Georgia game and fish [Vol. 3, no. 4 (Apr. 1968)]

GEORGIA

VOL. 3, NO. 4 I APRIL, 1968

~GEORGIA
wGAME&FISH

April 1968

Volume Ill

Number 4

The Mountain Lion Trophy Conservation Communications Award - 1967 The Georgia Sportsmen's Federation .

Contents

Tiny Tarpon . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .. Jim Morrison 1

Shorten The Long Road . . . .. . Dean Wohlgemuth 6

Trout Time .. .... . .. . . . . . . . . . ... Marvin Tye 8

Wildlife : How Valuable?

. . . David Almand 10

What's Hatching? Wait and See . Dean Wohlgemuth 14

Outdoor World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Staff 13

Sportsmen Speak ... ........ . ... . .. Readers 16

Sportsman's Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Lester G. Maddox Governor
George T. Bagby Director , State Game & Fish Commission

COMMISSIONERS

Rankin M. Smith ,

James Darby

Chairman

Vice Ch airman

Atlanta -5th District

Vidalia -1st Dist rict

William Z. Camp , Sec.

J . B. Langford

Newnan-6th District

Calhoun -7th District

Richa rd Tift

Judge Harley Langdale,

Albany-2nd District

Valdosta-8th District

William E. Sm ith

Clyde Dixon

Am ericus-3rd District

Cleveland-9th Distr ict

Charles L. Davidson , Jr.

Leonard Bassford

Avondale Estates-4th District Augusta -lOth District

Jimmie Williamson

Darien - Coasta l District

TECHNICAL SERVICES DIVISION Jack A. Crockford, Assistant Director
Leon Kirkland , Fisheries Chief Hubert Handy, Game Management Chief Charles M . Frisbe, Supervisor, Marine Fisheries Robert S. Baker. Special Services Coordinator

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION Bill Cline
Deputy State Ch ief, Atlanta David Gould
Deputy State Ch ief . Brunsw ic k

GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF

J 1m Mo r r iso n . Edit o r

Dean Woh lgemuth.

J . Hall. Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Ted Borg . Photographer

Marvin Tye . Staff Writer

Georgia Game and Fish is the official m onthly mag azine of the Georgia Game and Fis h Commission. published at the Commission 's offices. 401 State Cap i tol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advertising accepted . Subscr iptions are $1 for one year or $2.50 fo r three y ears. Printed by Ste in Printing Company .Atlanta, Ga. Noti fication ofaddress change must include both old and new address and ZIP cod e. wi th 30 days no t1ce. No subscription requests will be accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photog raphs may be reprinted. Proper credit should be g iven . Contributions are welcome, but the edi tors assume no respon sibi li tyor liabi li ty for loss ordamage of articles.
photographs, or illustrations. Second-cla ss p os tage pa id at Atlanta, Ga.

It's spring again - the time of year when the sap rises in _

the trees , an d in poachers , the thieves of the outdoo rs. It won ' t be long now. Honest fishermen by the thousands ,

will be out on Georgia lakes an d streams - along with a

handful of game law violators.

Somewhere a moral fisherman will catch his limit of fish ,

an d have a good time doing it. Somewhere , perhaps beside

that fishe rman , someone will catch more than his limit of

eight trout , stealing someone else 's fish , if not for this year,

perhaps his next year's catch.

Somewhere , a so-called "sportsman " will fish with worms

for bait in the artificial lure portion of the Chattahoochee

River below Lake Lanier. Some night , another will use a

flashlight an d a dip net on the Tallulah River.

Somewhere , a netter will string his evil instrument of

destruction across a sma ll stream where spawning fish are

migrating upstream , blocking their reproduction . Perhaps

he will be able to keep a new fish just stocked in the lake <J

from successfull y reproducing, like white bass in Lake

J ackson where rangers seize d 13 nets on tributary streams

in one single week one spring.

Perhaps he will build a monstrous trap like the one shown

above confiscated by Chief Steve Bush of Dawson and his

men designed to entirely block off a small creek and

capture all of the game fish in it.

Perhaps he will shoot a bass on the bed that won ' t bite with his .22 rifle , or snatch a catfish from under the ban k ~

with his hands .

Maybe he'll have fun doing it , an d laugh an d brag a lot about "how I foo led the game warden ." And maybe , his frien ds'll think it's funn y.

Would you laugh at a man who stole something from

you? Would you just watch him steal it, an d never say a

word?

'"

If you would , then you can't really cal l yourself a

sportsman either. You're an accomplice , willing or not. If

you allow it to happen , yo u are as guilty as the violator ,

morally , if not in actual legal fact.

Maybe you don 't approve of what you see going on , but

still don 't do anything about it. Maybe six months later,

you happen to run into the wildlife ranger , so you give him '

the devil about letting such things go on.

(continued on page 16)

ON THE COVERS: Spring is the lure that brings one million Georgia fishermen outside again , from one end of Georgia to the other. There is no combi nation like that of sky , water , and land to make a winter weary fisherman 's ~
blood run again. On the front cover , Stone Mountain Memorial State Park. On the back cover, the majestic Altamaha River , near Jesup, Ga. Photos by Ted Borg.

PHOTO CREDITS: Bill Baab t. 3; Ted Borg 12, 14 ; Jim Morrison i.f.c. , 1,b.3 ,4 ,5,7,

Georgia's Shad Fishing Hot Spot
"Cas t upstream as far as you can , and let the current carry your line downstrea m," Bill Baab said . "J~ he's on , you'll feel him when the line comes
tight.' Sure enough! Just as my line ended a
giant semi-circular sweep in the swift waters of the Savannah, I felt the fish tightenino my line against the current.
" Don't' set the hook! " Bill cautioned me . " He's on now. He's got a tender mouth so don ' t horse him. Just keep a stea dy ' pressure on him and don 't let
your line go slack." I still couldn ' t tell how big the fish
was on my light spinning tackle , but I was impressed by the dogged fight he was putting up . Suddenly , a bright silver form leaped from the water and landed
on its back. " Hold him! " Bill yelled . Miraculously ,
the fish was still pulling the end of the line. Finally , after two more jumps and several minutes of steady pressure alternated by reeling, I led the fish up beside the boat. That's when he decided to see what the other side of the boat looked like. Surprised , I dipped my rod tip dee p into the water.
" Hold him," Bill laughed. " What 's the matter, Jim, doesn ' t he want to come in the boat!"
After several figure eights under the boat , my reluctant quarry finally lay exha usted on its side on the top of the water , and Bill swiftly slid the landing net underneaih it and swung it aboard.
I had just caught my first shad , and discovered one of the hottest spots for shad fishing in the eastern United States- the Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam on the Savannah River just 13 miles south of Augusta , Ga .
To an old shad fisherman , my catch probably doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment , but to me , it was the success ful conclusion to three years of frustrated pursuit of the mysterious shad- the tiny tarpon .
When I first started work for the Game and Fish Commission in J963 , like the average Georgia fisherman , I had never heard of the shad. Before long, my curiosity began to be whetted by occasional reports of fabulous shad fishi ng in the coastal rivers , according to a fe w sportsmen and wildlife rangers in the area that I had talked to.
That was when the fiascos began. My first great assault on the shad was a dilly - one that I still cringe about when the memory of it somehow slips into my unconscious memory. Looking back with considerable chagrin , I can't
really be sure what act of insanity caused me to invite the chief photographer of the Atlanta Journal, Marion Johnson, and the then farm editor, Harold Joiner , to accompany me. on a shad fishing trip on the coast.
Desperately looking for help , I telephoned the fish biologist who lived

closest to the coas tal river section , plea ding for help. Since he is no longer with the Commission (but not beca use of my sha d fishing trip!), I won't mention his name , since I was the main culprit.
My biologis t friend confesse d that he was a freshwater man who knew about as much about saltwater shad as I did , but that he 'd be glad to put us in contact with somebody who did, and set up a good trip for us to get a feature story with pictures of Georgia 's fabulous shad fishing.
TINY TARPON
by Jim Morrison
Confession is good for the soul , so I may as well admit that the trip was a flop. To begin with, it rained for two out of three days , was freezing cold the entire time , and it was too early for shad , at least on a hook and line. And my helper and I didn 't know that shad just aren 't caught in the AJtamaha River on a hook and line , althougl1 commercial net fishing and so-called "sport" netting is a big thing there .
We did spend a memorable afternoon on the Altamaha with Herman Yeomans , the rib-tickling proprietor of Paradise Park fish camp at Jesup . Herman proved that shad can at least be caught in a drift net on the Altamah a, and he showed us the right way to clean and cook shad , shad roe , and even the male counterpart of roe!
The next day , we froze to death on a wild ride down the Altamaha with wildlife ranger Dan Shuptrine of Jesup ,

watching the unbelievable sight of commercial fishermen actually breaking the ice off of their nets as they removed shad with their bare fingers , while we shivered with our thick coats , hoods , an d gloves . There isn't any question in my mind that those hardy shad fishermen are a lot tougher than I am.
Hearing th at shad were commonly caught on rod an d reel in the clearer Ogeechee River to the orth near Savannah, we rushed off to Richmon d Hill , Ga ., only to Usten to the continuous beat of raindrops on our motel roof for another entire day. Finally , the rain broke enough fo r a sally out to Fulton Love 's fish camp on the Ogeechee at the U.S. 17 bridge , where we found out that we were almost exactly a month too early to catch the shad trollin g! "Come back in March or April ," we were told .
For one reason or another, we never did. Harold wrote up a story for the Journ al anyway about the rugged com-
mercial net fishermen, backed by Marion 's photos. In despe ration to get a
picture of spo rt fishing for sha d, we finally borrowed some fish that were caught in a net and tied them onto a hook!
Bloody but unbowed, as the saying goes , I was dete rmined to ge t even with the Ogeechee River shad. A year later , I again ven ture d to the Ogeeehee . This time , I came in March , supposedly the peak month , Lhis time with Leon Kirklan d, the fisheries chief of the Game and Fish Commission , and wildlife ran ger Robert Hart of Statesboro. Like myself Leon had yet to catch a shad on a rod and reel, although he had caught many in nets while working with the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries as a biologist. As a longtime resident of the Bulloch County section, Robert was familiar with trolling for shad in the Ogeechee . We couldn't miss .
That was when the rain bega n . If there is anything more frustratin g than driving 300 miles to go fishin g and then sitting in a motel listening to it rain cats an d dogs outside all day, I don ' t know what it is, and don ' t really want to know. ln desperation , we fmally decided to ge t the boat toge ther , buy lures, gasoline, etc. and drive down to the landing in the lower part of the county and launch the boat, hope fully awaiting the rain to stop. I can't recall now if the motor wouldn 't start or if we left our gasoline tank , hose , or something behind , but somehow, we begge d or borrowed the necessary items. The thing that I do remember vividly is sitting in the truck on the bank of the beautiful Ogeechee , watching the raindrops splashing vigorously on the surface of the water without a pause while the river slowly rose in its bank , already several feet high . Finally , we left in

1

disgust, ending another year's pursuit of on the Georgia coast and produces the shad may live to spawn two or even

the shad in defeat.

most shad caught in nets , but shad are three times before dying. Since the

The next year, I had given up on the seldom, if ever , caught there on a hook, average age of Georgia shad is four years

'Geechee , when my friend Bill Baab, the even though they run all the way up the for bucks and five years for roe, shad

outdoor editor of the Augusta Chroni- Oconee to just below Sinclair Dam at don ' t live long enough to reach larger

cle, called me up with an invitation to Milledgeville. Once they went all the sizes. Warmer temperatures in southern

fish for shad in the Savannah at way to Athens , one of the arguments rivers, combined with the rigours of

Augusta , of all places. That was the first cited in 1785 for locating the campus of spawning, are usually cited as the reason

time I had ever heard of shad fishing the University of Georgia there , " where for the death of southern shad. During

there , let alone that it was the best shad fresh shad may be caught daily in the the spawning season , the dead or dying

hole in Georgia.

crystal clear waters of the Oconee." But weakened fish can be readily seen drift-

But after two trips in the last two now , the Oconee is a muddy mess , and ing back downstream after spawning.

years , I'm convinced. The drought was the shad can ' t get there.

On the hook , the shad is a true

broken , an.d in a big way!

In the Altamaha , biologists speculate fighting fish. The buck shad jump the

By this time , you 're probably wonder- that little sport fishing is done because most often but roe shad put up the

ing just what a shad is anyway , and of the difficulty of catching shad in the strongest fight , boring for the bottom

what's so great about discovering a place extremely large , muddy river. Shad are with all of their might. But as I found

where anybody can catch them. There's sight feeders , and reduced visibility ap- out at the lock and dam, both the buck

plenty of discussion possible on both parently is important in catching them and the roe put up a good fight. The

points.

on a lure. But the St. Marys and Satilla size of the fish on the end of the line

To begin with , the white or American Rivers aren't nearly as muddy as the often is surprising when he's in the net,

shad is an " anadromous" fish , a fancy Altamaha, or the Savannah.

compared to the tremendous struggle he

word that simply means that it lives in Undoubtedly, the unpolluted, black- puts up, especially on light spinning

saltwater most of its life , but goes up water Ogeechee is the most pqpular tackle or fly tackle.

freshwater streams in the spring to stream in Georgia for shad sport fishing, Probably the greatest thrill I had

spawn , laying from one quarter to half a especially in the area known as King's fishing for the Savannah River shad was

million eggs . The young fish return to Ferry , between the U.S. 17 bridge and when I switched to a fly rod, trolling a

saltwater in the fall after spending sever- the mouth of the Canoochee River small silver spoon and a jig. Within a few

al months in the river. The striped bass upstream. Trolling for shad is popular minutes, I tied into a large roe shad , and

is a better known fish with the same upstream to Statesboro, Millen , and the battle was on!

spawning habit.

beyond. March and April are the best Fifteen minutes later, I still hadn't

American shad make a spawning run months for Ogeechee River shad.

landed the dogged fighter. On the light

up all of the major rivers flowing into On the Savannah, there is some shad tackle, I knew I couldn' t force the

the Atlantic from the St. John's in trolling in the vicinity of the City of tender-mouthed shad in too soon , until

Florida to the St. Lawrence in Canada, Savannah in the Uttle River and Middle she was whipped , and that wasn't so

and have been stocked into all of the River forks of the river, but not in the easily done . Every time I tried to bring

major Pacific rivers from Southern Cali- main Front River section, which is her up beside the boat so Bill could use

fornia to Alaska.

highly polluted. Some shad are caught the net , she bored for the bottom again.

Shad are caught on both coasts by upstream in smaller tributary streams All I equid do was hang on!

commercial fishermen in tremendous like Briar Creek, but most of the fish Finally, the exhausted fish came to

numbers , and shad are prized in the continue up the mainstream for 203 the surface. My tackle box scales tipped

northern markets , especially New York , miles until they reach the Savannah the four pound mark- not an especially

where early season shad sell for as high Bluff Lock and Dam, just below large roe shad , but on the fly rod , she

as $2.00 a pound before leveling off Augusta .

was a monster.

from 50 cents to 20 cents a pound later Here , the dam creates an impassable I was pretty proud of that fish , until

in the season . Shad first start showing barrier to the migration of the fish , Bill landed a five pound-plus roe on a

"up in the St. John 's in December and causing them to pile up in much greater spinning rod , after a sharp tussle . I've

January , but most Georgia catches don't numbers than occur anywhere in the made two trips to the lock and dam

occur until the middle of February river downstream. Combined with easy now with Bill, two years in a row , and

through April . By that time , shad are access by bank and boat fishermen , the caught fish every time. While I haven't

showing up in the northern streams, lock and dam creates the best hot spot hit the peak times , we've always caught

crowding southern shad off the market for shad fishing in Georgia, even though close to our limit of eight shad a

because of higher transportation costs. as many pounds of fish may not be piece - which is more than enough fish-

In the north, especially Connecticut, removed there as on the Ogeechee , ing for a morning's outing, for fish

Massachusetts , and New York , the shad where there is a greater run of shad, but running from two to five pounds each.

is a prized sport fish , and thousands of no constricting dam to concentrate the According to Bill , the best times for

rod and reel anglers go after it every fish .

shad fishing at the dam are in the

spring. But strangely enough , in Georgia The best way to describe a shad is to morning from eight to eleven , and again

the shad isn't very well known as a sport compare it to a miniature tarpon , silvery in the afternoon from four until dusk .

fish . Few fishermen outside of the in appearance with a green cast, with The most popular lures are small silver

coastal area have heard of them , let large scales and a hook jaw. Male or Barracuda spoons , either in the No. 0 ,

alone knowing how, where, and when to buck shad are smaller than the females , No. 1, or No . 2 sizes, along with small

catch them.



usually running from one and a half to shad jigs, 1/16 ounce or smaller, with a

Although there is a shad run up all three pounds with about two pounds red head and white body and feathers.

five of the major Georgia coastal rivers the average size.

Yellow jigs also work well. I caught my

as far as 200 to 300 miles , sport fishing In the north, roe shad are commonly four pounder using a flyrod-sized 1/32

for shad with a rod and reel apparently caught up to eight pounds in size , with ounce yellow Dollfly jig.

is limited to only two streams: the some 12 pounders reported. Sizes that Most of the Augusta fishermen troll

Ogeechee, and the Savannah. Shad fish- large apparently aren't possible in both the Barracuda spoon and the shad

ing is never mentioned by sport fisher- Georgia , because almost all shad south jig at the same time , using a three-way

men on the Saint Marys or the Satilla of North Carolina apparently die after swivel and two leaders. The spoon is

River. The Altamaha is the largest river their first spawning run , while northern usually put on a leader about four feet

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The author and his first sal twa ter roe shad, caught in the Savannah River near Augusta. The A merican or white shad is sim ilar in appearance to its big brother , the tarpon.
Happy Hill of Augusta has his hands full fighting a five pound shad on a flyrod, caught while trolling below the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam.

long, with the jig on the shorter leader, usually about two feet long. If the sha d don't hit too well , try changing the length of the leaders , either shorter or longer, to produce better results. Live bait doesn't work. Since none of the shad caught during the spawning run have anything in their stomachs, apparently the fish strike only out of anger or spawning excitement. Thus shiny artificial lures produce the best resu lts.
It's a good idea to use two or three split shot sinkers two or three feet up your line from the three-way swivel.
Most of the Augusta anglers troll in the swift water below the dam back to the launching ramp below Butler creek, but some try casting just below the safety wire stretched across the river
below the dam. By the way , Georgia regulations limit you to two poles or rods for shad fishing .
For casting, shorter. leaders are a necessity . Cast upstream, then wait for the current to tighten your line. If a shad will hit at all, he'll do it before your li ne tigh tens up. Setting the hook isn't necessary. The shad hooks himself
through his tender mouth , and horsing him may cause you to lose the fish. Because of the tender mouth, a landing net is a must, if you want to bring the fish in to the boat.
Trolling techniques vary, but fish can be caught either trolling upstream , downstream, or cross-current. On some days at certain hours , the fish seem to prefer one technique over the other, for no apparent reason. Similarly , the first year I went to Augusta , we caugl1t shad readily casting in the swift water as close to the dam as we could get. The next year, only trolling produced results .
by automobile , located 13 miles south of Augusta near Bush Municipal Air Field , a landing strip for commercial and private airplanes. lf you aren't familiar with Augusta , take U.S. 78 and 278 into Augusta, then turn right on to Georgia 56 LP until you see the "Lock & Dam" sign of the Corps of Engineers on the left. For short cuts , get a county map from the State Highway Department.
There is an old concrete launching ramp below the dam on the Georgia side that was constructed about 20 years ago by Richmond County , but the river has silted in the ramp at the lower end , making it unusable during the summer low water months. During the spring shad season , the water is higher on the ramp , normally making it possible to launch even large outboards there with a little extra effort. An earlier ramp was undercut by the river.
Hopefully to be completed by this summer, the Game and Fish Commission plans to cooperate with Richmond County in building a new , longer , wider

3

Bill Baab, the outdoor editor of the Augusta Chronicle, uses a landing net for the tender-mouthed shad, which can't be "horsed" in . Small Barracuda spoons and shad jigs are the most popular lures.
4

ramp for the lock and dam, along with a better parking area.
During the shad season beginning in the middle of March and lasting thro ugh early July , it's not uncommon to see twenty or thirty boats below the dam. Through the week , especially on Wednesday afternoons , a dozen or more may be out trolling in a line.
Some shad are also caught by bank fishermen, especially along the lock wall or the dam wall , but not as many as are caught from boats. Part of the difficulty is landing the big fish with their tender mouths on light lines , fifteen feet above the water. Many fish , especially shad, are lost off the hook by anglers attempting to "horse" their fish straight up the lock wall . To prevent this , the Corps of Engineers keeps several sturdy metal baskets on the lock wall which can be lowered with a strong line into the water for landing big fish .
In addition to shad, the lock and dam is a good fishing spot for white bass , striped bass , redbreast, shellcrackers , catfish , and gar, all congregated below the dam. Since the lock is seldom operated, except for barges going to the State Docks at Augusta , few fish get upstream past it. The dam was completed in 1937 to provide a nine foot deep barge channel to Augusta from Savannah .
Since the river bed belongs to Georgia , your Georgia fishing license is good anywhere on the river , except for fishing from the South Carolina bank. Since there is no road to the dam from the South Carolina side , most South Carolinians cross over into Georgia at Augusta to come to the dam.
Fishing on the South Carolina bank isn' t very pleasant, anyway. Drifting too close to it at one point, Bill and I were covered up with a hungry swarm of mosquitoes and black gnats. As long as we stayed away from the bank in the river , we weren 't bothered.
There isn 't a marina on the River , but a full line of fishing supplies , bait , groceries , ice , gasoline , etc. is carried by a small bait shop , located on the only access road to the lock and dam, just a few yards away . A smaiJ shady picnic area is located adjacent to the dam , with concrete tables , gri lls, drinking fountains , and toilets.
And now comes a question that I've save d for last , for several reasons . Is the shad good to eat?
The answer is , it's a matter of opinion!
I've already mentioned that the shad is considere d a great delicacy in the North especially the sha d roe , and that it brings respectable prices there, evidently proving that somebody likes them. I've run into quite a few Georgians who wouldn't agree with them, and some that would!
I've always thought that people who

claim they like to eat 'possums an d such critters are just putting on a big bluff, bragging about how delicious they are, and I suspect that it's about the same way with shad eaters. I can't help but suspect that they must improve the taste by liberal doses of "snakebite medicine" administered from a stone jug before the " banquet! "
Thinking back now on the shad an d the roe that Herman Yeomans cooked for us, I remember that the fish did have many lon g bones , but the meat wasn' t so bad , not that it was so goo d either. Ditto on the shad roe , an d the sperm sacks , even scrambled with eggs . But l haven't go tten up the enthusiasm to try it sin ce on my own , after one stomach misadventure with blood-shot roe scrambled in eggs! I even kept several Savannah River shad in my freezer for a year, un til they got old enougl1 and dried-out enough to throw away! (Several friends have since ass ured me that I did the ri ght thing!)
Like one fisherman that I talked to about shad said , leaving out his more descriptive adjectives , "It's an oily-fish with lots of bones and it's no good to eat, but it 's-on wheels with a fly rod! "
My suspicions about Yankees and their eating habits are pretty well confirmed by one friend of mine who recalls how his New Jersey neighbors raved abo ut shad that he gave them caught out of the tremendously polluted Hudson River below New York City. "No wonder they think Georgia shad taste so good, compare d to those fish! " he laughs. Not going too far out on the limb , he says , " I would compare a sha,d out of a good clean river like the Ogeechee or the Al tamaha to a good clear river carp . In fact , I'd rather eat the carp anytime!"
At this point, all of the self-appointed piscatorial gourmets that I have mentioned shad to go into their routine about how to gash the sides of the fish a quarter inch or so apart before frying, which is supposed to make the bones edible. (They say!) Also , baking is supposedly a good procedure for naturaiJy oily fish like shad. (Reminds me of the story about baking a carp on a board all day, then throwing away the fish an d eating the board!)
One thing that is commonly agreed on - shad are easy to clean, for whatever satisfaction that's worth. The big scales fly rigl1t off, an d gutting's no problem. (But don 't burst the egg sacks!)
Oh yes , to be honest , there is some extra stigma attached to Savannah River shad . According to one Commission biologist, there is only one fish house on the coast that will knowingly take Savannah River shad , because of the excessively oily , kerosene taste , apparently caused by the terrible pollution of the Savannah River at its mouth , as well as at Augusta .

"I don't see how they could even get through that mess at Savannah," said one aquatic biologist, pointing out the major pollution of the river from the untreated wastes of two major pulp mills, as well as by the entire sewage of the City of Savannah, from 40 or so assorted industries , and by ships in the harbor.
Fortunately, the outlook for improvement by 1971 is bright. Both of the pulp mills have almost completed multi-million dollar treatment facilities, and the City of Savannah has begun construction on an 11 million dollar sewage treatment plant, using a one million dollar federal grant , combined with a local bond issue and a new sewer tax. Smaller industrial polluters at Savannah are on notice by the State Water Quality Control Board to clean up their pollution as well by 1971 .
At Augusta , the picture is similar. At present, Augusta , like Savannah , does not treat any of its sewage wastes , but a new l 0 million dollar treatment plant is under construction. Completely untreated raw sewage pollution from North Augusta on the South Carolina Carolina side still enters the river above Savannah Bluff, and a new pulp mill is scheduled for construction on the South Carolina side above the dam . Horse Creek, on the South Carolina side below the Jock and dam , is completely polluted by textile wastes, with no aquatic
life whatsoever. Butler Creek on the Georgia side carries almost all of Augusta's sewage into the river just below the lock and dam, upstream from the boat launching area . Only a few catfish can enter the creek from the river, and they don't go far. Down-

stream, a pulp mill on the Georgia side treats its wastes , but production has been doubled at the plant without increasing the size of the treatment facility.
Fortunately , Georgia does have a strong pollution control law now, that is being effectively enforced by the State Water Quality Control Board. The outlook for a cleaner Savannah River by 1971 all the way from Clark Hill Dam to the Atlantic is good , provided similar action is taken on the South Carolina side of the river. With cleaner water, fishing should be better at Savannal1 Bluff and in the entire ri_ver for shad, striped bass, largemouth bass, bream , crappie , white bass , and catfish. More food will be available , and spawning will be more successful.
But even if shad aren't a tasty fish in everybody's opinion , and even if distasteful pollution takes some of the pleasure out of fishing at the lock and dam now , there still are quite a few shad and other fighting fish to be caught there , and a lot of fun to be had catching them.
Most of the Augusta anglers throw their shad back alive , so they may even catch the same fish several times again. After all , the main reason most people go fishing today is for sport, with food really a secondary reason.
When the shad are really hitting at Savannah Bluff, it's not uncommon to catch your limit of eight in 15 minutes. But, since there's no Jaw against catching all the fish you want to, if you throw them back, you can keep enjoying yourself until your arm wears out. Where else in Georgia can you do that on two to four pound fish, and still not have to clean them? >-=-

The lock wall at New Savannah Bluff is a popular fishing spot for bank fishermen, who frequently catch nice strings of shad, redbreast bream, crappie, and catfish.
New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam

5

ShortentheLo
by Dean Wohlgemuth
"Well, I might'vegonefishin', Got to thin kin' it overThe road to the river Is a mighty long way"

Just about everybody has sung that song sometime or another. It would be hard to fmd someone that hasn't heard that tune , "It's My Lazy Day."
What the Game an d Fish Commission
is concerned abo ut is that some folks in Georgia may be singing that song in earnest. It IS a mighty long way for them to go to find some fishing.
But being concerned isn 't enough. The Commission and its director, George T. Bagby , wants to DO something about it. First it appears it will be necessary to get some other people concerned enough to do something.
"The Commission wants to build some public fishing lakes in those sections of the state where it is quite a long distance to a major reservoir," Bagby said, "but to do this , the state must have land on which to build the lakes."
Before a site can be accepted by the Commission, according to Bagby and the Commission's Chief of Fisheries, Leon Kirkland , the Commission sho uld

be notified and asked to study the area . The Conmtission must ascertain whether the site would be suitable for such a project. "For example , while there must be a water source , a Jake cannot be built on a large creek, especially one that floods frequently. This would wash out all the fertilizer ," Kirkland said.
The Commission cannot build the public fishing area unless it holds title to the lan d. So if a county will make land available to the Comntission , an d clear timber off as necessary , the Commission will take it from there and do the rest.
A dam will be built, the lake will be stocked with fish an d carefully managed. An area manager will be put in charge of the area . Picnic areas and camping areas will also be added to make the area more attractive and usefu l to the fishermen.
At present , the Comntission has one such area , the McDuffie Public Fislting area in McDuffie County between Dearing and Thompson. This area , wltich has

been open about three years , has proved h.ighly popular. Another area has been proposed for construction at Thomasville.
ot in tended originally for such a purpose , McDuffie was once a fish hatchery. As such, it includes 14 small lakes ranging in size from five to twenty acres , with a total water acreage of 88 acres. This past season more than 10,000 fishermen visited McDuffie. Catches were high. Lakes are stocked with bass , bream an d catfish.
Ideally , the Comntission would prefer to build just one Jake of between 200 and 400 acres.
Any county that does not have sufficient fishing water can obtain a public area easily , but building a public fishing area is not an overnight project. From the drawing board to completion normally requires two years. But even so , the Jake is not ready to hang out its shingle and go into business. It takes two more years for the stocked fish to

6

TOP: The popularity of a public fishing area is demonstrated by the State Game and Fish Commission's McDuffie Area, near Thomson, Ga. But despite the fact that these areas are heavily used, fishing is three times better in them than in the state's large impoundments. Women and children as well as men, youngsters, oldsters, handicapped-everyone finds public fishing areas to their liking.

CENTER: A young angler leads a bass to the shore of one of McDuffie's 14 fishing ponds. These well fertilized lakes are all stocked with bass and bream, and some of the ponds also contain channel catfish.

BOTTOM: What could be better, in the mind of a boy, than taking a nice bass? Many a childhood dream comes true at a public fishing area. It isn't always easy to find a good place for young anglers to wet a line. Public fishing lakes solve the problem.

reach large enough size and numbers to 150 fishing trips per acre per year," Game and Fish Commission also uses

become a fishing lake.

Kirkland said. "That means a 200-acre matching funds from the Land and

"'We're not getting enough applica- lake can stand 30,000 fishing trips per Water Conservation Act to build the

tions for public fishing areas," said year.

areas.

Bagby. "It's time to be looking forward "Because we fertilize public area lakes In areas where there are only smaiJ

to the future. We need to act now to heavily , we can obtain maximum pro- towns, public fishing areas are more

produce fishing for the public."

ductions. Such lakes could normally than sufficient to provide fishing for the

Priority areas , he said, are Southeast support 300 to 400 pounds of fish per entire population, Bagby said, "Having

Georgia , Northwest Georgia and some acre , or 60,000 pounds of fish in 200 such a facility nearby not only enhances

of the central portion of the state. acres of water ," he added . "Catch rates increased tourist trade for an area , but is

These areas will be given priority be- are three times higher in these lakes attractive to new industry. Most in-

cause of the lack of big reservoirs in than in the reservoirs. "

dustries when selecting prospective sites

those sections.

Counties can obtain financial aid in take into consideration what is available

The areas will be open at a small fee , securing and clearing land in many in the way of recreation for its em-

which will be used to defray manage- cases, Bagby pointed out. Funds are ployees. And most industries realize

ment costs. The lakes will be built so available under certain circumstances that fishing is the most popuJar form of

that they are readily accessible to through the Land and Water Conserva- recreation throughout the nation to-

children , older persons , women and tion Act. John Gordon , Director of the day ," Bagby said.

r

handicapped persons who couldn 't State Parks Department, is liaison of- " Let 's hope that those areas in need

normally fish unless provision was made ficer for the U. S. Bureau of Outdoor of good public waters will act promptly

for them to fmd easy access to the Recreation for handling applications for and not have to wait in line ," Bagby

water. Banks of the lakes will slope such aid .

said. Then the road to the old fishing

gently to aid in access.

Applications to the Commission for hole won 't be too long, even if you are

"We've found that public lakes care- building public areas will be handled on having a .lazy day .. especially if you ' re

fully managed are capable of supporting a first come , fust served basis. The having a lazy day! ~

7

by Marvin Tye
8

It's that time of year again when many Georgia outdoorsmen get that far-away look in their eyes and have a hard time concentrating on their work. Their thoughts are much more likely to
turn to clear mountain streams and a rainbow-hued trout rising to a well-cast dry fly .
These fishermen will be able to answer the call to the mountains from April 1 through October 15 on all mountain strea ms outside wildlife management areas. Management streams will be open on staggered dates between May 1 and Labor Day . The chart accompanying tllis article shows these dates in detail.
Middle Broad River in the Lake Russell Manage ment Area will be open on Saturday and Sunday from April 1 through October 15 to provide a put-and-take trout stream in that area of the state. There will be no charge for

fishing on Middle Broad River.
Moccasin Creek from the bridge on Ga . 197 downstream to Lake Burton will be open only to cllildren under 16 who are too young to require a license , persons over 65 holding an honorary License , women , and handicapped persons.
Tllis stream, which runs into Lake Burton right behind the Burton Fish Hatchery , is very easily accessible, and it is impossible to keep the stream stocked sufficiently to withstand the pressure of all fishermen. The Game and Fish Comnlission felt that able-bodied anglers have ample fishing nearby and that it would be far more desirable to open this short stretch of stream only to those Linlited groups who could not fish streams which are less accessible.
A State Park campground borders on the stream. ,_

-- ..---- TROUT STREAMS OF GEORGIA

~-- ......

::::::.-

, ..........

MANAGEMENT STREAM SCHEDULE

Management Area
BLUE RI DGE
CHATTAHOOCHEE CHESTATEE
LAK E BU RTON WARWO MAN

St r eam

May

June

July

Au g us t

Septe mb er

Jones {Artificial Lures)

Sat. , Sun .

Wed ., Thurs . Sat., Sun .

Wed ., Thurs. (Sun ., Sept. 1) (Sat. , Aug. 31 ) (Mon ., Sept. 2)

Montgomery

Wed ., Thurs. Sat., Sun .

Wed. , Thurs. Sat. , Sun. (Thurs .,
Aug. 1)

Nimblewill

Sat., Sun .

Wed ., Thurs. Sat. , Sun .

Wed ., Thurs . (Sun ., Sept. 1) (Sat ., Aug. 31) (Mon., Sept. 2)

Noontootley

Wed., Thurs ., Wed ., Thurs. , Wed ., Thurs., Wed ., Thurs ., (Sun ., Sept . 1)

(Artifi cia l Lures) Sat. , Sun . Sat., Sun . Sat. , Sun . Sat. , Sun .

{Mon., Sept . 2)

(Cat ch and Release)

Ro ck Creek

Wed ., Thurs ., Wed. , Thurs., Wed ., Thurs. , Wed., Thurs., (Sun. , Sept . I )

Sat., Sun. Sat. , Sun. Sat. , Sun

Sat. , Sun .

(Mon ., Sept. 2)

Chattahoo chee

Sat., Sun .

Sat. , Sun ., Sat. , Sun. Wed .

Sat. , Sun .

{Sun., Mon . Sept. 1 & 2)

Duke s

Wed ., Thurs . Wed., Thurs . Wed. , Thurs . Wed ., Thurs .

Boggs

Wed ., Thurs . Sat., Sun.

Wed ., Thurs. Sat., Sun . (Thurs. , Aug. 1)

Dicks

Sat. , Sun .

Wed. , Thurs . Sat. , Sun .

Wed ., Thurs . (Sun., Sept. 1) (Sat. , Aug. 31 ) (Mon. , Sept. 2)

Waters

Sat. , Sun .

Wed., Thurs . Sat. , Sun.

Wed., Thurs. (Sun ., Sept. 1) (Sa t. , Aug. 31) (Mon ., Sept. 2)

Dicks

Wed .. Thurs. Wed ., Thurs. Wed. , Thurs. Wed .. Thurs.

Moccasin (Not stocked)

Sat., Sun . Sat., Sun . Sat., Sun . Sat. , Sun.

(Sun ., Sept. 1) {Mon ., Sept. 2)

Wild cat

Sat. , Sun . Sat., Sun. Sat., Sun . Sat. , Sun.

(Sun ., Sept. 1) (Mon. , Sept. 2)

Finny

Wed. , Thurs. Sat. , Sun .

Wed., Thurs. Sat. , Sun. (Thurs. , Aug. 1)

Sarahs

Sat ., Sun . Wed. , Thurs. Sat., Sun.

Wed ., Thurs. (Sun ., Sept. 1) (Sat ., Aug . 31) {Mon ., Sept. 2)

Tu ckaluge

Wed ., Thur s. Sat., Sun.

Wed ., Thurs . Sat. , Sun. (Thurs.,
Aug . 1)

Walnut Fork and Hoods Creek

Sat. , Sun.

Wed., Thurs . Sat.. Sun.

Wed., Thurs. (Sun., Sept. 1) (Sat. . Aug. 31 ) (Mon., Sept. 2)

9

Georgia's wildlife resources provide baseball , football, horse racing, etc., rate

the base for one of our state's greatest a poor sixth.

fidustries.

It's a Uttle known fact that hunters

In short, this resource is responsible and fishermen spend more money each

for approximately 500 milUon dollars year than would be needed to buy all

being pumped into our state's economy the football and baseball stadiums, all

each year. And, this may be conserva- the professional ball players (Falcons

tive. It's unfortunate that only a few and Braves ficluded) , all the automobile

Georgians reaUze this fact. Most , no speedways, and all the race tracks and

doubt, think of wildlife only in terms of race horses. Even at that, there would

what they can get out of it. That is, how still be enough left to buy post offices

many doves , ducks or other game they in wholesale quantities.

are able to put in the bag. Or how many So that we might have a little better

fish they are able to put on the stringer. understanctmg of how this money was

I submit that it is high time we stop spent, we'll take a look at the one

taking this resource for granted. The billion dollars that hunters alone feed

idea that wildlife (includmg hunting and fito the nation's economy. First of alJ ,

fishmg) cannot or should not be val ued they spend 200 million dollars for fire-

in dollars and cents must be completely arms and ammunition. Only three other

rejected. For anyone to argue otherwise industries- automobile , tex We apparel

simply reveals a misunderstanding of and boating- gross more dollars from

our entire economic organization and the hunter than do these companies.

structure.

This is understandable because one or

Unfortunately, calculating dollar and two guns can last one or more genera-

cents values for our total wildlife re- tions.

source is very difficult. The job would Hunters must travel. In this respect

be somewhat easier if we were con- they spend 143 million dollars for au to-

cerned only with the hunting and fish- mobiles; 101 million dollars for gasoline

fig activities , but these recreational as- (at 34 per gallon , that's roughly 300

Commission and carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau does shed some light on the economic impact of sportsmen. For instance, the survey revealed that about one in 12 Georgians hunted and one in tluee fished. Together, they spent 100 milUon dollars ann ually fi Georgia in pursuit of these sports. Today, indications are that this figure is closer to 150 million dollars.
On an individual basis , Georgia hunters average spendmg $83.21 per year on about 18 days of huntfig. Fishermen spend about the same number of days afield an d spend about $86 .84 per year.
ationally, hunter average d spending $82.54 for 14 days of hunting while fishermen averaged spending $103. 19 for some 18 days.
To further itemize these expenditures, let's use the money spent by deer hunters as an example. Also , in comparfig their average annual expenditures with deer hunter expenditures on a national basis , we see that Georgia deer hunting costs us only about half as much as the national average.

HOW VAlUABlE? .

pects actually represent only a portion of the total value. They do not take fito consideration, for example , our commercial fisheries , our fur and fish bait industry, private industry and agency payrolls and budgets, and the expenditures of bird watchers, wildlife photographers and so on. Understandably , to accurately evaluate the total resource becomes an exceedmgly complex operation - even to the economist.
Hunting and Sport Fishing Since huntfig and fishing are usually what people think of when we speak of wildlife , we'll approach our discussion of wildlife economics from this angle. On a national basis, hunters and fishermen pump over four billion dollars into our economy, accordmg to a survey released by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of Interior. While it may come as a surprise , more money is spent by hunters , fishermen and boaters than any other group. Furthermore , more people participate fi these activities than any other. For example , golf and bowUng are far behmd , and the attendance groups , such as

million gallons); 2 milUon

dollars for oil ;

Expenditures Auxiliary equipment

National $ 9.57

5.5 million dollars for tires and 3.8 Hunting equipment

20 .25

milUon dollars for maintenance. In 1962

Food and Lodging Transportation . . . . . . . .

. .. .

8.48 10.84

alone,

these sportsmen

used up 4 7,800

Licenses, tags , and permits .. . Guides, etc .

automobiles and 215 ,000 tires. And , in Dogs . . .

5.84 2.35 2.82

addition

to this, they spent another 10

Annual lease and privilege fees . Hunting preserve fees

1.47 .62

million dollars for transportation by air, Wildland fees .

.55

rail and bus.

Other Totals

.98 .... $63 .77

Georgia
$ 5.30 11.22 4.70 6.01 3 .24 1.30 1.56 .81 .34 .30 .5 4
$35.34

About 268 million dollars was spent for wearing apparel. That's a lot of hunting pants, shirts and caps. Also , an additional $42 million was spent for huntfig boots along with 5.6 million dollars more for insurance. As an example, over four million pairs of hunt-
fig boots were used in 1962.

While we are on the subject of deer hunting, it seems fitting to point out that a number of Georgia counties are missing out on a major industry . For instance , a detailed study of three parishes in Louisiana revealed that deer hunters spent almost $259 ,000 during the course of a five-day hunting period.

In addition to all of this , American A similar study in Pennsylvania revealed

hunters spent over 100 thousand dollars that deer hunting was a million dollar

for food in restaurants ; 30 million dol- enterprise , while a study fi U1e Edwards

lars for rooms in hotels and motels ; and Plateau region of Texas indicated that

225 million dollars for boats to use fi the net return per animal unit exceeded

huntfig. Boat expenditures do not fi- that of Uvestock! In ew Jersey , deer

clude those by fishermen or boaters. hunters spent over 6 million dollars

Although hunting and fishing nation- annually. Each of the legally harvested

ally is a four-billion-dollar enterprise , deer represented about $736.50. in

this doesn ' t tell us what it means to our Georgia each deer harvested contributed

state. However, a 1960-61 survey spon- approximately $400 to the economy

sored by Georgia 's State Game and Fish (25 ,000 X 400=$10,000 ,000!)

10

Based upon what I consider to be highly conservative figures , deer hunting in the six county area of Jasper, Jones , Monroe , Butts, Putnam and Baldwin amounts to a $159 ,000 enterprise by RESIDENTS alone. Considering the fact th at these residents account for only about one-fourth of the total deer huntin a pressure in those counties, this total figure is much higher. I strongly suspect that the deer resource is responsible for at least a half million dollars being added to this area's economy each
season. Another brief example of the eco-
nomic impact of sportsmen is provided by dove hunters . Each year , around 96 ,000 Georgians shoot doves and end up spending over 2 million dollars on shotgun shells alone. This is in addition to gasoline , candy bars , sardines and soda crackers, "bellywashers ," an d camouflage suits. Quite often the landowner is on the receiving en d, too. Hunters are often willing to shell out a few greenbacks in order to bust a few caps at the gray ghosts. This is also another example of the landowner and the hunter mutual.ly benefiting each other.

ation of food dollars .

is about

1.5

million

Nonetheless , a surprising amount is shipped out of state to wholesalers and to

No one would argue that the food other people who are interested in

from a single quail is worth a dollar on growing worms on their own .

the table. Since the ann ual harvest is about 3 million , this represents 3 mil-

Fishermen and bait dealers are not the only ones who benefit from the Georgia

lion dollars for food.

bait industry. Manufacturers of paper

Solely from a food standpoint, the cups in which worms are packaged for

meat from one deer represents at least the wholesale and retail market and $75 .00-if we had to buy an equal flower nurseries which use the discarded

amount of meat at the butcher's. Multi- worm bedding for potting soil are

ply this by the more than 25 ,000 killed among others noticeably benefited. ln

last year and the value would be about addition , the larger operations provide

1.8 million dollars.

seasonal employment for a number of

Food valuation of these four species local residents. Thus, the next time you

alone totals about 8 million dollars. think of worms , remember, "they're not

Other species, such as ducks , doves , always for the birds."

marsh hens , etc. , increase this by an -

Fur

other $2 million.

Another important economic aspect

The food value of fish caught by sport of wildlife is the fur business. Sale of

fishermen in our state is also significant raw furs and hides in Georgia total

an d represents at least a million dollars. approximately one million dollars each

This is probably conservative , because year. Buying and selling furs is a major

this means that each fisherman only has enterprise for some six fur dealers in our

to catch a pound or so of fish. At 30 state . National ly , it's a much larger

per pound , we almost have our million enterprise .

dollars .

Of course , the money received from

Commercial Fishing

sale of furs is also helpful to the over

Georgia is not particularly noted for 400 individuals who hold trapping

Each deer harvested by Georgia hunters is worth approximately $400 to the economy of the State, for a total value of more than 10 million dollars. 119,000 Georgia deer hunters bagged an estimated 25,000 deer in 1965. The food value alone of Georgia wildlife is estimated at 11 million dollars annually.

Food Value Food is another important economic contribution of our wildlife resource , particularly our wil d game. In fact , a conservative estimate of the economic contribution from Georgia 's game and
fish species for food is over 1 million dollars annually .
Fortunately, very few people today are dependent upon game as a source of food , but nonetheless , it sWl is used considerably for this purpose.

its commercial fishing, but rest assured , we have a sizeable operation. In fact , the average annual haul of shrimp , blue crab , oysters , clams an d finfish amounts to aroun d $4 million dollars each year. I am told by the economists that to obtain the total impact of our coastal fisheries , we can multiply the $4 mil.lion received annually from the sale of raw products by 12. This, then , means that our commercial fisheries operations along the coast represent about a $48 million industry.

licenses. To give you some idea of their catch , information from the 1964 season revealed that over 1,600 beaver, 375 fox , 1,500 minks , 6,700 muskrat , 1,250 opossums , 336 otter, 3,200 raccoons and 200 skunks were caught and sold by trappers. ln addition , a number of alligator hides are also sold each year. Unfortunately , many of these hides are collected illegally by poachers.
Another aspect of the fur industry is the commercial production of mink and other fur bearers. Several people are

Did you ever stop to think that when

Fish Bait

engaged in such operations over the

a hunter brin gs home a limit of birds or Production of worms , crickets and state. This , of course , means money to

;

rabbits , he has furnished several doll ars minnows is also a big operation in our the feed dealer an d others who sell

worth of food for the table? Since state. In terms of dollars , it adds about anima l food or other equipment to

rabbits are worth about $1.50 each ten million to our economy each year. make such operations a success and to

from a food standpoint , and since rabbit Granted , this seems unrealistic , but just the producer from the sale of furs or

hunters in our state kill more than one remember , one o ut of every three breedin g stock. As is the case with pelts

million rabbits each year , food , with a Georgians and one out of every four on taken from animals trapped in the wild ,

total valuation of about 1.5 million a national basis, fish. And , it takes a lot these furs account for many additional

dollars would have been furnished of worms and crickets to keep those dollars being pumped into the economy

people in practically every community hooks baited.

as they are processed into finished

in the state . Furthermore , from purely a ln Georgia , we have around two products.

food standpoint, a squirrel is worth at dozen major producers of fish bait. But of course , the fur business doesn't

least $1.00 each as a table delicacy. Most of the bait produced is sold to the stop here . The raw products are made

Each year there are over one and a hal f public through the hundreds of fish bait into expensive collars , stoles, coats and

million squirrels harvested and the valu- dealers scattere d about over the state. other products. Everything considered ,

11

Georgia hunters like Bob Burkett of Decatur, left, averaged spending $83.84 each in 1961 on hunting trips, including guns and ammunition. Eddie Pitts of Dean's Firearms in Atlanta is one of many Georgians who make their living directly or indirectly from wildlife, conservatively estimated to be worth more than 500 million dollars to Georgia alone.

Mike Bodiford of Conley buys his minnows for a day's fishing from Sanders Bait Farm at Lake City. Glenn Sanders, right, is filling the plastic bag with oxygen, guaranteed to keep the minnows alive a minimum of 24 hours. The fish bait industry in Georgia is estimated to be worth more than 10 million dollars.

our million dollar raw fur industry manufacture , for example, hunting some one had ftgured out that one bull

probably means at least $12 million to knives, animal repellents or traps, bird snake was worth $3.75 to the farmer

the economy each year.

feeders and photographic supplies. Who because of its rat-eating habits.

Industry
Professionals, sportsmen and others interested in wildlife also contribute considerably to the employment of thousands of people each year. This aspect cannot be overestimated because it reaches far and wide. For example , industries that provide employment range from manufacturers of automobiles , farming equipment, ftsh nets , herbicides , animal repellents and poisons, offtce machines, hunting and ftshing equipment, boats, textiles and rat traps to women's perfume (skunk scent is used in some perfumes to give them that lingering effect).
In fact, there are many companies and businesses located in Georgia that manufacture boats, ftshing tackle , fish nets , repellents , herbicides and other goods. Many of these probably would not exist were it not for our wildlife resources . Together, they employ several thousand people.

knows how much the sale of this equipment means to us in terms of dollars or how much their employee payrolls affect our economy? I'll venture to say that the total economic impact from all of these industries is well over $250 million.
Other Fortunately, man is now beginning to see that wildlife plays a very important part in the complex web of his very existence. In the past, he too often has overlooked or taken for granted the many beneficial and useful activities performed by wildlife . For instance , earthworms and moles distribute tons of soil each year by their activities underground. Some wildlife species, such as buzzards, crows and opossums perform an important scavenger service . We can hardly appreciate this service unless we are without it. Also , the protection of human health

Crop saving, through insect suppression and control of harmful animal life , is an important and useful activity of wildlife. Every day, and especially during the spring, summer and fall , when insect populations are high , birds literally destroy tons upon tons of insects throughout our state and nation. Thus, the agricultural value of hawks , owls and other birdlife cannot be overestimated, and to place a dollar value on this service is practically impossible.
Summary
In this article , I have attempted to point out some of the economic values of wildlife. I realize only too well that some of the ftgures presented herein can very easily be "shot full of holes" and that my head is lying on the proverbial "chop block." However, only until intensive studies are conducted that deal with the total economic contribution of this resource can we state with con

An example of such a business is through the control of disease carriers, ftdence what wildlife means to us in

provided by one of our Georgia manu- such as rats and mosquitoes is an im- terms of dollars and cents.

facturers of ftshing lures, Stembridge portant and useful function performed Even though the economic impor-

Products at College Park. This particular by wildlife. Frogs and ftsh consume for tance of this vital resource has been

operation turns out about 30,000 food , each year, literally billions upon stressed here , I feel sure that it is very

plastic " Fliptail" ftshing lures, comonly billions of mosquitoes and their larvae. small when compared with the esthetic

known as "worms," during an eight Hawks, owls, foxes and snakes consume values. Few people can argue that the

-hour day. Some 30 people are normally a tremendous number of rats and mice dollar bill can, in any way , compare

employed, but it fluctuates up to about each year for food . In fact , rodents with the thrill of seeing a whitetail deer

60. Plastic worms are not the only line comprise the majority of their diet. For bounding gracefully through the wood-

of goods manufactured by this industry, instance, the barn owl, commonly re- land , the sound of a clear, ringing

but it is certainly a major part. Inciden- ferred to as the " monkey-faced owl," " bob-white" on a spring morning or the

tally , at the time of this writing, produc- actually catches very few rabbits. Food tug of a ftsh on the line . God grant the

tion was lagging seven weeks behind- analysis has proven that it feeds almost day shall never come when we will be

even at 30,000 per day.

100 per-cent on rats and mice. And , in without the sights and sounds of our

There are also those companies that this respect , I noticed recently where wildlife . .-.

12

the outdoor world
Ed Dodd
Two Georgians , Ed Dodd and Len Foote , have won two of the top national conservation awards of the National Wildlife Federation , the world 's largest private conservation organization.
Dodd, creator of the famous "Mark Trail " comic strip, was named " National Conservationist of the Year ," the highest award the organization can give. The Sandy Springs cartoonist, a native of Gainesville , was singled out by the Federation from among 39 state conservationists of the year because of his continuing educational crusade through his comic strip against water and air pollution , destruction of endangered wildlife species, forest fires , an d litter.
Len Foote

New Outdoor Publication

Georgia outdoorsmen now have a new Jenkins Emanuel, Bullock , Candler,

publication dealing with their favorite Evans, Effingham , and Chatham Coun-

sports: hunting, fishing , an d outdoor ties in detail.

recrea tion. It is the Dixie Sportsman , a The subscription rate for the paper is

news paper published each month at $2.00 per year. Subscriptions or more

Sylvania.

information can be obtained by writing

Robert R. Hollingsworth, Managing

The publication covers outdoor activi- Editor , P.O. Box 469, Sylvania, Ga.

ties in Richmon d, Burke, Screven , 30467.

Foote , the Southeastern Fiel d Representative of the Wildlife Management Institute, was name d "National Wildli fe Conservationist of the Year." A resident of Marietta Foote was cited by the Federation for his outstanding work in initiating an d coordinating research and management programs on the mourning dove , wildlife diseases , and forest wildlife management on public and private

t

Inside Outdoors Back on Television

woodlands . The awards were presented at the

Third Annual President's Conservation " Inside Outdoors," the perenniaUy Achievement Banquet at the National

popular hunting and fishing program Wildlife Fe deration's 32nd Annual

hosted by John Martin is back on Meeting at Houston , Texas , March 8-10.

television again .

Only 10 major awa rds are presented

Martin's program has been broadcast by the Federation in different conserva-

since the fust of the year on WJRJ-TV , tion categories each year . Georgia is the

Channel 17 in Atlanta , each Thursday first state in the history of the three

night at 9:30p.m.

year old program to have two winners

The show features numerous guest from the same state.

personalities from the world of hunting Feature articles and photographs on

and fishing , big fish catches , demon stra- both Dodd an d Foote will appear in

tions , an d films .

future issues of Georgia/Game and Fish.

14

Old, narrow dams like this one built in 1945 at the Walton County Fish Hatchery, left, can break any time, and drain a hatchery pond of water, leaving the fish high and dry. New dikes at the Commission's Richmond Hill Hatchery, right, will keep the hatchery in top production for many years.
Pond drains like this one, left, make it difficult to catch the fish for removal to their new permanent home. The water gets muddied during netting operations and many young fish die of suffocation in the mud. But new concrete catch basins, right, make it easy to lower the water into the basin to capture all of the fish at once without harming them.
' Steep .slC?pes of the narrow dikes, left, make ll zmpossible to mow away weeds and brush. But a gentler slope wide enough for tractors to drive on in the new dikes, right, allows easy cleaning of pond edges.

WHAT'S HATCHING?
WAIT AND SEE!

By Dean Wohlgemut h

Your Game and Fish Commission is all of these will have to be replaced ,

" hatching up" a project that will put too ."

more fish on more stringers for Georgia From Walton , the Commission will go

anglers .

to Cordele , then to Bowens Mill near

And the first "egg" is out of the nest. Fitzgerald, then back to Richmond Hill

A complete renovation project of all to rebuild more ponds there.

of the State Game and Fish Commission While all this work is going on, the

fish hatcheries is underway , in order Commission must continue to produce

that the needs of the state may be filled. fish for farm pond stocking programs .

But it will likely be 1970 before all the But next year, with some facilities in

work is done.

better condition already, fish can be out

Work on this huge task began just in the ponds earlier, in the fall. At

about eight months ago , according to present it is necessary to wait until

Commission Director George T. Bagby. winter.

The first hatchery to get attention " Overall efficiency of all hatcheries

was at Richmond Hill near Savannah will be greatly increased by the renova-

where eight hatchery ponds have been tion ," Bagby pointed out. "This added

rebuilt. That job is not completed. Also , efficiency will allow the Commission to

dams were re-<.:ored at Dawson to pre- produce more fish for management pro-

vent leaking.

grams in public lakes and streams ," he

Heavy equipment has moved in and added.

work is starting immediately at Walton Hatcheries included in the renovation

Hatchery near Covington. This will be program are those which prpduce

the first major revamping of a hatchery, primarily bass , bream and catfish. But in

with many more to follow .

the future , they will be used to raise, in

All dikes at Walton will be rebuilt , addition to these species, striped bass,

and all darns will be rebuilt and wide- smallmouth bass and walleyes.

ned. Also , catch basins will be installed " Reworking of dams and dikes at the

at the dams.

hatcheries is necessary because they

"When all the state's hatcheries were were not properly constructed original-

built more than .20 years ago, little was ly ," Bagby said. " There was not proper

known about how hatchery ponds slope and width, and consequently

should be built," Bagby said. "Since several of the dams have broken , allow-

that time , a great deal has been learned ing water to escape and rendering them

by our fisheries technicians."

useless . Others are in such poor condi-

All the hatcheries have mud bottom tion tl1at it is not possible to keep them

ponds, but concrete catch basins will mowed and maintained properly ."

soon be put on the pond bottoms at all The budget for Fiscal Year 1968 for

hatcheries.

the Commission includes $29 ,375 for

" When you try to seine the fish from work at Summerville Hatchery, $11 ,400

mud bottom ponds you end up getting was allotted for Burton Hatchery , and

the fish mingled with mud. Many of $5,200 was slated for Cordele Hatchery .

them die from suffocation . With the About $46 ,000 is on the year's budget.

concrete catch basins, we can lower the Expected budget for Fiscal Year 1969

water before netting the fish ," explain- includes $37 ,000 for Bowen Mill,

ed Leon Kirkland , chief of fisheries $28 ,000 for Cordele and $19 ,900 for

management.

Richmond Hill. This is a total of nearly

Further, he said, water supplies will $86 ,000 for Fiscal Year 69 , and brings be piped in to each pond at the catch the two-year total to almost $131 ,000.

basin to prevent stirring mud up into "It's going to take time and quite a

the water. This will help keep fish alive bit of work ." Bagby said. But when it is

during draining operations.

all over, there will be more fish and

"All the water supply lines at all greater variety for the fishing clan

hatcheries are old and , therefore , rusty around the state . There'll be a lot more

and leaking," Kirkland pointed out, "so fish hatching at your hatcheries! .-

15

Dog Trouble
I am writing to tell you that I've enjoyed all the articles you have had in Game and Fish . I' m only 13 years old , but I think it is wrong to have wild dogs around. Out here where I live , it is the same with wild dogs but not as bad. People dump dogs out, starve them, and even beat them.
There used to be a German Police dog around here. He was about three feet high. When I was riding my horse, the dog ran out and started biting and jumping on his back . My horse ran from the dog, but the dog stayed right with him. The horse got so frightened that he ran all the way home with me and my girl - friend on him . After the horse stopped, I got off and put him up. The dog had ran off and gone back up the road.
We followed the dog and caught him . We called the dog pound but they would not pick up dogs out of the city limits. So I had to let the dog go.
Soon after that the dog killed a calf and did other damage . The dog went free doing all this and not a person would stop him, because they were afraid that they would get in trouble. I tried to stop him but no one would help me. This went on for a long time until the dog was hit by a car and was killed.
Other dogs around here gang up in packs and have to be destroyed by the farmers. I'm glad to know someone is trying to stop this . It will not only help the people but will help these poor animals.
Nobody will listen to the younger people, but maybe they will listen to you. I hope something can be done about this problem. Keep up the good work and good luck! I have one question. How can I get these people to do something about it?
Thank you , Debbie Brown Roswell, Georgia
Why don't you send a copy of the photograph on front of the January Magazine to every newspaper in the state, so the general public will know what is really happening?
I doubt if 5% of the people have even dreamed that this terrible dog problem exists. An educated public will certainly help more than people who don't know anything about it .
Your magazine is an excellent paper. Keep up the good work .
Felton Morgan Crawford, Georgia
Good story in the January Game & Fish about the dogs---keep up the good work .
Ben Franklin Jr. Birdsville Plantation Millen , Ga .
Please do not get me wrong. I think your magazine is the finest of its type and I really look forward to it in the mail each month .
I am writing this letter in regard to the articles on wild dogs you have published in recent issues. I honestly believe the Commission is over doing it a bit . Wild dogs cao't take a large enough number of deer to pose a threat to the deer population. You then might ask, how I can make such a statement when the Commission has evidence against the wild dogs. Well, I don't know where you get your facts about wild dogs posing a threat to

Georgia's deer, but here are some of the facts I have about deer, and why I believe dogs pose no threat to the well being of them .
Well, to start off with, many say one of the biggest threats is dogs killing new born deer . It seems man has forgotten that when a fawn is born the mother stays away from it, except at feeding time. For this reason the doe scent is hardly around. Tests have been made and it is a fact that for the first three or four days the young deer is odorless. Dogs have been known to walk downwind of a new born fawn and not notice its presence. In other words, nature has given the helpless young deer its protection.
As for the older deer, they have ways of protecting themselves against dogs. A deer can travel through rough thickets and places at amazing speeds; where the dogs have to crawl. The deer will jump from high banks, jump creek beds and go through terrain the dogs must go around.
Usually the deer taken by wild dogs are the crippled, sick, and diseased deer, and they are actually doing the deer population good to be rid of these which rob the healthier deer of food during the winter months when food is the major issue of a deer's existence.
The main diet of the wild dogs is usually garbage the public has discarded, and small animals such as rabbits, squirrels, and various other animals which are in direct competition with deer for food . In other words , wild dogs probably help the deer population in Georgia more than they destroy it.
I believe there are two sides to every issue . Your magazine has published articles for those who oppose dogs. I only wish your magazine would publish both sides of this issue, and present this in your Game and Fish magazine.
Jimmy Rogers Marietta, Ga.
It has been found through many years of management of the deer herds in Georgia that only certain portions of the state are suitable for hunting deer with dogs. The rest of the state does not offer a habitat that is suitable for running deer with dogs. The deer are unable to escape the dogs except by finding areas of water that are large enough to throw the dogs off their scent. Deer are what is known as a "hot scented" animal, since they have glands located on their feet. Most all dogs will chase deer, and due to the location of these scent glands, they are easily followed.
We admit that deer are powerful, and they are fast for a short distance; however, their lung capacity and heart capacity are not large enough in comparison with the rest of their body to sustain long, arduous races. For a short distance they are able to out distance dogs. In the end exhaustion is the winner. Deer cannot fly, climb a tree, or go to a den in the ground. Their only escape from dogs is swimming a river or running into a swamp in order to lose their scent in the water.
As far as wild or free running dogs helping the deer population by culling out unhealthy animals, this is a fallacy. Unlike the wolves and mountain lions which once performed this role for deer before the coming of the white man, dogs are not dependent on deer to maintain a high predatory population as wolves and mountain lions were. In other words, in periods of high deer populations, the numbers of predators increased. In years of low deer populations, the numbers of predators was also sharply decreased because of the lower food supply. This is not the case with predatory dogs, who can keep up a high population in lean years by living off garbage dumps or on handouts at the backdoor, an advantage that wolves and mountain lions never had. Thus, dogs are a greater threat to deer, and are more difficult to exterminate.

My name is Ronald Roberts a nd I think that we should do something about loose wild dogs that kill up about half of our wildlife in our game management areas and most other places that have game on the land . It is a senseless waste to let this brutal tragedy continue. I believe the dogs kill most of the deer at night when it is cool, and then they go back home and sleep in the day time . I believe it would be good to maybe pass a law and maybe pass around leaflets to houses within three to four miles, that if their dogs are not chained or put up in a pen around the game and fish areas, that they will be picked up by dog catchers if caught running out at anytime.
Something has to be done . The dogs kill most of the deer in spring when does are pregnant and can't run. So that would mean two to three deer would be killed with one whack .
Ronald S. Roberts Augusta, Georgia
Suggestions
Here is the fee for three years of Game & Fish . How about a new feature?
Preparation of some game is difficult and there are different ways to cook the same game. I suggest a feature such as " The Menu of .the Month" for game in season at that time.
Charles E. Jackson East Point, Georgia
Walter F. George?
I sure have enjoyed the Game & Fish Magazine. I wonder why there hasn 't been any articles in it about fishing in the Walter F . George Reservoir? This is the best fishing in the southeast, if you don't believe it, come down and I will show you .
J.T. Hurt, Jr. Eufaula, Alabama
See the March '67 issue, "Color it Fine Fishing" about Walter F. George, a good place to fish .
Hawks and Owls
Congratulations on the continued excellence of " our" magazine. Am a subscriber, and my son and I look forward to each issue.
May I suggest a series on protected speciesbirds and mammals. There does not seem to be sufficient emphasis on what not to shoot (hawk -what kind? Owl? etc.) .
Herbert M. Barnum Rome, Georgia
Poachers Spring I continued
But what about you? Did you do your duty by keeping silent while the deed was going on , then saying nothing about it for six months or longer? Suppose you had reported the viol ator and his car tag number to the nearest wildlife ranger or sheriffs office while the violation was still going on , in stead of that ni ght , the next week , the nex t month , the next year, or never?
If you stop a man from stealin g y our wildlife by turning him in , are you "a dirty squealer"?
If you don ' t, are you a saint, or a sinner?
Think about it. - J .M.

16

Sportsman's Calendar

Spring Turkey Season Trout-"Open" trout streams, April
1 through Oct. 15 . Creel limit eight per

day. Possession limit eight. (Ma nage-

ment streams will open May 2 and 3. MARCH 18 - APRIL 8

A compl ete li sting of trout manage ment stream dates and regul ations wi ll be

APRIL IS - APRIL 27

published in a later edition .)

SEASON S OPENING THIS MONTH

Wild Turk ey _ March 18 through April 8 in Ca mden , Charlton , Ch~tta hoochee. Columbia, Lincoln, Manon, McDuffie. Muscogee, Pierce, Stewart,

Talbot. Warren , Wilkes and th?se p_ortion of Clinch and Echols counties lymg ea t of U.S. 441 and south of Ga. 94 highway . Bag limit, one turkey gobbler

per eason.

.

Wild Turkey- April 15 through Apn1

27 in Banks, Chattooga, Dawson , Fan-

ning. Fra nklin , Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon ,
Habersham. Lumpkin, Murray, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Un.ion, Walk~r , .White and Whitfield count1es. Bag hm1t one

turkey gobbler per season .

Management area wild turk ey huntsApril 15 through April 20 in Blue Ridge, Warwoman and Johns Mountain

management areas. Bag limit one turke y gobbler. Permits, $2 per day, must be

obtained at the checking station before hunting. o dogs allowed. Camping will be allowed.

COMING EVENTS
GBA State Field Champion ship- Troup County Archery Range, LaGrange , Georgia, August 34, 1968.
Holding a Meeting?
If your club or organization is holding a meeting, convention , field trial, etc. that the public is invited to, send Game and Fish the dates, location, and other pertinent information for use on the Sportsmen's Calendar page. All notices must be received at least two months prior to the date of publication from the first of the month to be used in the magazine. The editor reserves the right to determine if a notice is used, depending on space requirements and the subject matter.

In Memoriam
Avery M. RoweU, Nahunta, Ga., Wildlife ranger in
Brantley County , died March 19, 1968 . Mr. RoweU, who was nam ed Ranger ?f the Y~ar. in 1966 by the Georgia Game and Fish CommiSSIOn and the Southeastern Game and Fish Commissioners' Law Enforcement Section, was a ranger for 17
years, joining the Commission in Dece mber, 1950.

APRIL 1968

MAY 1968

T I D E TABLE HIGH WATER LOW WATER

HIGH WATER

LOW WATER

Oay

A.M. HT. P.M. HT . A.M. P.M.

APR.-MAY 1968

Day

A.M. Hl. P.M. HT . A.M. P.M.

1. Mon . 10:00 6.1 10:18 7.0 4:12 4:18

2. Tues. 10:30 5.8 10.54 6.8 4:48 4:54

3. Wed . 11 :12 5.5 11 :36 6.6 5:30 5:36

4. Thurs.

. . 12:00 5.3 6:12 6:24

5. Fri. 12:30 6.4 12:54 5.2 7:12 7:24

6. Sal. 1:24 6.3 1:54 5.3 8:12 8:30

7. Sun. 2:30 6.3 3:00 5.5 9:12 9:36

8. Mon . 3:30 6.4 4:1 2 6.0 10:12 10 :36

9. Tues. 4:36 6.7 5:06 6.6 11 :00 11 :24

10. Wed . 5:30 7.1 6:00 7.3 11 :48

11. Thurs. 6:18 7.4 6:48 7.9 12:18 12 :36

12. Fri.

7:06 7.6 7:30 8.4 1:06 1:18

13. Sal. 7:54 7.7 8:18 8.6 2:00 2:06

14. Sun. 8:36 7.6 9:06 8.6 2:48 2:54

15. Mon. 9:24 7.3 9:54 8.3 3:36 3:42

16. Tues. 10:18 6.8 10:54 7.9 4:30 4:30

17. Wed . 11 :12 6.4 11 :54 7.4 5:24 5:30

18. Thurs.

. . 12 :18 6.0 6:24 6:30

19. Fri.

1:00 7.0 1:24 5.8 7:30 7:42

20. Sal. 2:12 6.7 2:42 5.9 8:36 9:00

21. Sun. 3:24 6.5 3:54 6.1 9:42 10:00

22. Mon. 23 . Tues. 24. Wed . 25. Thurs. 26. Fri. 27 . Sat 28 . Sun. 29. Mon . 30. Tues.

4:30 6.6 5:24 6.6 6:12 6.7 6:48 6.7 7:24 6.7 7:54 6.5 8:24 6.4 8:54 6.1 9:24 5.9

4:54 6.5 10:36 11 :00 5:42 6.9 11 :18 11:48 6:20 7.2 .... 12:06 7:00 7.5 12:30 12:42 7:36 7.6 1:1 2 1:24 8:06 7.6 1:54 2:00 8:36 7.5 2:30 2:36 9:12 7.4 3:06 3:12 9:42 7.2 3:42 3:48

GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS
HOW TO USE THESE TABLES
The calculations are for the outer bar. Find the reading for the desired tide . In the table below find the number of minutes to add to correct for the place you are going to fish or swim. The outer bar calculation , plus this correction , gives the correct reading for the point desired.

Adjust For Daylight Saving Time By Adding One Hour

CORRECTION TABLE The times given are for Savannah River entrance (Tybee) .

Hrs. Min.

Savannah (High).......... . 0 44

Savannah (low)..

" 57

H ilton Head . S. C..

0 10

Thunderbolt.. . . . .

0 20

Isle of Hope... .

0 40

Warsaw Sound. . . . . . .

0 00

Ossabaw Sound..... .

0 05

Vernon View.............. . 0 35

Coffee Bluff.. . ...... .. .

0 55

Ogeechee River Bridge..

3 50

St. Catherine Sound.. . .

0 25

Sapelo Sound..

0 00

Brunswick Bar..

0 00

APRI L MAY

First Quarter
6 5

Full Moon
13 12

Last Quarter
19 19

New Moon
72 27

1. Wed . 10:00 5.7 10:24 7.0 4:24 4:24

2. Thurs. 10 :42 5.5 11 :06 6.8 5:00 5:06

3. Fri. 11 :30 5.4 11 :54 6.6 5:42 5:54

4. Sat. . .

. . 12:24 5.4 6:36 6:54

5. Sun. 12:54 6.5 1:24 5.6 7:36 7:54

6. Mon . 1:48 6.4 2:30 5.9 8:36 9:06

7. Tues . 2:54 6.5 3:36 6.5 9:30 10:00

8. Wed . 3:54 6.7 4:36 7.1 10:24 11:00

9. Thurs. 4:54 6.9 5:30 7.8 11 :12 11 :54

10. Fri.

5:48 7.2 6:24 8.3 .... 12:00

11. Sal. 6:42 7.4 7:12 8.7 12:42 12:54

12. Sun. 7:30 7.4 8:00 8.8 1:36 1:42

13 . Mon . 8:18 7.3 8:48 8.7 2:30 2:36

14. Tues. 9:06 7.0 9:42 8.4 3:24 3:24

15. Wed. 10:00 6.7 10:42 7.9 4:18 4:18

16 . Thurs . 11 :06 6.4 11:42 7.4 5:12 5:12

17. Fri.

12:06 6.1 6:06 6:18

18. Sal. 12:48 7.0 1:12 6.1 7:06 7:24

19. Sun. 1:48 6.6 2:18 6.1 8:12 8:36

20 . Mon . 2:48 6.4 3:24 6.3 9:06 9:36

21. Tues . 3:48 6.2 4:18 6.6 10:00 10:30

22. Wed. 4:42 6.2 5:06 6.9 10:42 11 :18

23 . Thurs. 5:30 6.2 5:54 7.1 11:24 . .

24. Fri.

6:12 6.2 6:30 7.4 12:00 12:06

25 . Sal. 6:48 6.2 7:06 7.5 12:42 12 :48

26 . Sun . 7:24 6.1 7:36 7.6 1:24 1:24

27 . Mon . 7:54 6.0 8:12 7.5 2:06 2:06

28 . Tues . 8:24 5.8 8:42 7.4 2:42 2:42

29 . Wed . 9:00 5.7 9:18 7.3 3:24 3:18

30. Thurs. 9:36 5.6 10:00 7.1 4:00 4:00

31. Fri. 10:18 5.6 10:42 6.9 4:36 4:42

To report VIolations or if you need assistance in the Coastal Area-Call - State Game & Fish Commission , Brunswick, Georgia , P. 0 . Box 1097, Phone 265-1552 , Savannah 233-2383 , Richmond Hill 756-3679 .