View Full Version : Fingerling Stocking
Bill, I've been wondering why are laws are so inadiquate down here but that's another topic. Why do we not do fingerling stocking in Ga. I know our steams are only marginal as far as trout habitat and don't offer as much food. Streams I fish that do this are usually on the large size and offer a lot more spunk than those stocked larger. I think if it would work here the DNR could be saving a lot of money each year if they were to do this. Those funds could then be used for something else that needs serious attention. Just a few thoughts.
Shawn
I will take a chance, post a reply and hope some little yard dog doesn't come yipping and nipping as I walk by.... the trout that the South Carolina and Georgia DNR's stock each year on the Chattooga are, indeed, fingerlings or sub-adults. We, of course, hope that there will be survivors for the spring but you never know how many people love crispy critters of 5-6". The helicoptor stocking scatters these fish over a large area and not just at the bridges. In addition, they also stock catchable trout at the bridges and a few hundred yards in from these bridges. Naturally, there are folks there with their bait and buckets ready to "harvest" these catchable trout.
The Chattahoochee below Morgan Falls Dam is stocked with fingerlings. They used to survive and grow up into fine fish, lots of fine fish. Nowadays, just a few survive, just a few...
Tom, All I have to say is bad law makers. The people who made the laws here in Ga need to reavalluate the laws on the books today. Those 5-6in fish finger that some of the !@#$%^&'s like to take should be illegal in the first place. I would like to know how many thousands of dollars we could save if trout didn't spend the majority of their lives in the hatchery. They seem to be a lot healthier when they grow on there own. well, before I start steaming and get no sleep tonight I'll stop.
The Ole Man
03-16-99, 11:48 AM
Tom
The lead-in to your post is great. I chuckle everytime I read it. Good thing about those little yard dogs is, you can stomp your foot at them and work them into a fine lather for your own enjoyment. Try it next time one comes "yipping and nipping" on here.
Jack
NightOwl
03-16-99, 01:50 PM
bow - wow , woof woof wof.........seriously, though, The only way fingerling stocking would work is to put a LENGTH limit on trout. Why not? We have one on ba$s and other game fish. I doubt you could convince folks to stop fishing for trout until they "grew up", without a LL law and the proper enforcement. I believe the DNRhas tried stocking fingerling browns and other trout many times over the years, under many different situations...and I don't think they have had the success that they hoped for in the efforts. Peope want 12" trout on opening day, and they( some of them) just wouldn't be happy if they had to wait 1-2 yrs. for a meal.
signed,
Chi-wah-wah !
Bill Couch
03-16-99, 02:04 PM
Shawn,
Regular fingerling stockings are made in the Chattahoochee below Morgan Falls (50,000 brown and 50,000 rainbow trout annually. And in the Chattooga 25,000 fish annually. This represents about 10% of the fish in the hatchery program. Other streams with reliable naturally reproducing populations are not stocked. If we only stocked fingerlings we would be looking at approximately 95% less trout fishing opportunities.
Bill
Bill Couch
03-16-99, 02:08 PM
Shawn,
Regular fingerling stockings are made in the Chattahoochee below Morgan Falls (50,000 brown and 50,000 rainbow trout annually. And in the Chattooga 25,000 fish annually. This represents about 10% of the fish in the hatchery program. Other streams with reliable naturally reproducing populations are not stocked. If we only stocked fingerlings we would be looking at approximately 95% less trout fishing opportunities.
Bill
Well, one thing. You said that Ga stocks the Chattooga and the Hooch below Morags falls. Aren't these the places that have the biggest fish usually. I've caught more 16 inchers on the Chattooga than any other moutain rivers or streams that are stocked. Why would fingerling stocking decrease the number of places we would have to fish??? Why couldn't we achieve balance if the laws were to be changed. I was just trying to look at the one thing the government cares about. MONEY. how to save it.
Shawn
Bill Couch
03-16-99, 08:50 PM
Shawn,
I'm as cheap as they come and would love to find a method of stocking the streams for less money.
Georgia waters (99%) are very infertile because of the large volume of rainfall and types of rock that make our soils. Fish here grow very slow and there is a tremendous demand for trout fishing. Fingelring fish will be at the mercy of a rather cruel "Mother Nature" in most Georgia streams for from 1 to 3 years before they reach a catchable size. In some streams they will never reach the 8" size we consider minimum. There just aren't enough groceries in the creeks and rivers to grow fish fast enough to keep up with the demand.
Because they grow so slowly and are in the streams for so long, they suffer very high mortality. We estimate mortality exceeds 80% in most fingerling stockings. In most instances fingerling stockings cost more than catchable stockings. Especially if your objective is number or pounds of fish back to the creel. E-mail me a phone number and we can discuss further.
Hope this helps,
Bill
NightOwl
03-17-99, 01:00 AM
Like I said , Mr. Saltie, too many folks want to fish for 9" stockers to do it any other way.......and all that other " stuff" Bill said....( hehe) http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif Mr. Couch KNOWS trout !
Lowe's KNows !
Owl
As I have recently learned, there are two major limiting factors for trout in Georgia; first of all there is the ol' temperature limitation. The problem is, as the water warms the trout are stressed (not necessarily killed) and they cannot out-compete our warmer water species, so the trout get displaced unless we take steps to keep the bream and b****out of trout waters...very "unnatural" according to the eco-folks. The second problem is lack of nutrients...our mountain water is probably very near pure water...no dissolved nutrients to support the plankton that support the rest of the food chain, so our native waters have a very low carrying capacity. Until you find a place like Owl mentioned below Helen with the sewage effluent. Chattahoochee (below dam) gets a lot of sewage from nonpoint sources so it supports more trout, until it becomes too warm (I imagine that the water out of the dam is colder than some of our mountain trout water). Hope this isn't too long; anyone with more knowledge can correct any errors.
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