catch & release designation for Rock Creek?

[fishndoc]

I just returned from my first trip to the Davidson River. The most impressive site was the large number of big trout lined up below the water outlet from the fish hatchery. The people at Davidson River Outfitters say the reason for the river's incredible productivity is the high level of nutrients in the water flowing from the hatchery. This started me to think about Georgia's Rock Creek below the federal hatchery. Has anyone done any studies on the nutrient levels there? Could Rock Creek support a catch & Release trout population? I know the bait fishermen would be unhappy, but they would still have nearby Coopers, and likely bigger fish washing down into the Toccoa.

[dredger]

Rock Creek is fertile alright!!

I was there a couple of weeks ago and it smelled like a sewage settling pond just downstream of the hatchery. With the low water level in the creek now because of the dry summer, the waste in the hatchery discharge is not diluted all that much.

[NiteOwl]

Rock creek directly below the hatchery has always been bug heaven. Unfortunatly, it's mostly no see ums and mosquitos ! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif taking Rock creek from the general fishing populous would be like catching a 22" Brookie in the bathtub. Not impossible( if you put him in there), but not likely at all ! Too many folks have read that Rock creek is " a beautiful mountain stream stocked with trout". Nope, this creek will always belong to the corn chunker. Fine with me , though, long as wilderness streams always belong to some of us fly flingers. Mom always said to share........



Owl

[Speck]

Owlie,

You just need to work a little harder and try the areas of Rock that the corn-ers don't go to.

When will we go?

Speck