Purely from an angling standpoint, there are essentially seven types of freshwater trout present in Georgia. While 99.9% of Georgia's freshwater trout will be found in the northern half of Georgia, some trout are stocked in waters throughout the southern half of the Peach State during our colder months.

The usual suspects of Georgia trout in public waters are wild stream-bred varieties of rainbow, brown and brook trout, along with their stocked hatchery-bred counterparts. The wild and stocked trout are thought of as different species in my mind because behaviorally they are very different, though long surviving stocked trout known as 'holdovers' will develop to behave like wild trout after living in the wild for long enough. The seventh and final type of Georgia trout discussed is any combination are the trophy-managed trout. This includes, in order of commonality, the rainbow, brown, brook, and exotic or cross-bred species (tiger, palomino, etc.) which are stocked in the pay-to-fish/private trout streams. 

Wild Rainbow Trout

These stream-bred trout are born in the wild and found year-round throughout North Georgia predominantly in freestone stream stretches which do not warm up beyond the mid-70s F through summer. In the colder months these fish sometimes migrate into the stretches which get too warm in the summer, but most wild rainbow trout post up and remain where the water remains perennially cool. Wild rainbow trout are noticeable by having all fins fully intact, as stocked trout will rarely have all fins. Largest wild rainbow trout will have bright cheeks of any combination of red-pink-purple generally with a bright red-pink stripe down side. Wild rainbow trout also have noticeable larger eyes than hatchery-raised stockers. Smaller wild rainbow trout 10" and below are very noticeable by their round pebble markings along their sides -- the perfect river camo. 

The vast majority of wild trout live in more canopied mountain areas to the north, but it appears some rainbow trout reproduction is also successful on Georgia tailwaters. There are certainly other stretches of water outside the immediate mountains with the occasional wild rainbow we will run into, but stocked rainbows will remain the norm outside of the mountains as the warm-spells at all lower elevations prevent strong reproductive populations. Several Georgia tailwaters often provide ideal conditions for successful wild rainbow trout reproduction, but very heavy harvest, high creel limits, and poaching often mops up most wild trout, which are effectively viewed the same as the stocked trout. It is important to note stocked trout are specifcially genetically modified in order to never have the ability to reproduce. This is a brilliant way to preserve the southern Appalachian rainbow trout and other species, but I do feel very strongly that we need to find a way to differentiate stocked trout creel limits vs. wild trout creel limits, if we ever want wild rainbow trout populations to recover on Georgia tailwaters where heavy harvest and poaching take their toll.

Wild rainbow trout and holdover stockers are different from their freshly stocked kin because they are keenly aware of their stream forage offerings and threats, while freshly stocked trout are notoriously easy to catch. You will not consistently fool wild trout with generic 'stocker' flies. When targeting stream-bred rainbows you need not necessarily match the exact hatch, but these wild fish remain most willing to strike only those flies or lures which somewhat resemble the local menu of aquatic/terrestrial food sources, and they bigger and smarter the fix the lighter and lighter you'll need to go on your leader material. 

Unfortunately there is quite a bit of misrepresentation in the media where private water 'trophy' trout enthusiasts catch ginormous rainbows and call them wild trout. A national forest or tailwater wild rainbow trout in Georgia does not receive supplemental calories via feeding, and are most often caught in the baby to 12" range. Wild rainbow trout in Georgia anywhere in the teens are genuine trophies, and a respectable number of private trophy trout streams in Georgia are honorably run to simulate wild trout conditions and behaviors. Please message us here if you are interested in wild trout or trophy trout experiences.

Wild Brown Trout

 

Stream-bred browns born in the wild are found throughout North Georgia in many of the same perennially cold (colder than the mid-70s F) mountain freestone rivers and streams as the wild rainbows, as well as on Georgia tailwaters. These wild browns have the same story as the wild rainbows where there is potential for wild browns to show up in any other lower elevation stream system that connects to mountains or tailwaters, but most Georgia wild brown trout are in freestone mountain streams, or throughout tailwaters below deep reservoirs.

Wild brown trout in Georgia are most often caught in the baby to 16" range, and wild brown trout nearing 20 inches and beyond are genuine trophy territory. The Georgia state record (may she rest in peace) was a truly wild brown weighing over 20 pounds and measuring over 30 inches in length. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of misrepresentation in the media where feeder 'trophy' browns are celebrated the same as wild browns, but most national forest and Georgia tailwater browns are legit wild fish. I will also say, the handful of private trophy trout streams managed as wild trout fisheries do have very elusive and challenging brown, which are every bit as respectable as their public land counterparts. Please message us here if you are interested in wild trout or trophy trout experiences.

Wild Brook Trout

These trout are the lone native trout of Georgia and have unfortunately been overrun by the more territorial & aggressive browns and rainbows which were transplanted here around a century ago. I have heard tales of wild brook trout consistently in the teen range which once thrived in the Southern Appalachian mountain streams. Wild brookies have since been pushed to the small feeder streams of North Georgia which results in a smaller average size but as always you have the potential to find a big gem. Wild brook trout in Georgia can still be found in any perennially cold North Georgia feeder stream with respectable flows, but there typically must be a barrier of sorts to keep them safely isolated from the other trout species – most common barriers are simply a large plunge pool or waterfall.

Any time you find a respectable creek feeding into a stream holding wild trout, then at some point consider venturing up to check it out. At the very least you may run into some beautiful wild rainbows or browns, but you can potentially find some gorgeous native brook trout in these areas. These small streams often have no names and just appear on maps as blue lines – hence the verb for chasing wild trout known as blue lining. The blue line creeks are often only a couple yards wide and cannot handle much fishing pressure. Blue liners wisely keep their secrets – you can go out and explore to find your own arsenal of priceless blue line streams, but certainly do not expect any fellow anglers to share their creeks which have no name.

Unfortunately there is quite a bit of misrepresentation in the media where private water trophy trout enthusiasts catch giant brooks and call them wild trout. Native brook trout in Georgia average around the 6" range give or take, and any national forest wild brook trout approaching 10-12" inches and beyond is a genuine trophy in Georgia. 

My 2 cents on Wild Trout

I passionately believe these last remaining genuine wild brook, rainbow and brown trout in Georgia deserve catch and release only. I see folks unappreciatively harvesting these rare and special fish on trips with a handful of sell-out guides, and it breaks my heart. Please consider respecting trout with wet hands or net pics, and feel the joy of sending them on their way to grow larger for the next outing. 

I understand the harvester's rebuttal ... I love consuming wild caught fish as well. Here's the problem with Georgia wild trout, their populations are dwindling as heavy harvesting, high creel limits, and poaching all take their toll. Wild and native trout throughout the Appalachians already faced a horrific event last century where 4 billion canopy-providing American Chestnut trees were wiped out from an Asian fungus. The mature American Chestnut trees were 5-10' wide in diameter, and over the last 100 years we have lost these red woods of the East. That undoubtedly greatly affected wild trout populations throughout the Appalachian mountain range, as these 4 billion American Chestnuts lost were the most abundant tree and canopy source throughout the Appalachians. 

Fast forward to 2022 ... the next-best canopy provider for wild trout in the Appalachians, including the Southern Appalachians of North Georgia, is the evergreen Eastern Hemlock tree. The hemlock woolly adelgid is an Asian insect which has gradually spread across the United States over the past 50 years. This insect sucks the sap from the evergreen needles of the hemlock trees, killing the tree within years, while spreading like an invincible wildfire. Insects are being bred and released to combat the hemlock woolly adelgid, and insecticide treatments are also being administered, but these efforts are likely too little too late, as the hemlocks are clearly falling in every national forest area with fish in the Southern Appalachians. 

Long story short, the wild trout populations of the national forest mountains of North Georgia and all throughout the Appalachians will decline if the tree canopy is lost. The only question is, how much canopy is lost, and how fast can other native species grow in to provide the tree canopy so desperately needed. 

Currently as of 2022 the creel limit on wild trout in North Georgia, and in Georgia's tailwaters, is far too high and loose at 8 trout per person, any species, no size restrictions. This holds throughout 99% of Georgia wild trout streams, as less than 1% of Georgia wild trout stream mileage is protected under catch and release, or other specific slot limits. I fully understand the mindset behind regulation-free living, but the time has come where must pass bills to protect Georgia wild trout populations, to counteract the increase in angling pressure, harvesting, poaching, land developments, and loss of tree canopy. 

Stocked Rainbow Trout

Rainbows and all stocked trout in Georgia are supplemented from hatcheries into the rivers and streams most heavily pressured by anglers and poachers. Many of these sections are support wild trout populations, but unfortunately the wild rainbow trout are often harvested and poached alongside the stocked trout, leading to reduced wild trout populations along these heavily pressure sections. Stocked rainbow trout are genetically modified to be sterile so they cannot cross-breed with the wild trout populations of the national forest and tailwaters.

Most stocked trout are heavily harvested or poached, with a limited number surviving long-term as holdovers. Delayed-harvest streams are the exception to this rule, where trout are stocked and protected under single-hook catch and release from Fall through Spring and then opened to harvest through the Summer when conditions generally approach lethally warm for trout on these particular streams. Rainbows are by far the most commonly stocked trout in Georgia. 

All species of trout stocked trout in public water are typically in the 10-16" range, but can often show up much larger. Every once in a while DNR will release a big brood over 20 inches into public water to surprise a lucky angler. 

Stocked Brown Trout

A couple decades ago it was discovered the brown trout were successfully reproducing in GA tailwaters, and since then the brown trout have predominantly been stocked in select North Georgia rivers and streams, but in the last few years we are seeing more stocked brown trout in the same sections as wild browns. These stocked trout are thankfully sterile in order to not cross-breed with the wild browns, but this is still unfortunate from a competition standpoint, and also because most harvesters and poachers do not differentiate between stocked and wild brown trout. Stocked brown trout generally are a combination of duller yellow-gold-brown, black spots with some lighter whites and silver tones mixed in, while wild brown trout are typically easy to notice based on blue cheeks, red spots along sides and red fin-tips. I highly recommend releasing wild brown trout as much as possible, as they are the key to reproduction and sustaining the beautiful population we all love to see.

Stocked Brook Trout

Brook trout are not currently stocked in public rivers and streams in Georgia very often, but they certainly show up in areas with stocked rainbows and/or browns every so often. Stocked brooks are an exciting treat when found in public water. 

Trophy / Exotic Trout

Realistically, the only chance at one of the tiger, palomino, albino or exotic cross-bred trout is to fish any of the local trophy trout streams, which are predominantly private pay-to-play stream stretches. These 'trophy' trout show up as any species including rainbows, browns, brooks, palomino, tiger, etc. and they are typically hatchery raised then transplanted to private stretches where they are fed to grow much larger than Georgia aquatic calories would allow. In some private or trophy managed stretches the big trophies are genuine and not over-fed. A few unique wild-managed trophy streams exist in Georgia to provide an unbelievable experience. Many trophy streams in North Georgia lose the majority of their fish seasonally -- and this leads to infant-minded stockers added at first-Fall then fed aggressively to create behemoth juggernaut young trout. I am not a big fan of seasonal trophy trout operations where the fish don't survive, but they still provide a fun experience for friends and families who simply want to catch big fish without as many challenges. Some trophy trout stretches in Georgia are thankfully managed to keep the fishing more naturally challenging in less of a fish farm type setting. Please message us here if you are interested in wild trout or trophy trout experiences.

 

Written by Kurtis Howe 

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