Aimlessly casting a line and hoping for a bite is history thanks to Georgia’s new and improved online fishing prospects. Anglers of all skill levels can benefit from the newly-enhanced fishing prospect guides which detail the state’s 31 reservoirs and 18 rivers and include maps, local weather forecasts, best bets and species-specific techniques, all in one convenient location — www.gofishgeorgia.com .

Georgia’s waters offer anglers some of most diverse fishing opportunities in the Southeast with more than 500,000 acres of reservoirs and 12,000 miles of warm water streams.

Each newly formatted reservoir fishing prospect guide includes best bets, technique tips, target recommendations and reservoir contact information as well as links to boat ramps, a lake map and local weather forecasts.

Lakes detailed include Allatoona, Andrews, Bartlett’s Ferry, Blackshear, Blue Ridge, Burton, Carters, Chatuge, Chehaw, Clarks Hill, Goat Rock, Hamburg, Hartwell, High Falls, Jackson, Juliette, Lanier, Nottely, Oconee, Oliver, Rabun, Randy Poynter, Richard B. Russell, Seminole, Sinclair, Tobesofkee, Tugalo, Varner, Walter F. George, Weiss and West Point.

Each newly formatted river fishing prospect guide includes best bets, technique tips, target recommendations and river contact information as well as links to boat ramps and the U.S. Geological Survey site for Georgia river stream flow summaries and real-time water information.

Rivers detailed include the Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Conasauga, Coosa, Coosawattee, Etowah, Flint, Ochlockonee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Oostanaula, Satilla, Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee and Toccoa rivers.

The 2009 reservoir and river fishing prospect guides were compiled by Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries biologists and are based on sampling efforts, knowledge of past fishing trends, staff fishing experiences and discussions with angler and marina owners.

Fisheries staff annually samples these major water bodies to determine such things as recruitment, growth, condition and abundance of important game fish.

For more information on fishing opportunities in Georgia, visit www.gofishgeorgia.

Take Me Fishing! A recent national survey indicated that 87 percent of Americans believe fishing and boating have a positive effect on family relationships. So take your family fishing and you will always have something in common.

— Posted 02-18-09

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