday at https://georgiawildlife.wordpress.com/.