Georgia game and fish [Vol. 5, no. 3 (Mar. 1970)]

GEORGIA

VOL. 5, NO. 3 I MARCH, 197

~GEORGIA
~GAME&FISH

March 1970

Volume V

Number 3

CONTENTS

Tobesofkee, Sport for Today .Dean Wohlgemuth 1

A Hatchery Is Not A Home

Marvin Tye 5

Ogeechee Spectacular

John Culler 8

Meet Your CommissionerOr. Collins

Marvin Tye 11

Instant Predator Ca II

Dean Wohlgemuth 12

Enthusiasm Plus

John Culler 14

Outdoor World

15

Sportsmen Speak

16

Sportsman's Calendar

17

Tide Table

17

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

COMMISSIONERS

Clyde Dixon Chairman Cleveland-9th District William Z. Camp, Sec. Newnan-6th District James Darby Vidalia-1st District Dr. Robert A. Collins, Jr. Americus-3rd District Charles L. Davidson, Jr. Avondale Estates-4th District

Richard Tift Vice Chairman Albany-2nd District Rankin M. Smith Atlanta-5th District J. B. Langford Calhoun-7th District Judge Harley Langdale Va ldosta-Bth District Leonard Bassford Augusta-lOth District

Jimmie Williamson Darien-Coastal District
TECHNICAL SERVICES DIVISION Jack A. Crockford, Assistant Director
Leon Kirkland, Fisheries Chief Hubert Handy, Game Manaeement Chief

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
Bill Cline, Major Deputy State Chief, Atlanta
J.D. Atchison, Major Deputy State Chief, Metter
David Gould, Major Supervisor of Coastal Fisheries
Brunswick

GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF
Dean Wohlgemuth Editor

Staff Writers

Marvin Tye

John Culler

J. Hall

Ted Borg, Photo Editor

Georgia Game and Fish is the officio/ monthly ma~o~in~ of ~~~ Ge~r~io Game and Fidt Commiuion, published at the Comm1111~n 1 offteeJ, TflnlfyWoshington lui/ding, 270 Washington St., Atlanta, Georvo 30334. No odver fi1ing accepted. Subscription ore Sl lor one year or $2:~ l~r three yeafl. Printed by Stein Printing Company, Atlanta, Go. Not.l~toton .of oddreu change must include both old and new oddreu and _ZIP code, wth 30 ~oys notice. No 1ubscription reque1f1 will be accepted Without ZIP code. Arft~les and photographs may be reprinted. Proper credit should be given: C~~t,bu tion1 are welcome, but the editor~ aume no respon11b.ttty or l1abtlrty for lo11 or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-clau postage
paid at Allonto, Go.

Georgia's Generation Gap
On a cold, windy Tuesday in December, a crowd sat in the old Supreme Court chamber of the State Capitol listening to opinions that will shape the fate of Georgia's coastal islands.
The most challenging statement came, not from the politicians and experts, but from a shy young wife and mother, a recently arrived citizen of our state, pretty, blonde Mrs. Richard Murlless of Bishop. She had been nervous, she said. about moving to Georgia. Many of her friends from the Northeast had laughed about Georgia being "ten years behind the rest of the country." That accusation is true, she admitted, in the sense that Georgia has until recently been a mostly rural rather than industrial state. But the last laugh belongs entirely to Georgia, she said, because this time lag means that our state has a unique opportunity to preserve the natural resources and beautiful environment that many other states have already polluted and despoiled.
While Lake Erie is "too thick to swim and too thin to plow," Hartwell, Burton, Allatoona, and other Georgia lakes are still inviting places to swim and fish. While half of one of Florida's most beautiful wild rivers, the Oklawaha, had been dredged into a commercial barge canal, Georgia still has untouched beauty in the Ocmulgee, Altamaha, Chatooga, and the Suwanee, rivers so valuable that the latter two are at this moment being proposed as National and State Scenic Rivers.
While the coast of New Jersey is being washed into the sea so rapidly that scientists and engineers barely have time to check their measurement stakes before they are submerged, the grassy dunes of Georgia's offshore islands have held and protected the sandy, silver beaches. While hot dog wrappers wash ashore on South Carolina's Grand Strand, giant sea turtles drag their heavy bodies out of the surf on Little Cumberland Island and dig shallow nests for their round, shiny eggs.
Nor are all the benefits of this generation gap scenic ones. Much of the fertile marshlands and bays of California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have been filled and made into housing developments, with a sharp drop in oyster, shrimp, and fish production, while on Georgia's rich coast, there was recently discovered the basis for a new industry in the harvest of calico scallops and clams. The productivity of our tidal waters and their future potential is due to the preservation of the natural salt marshes, an accident of history and economics that is now recognized as a blessing instead of a curse.
We cannot, however, sit on our hands and look smug while less fortunate states suffer the results of their shortsighted exploitation of their heritage. The man who stands still will be overtaken by careless, so-called "Progress." Even now the carpetbaggers are moving in, and this time some of them are our own citizens. Theirs are the voices that cry for us to make money now and worry about wildlife later. They would have us believe that we must sacrifice our clean water, timberlands, game populations, and open spaces in order to have jobs and economic growth. We have
Continued on Page 16
ON THE COVER: Little can compare with the beauty of a river in the south Georgia coastal area. And the Ogeechee, photographed by Ted Borg, not only demands its share of reC?j!nitiC?n for its beauty, it also provides some of the state's most exc1t1ng f1sh1ng ... for the explosive shad. John Culler's story, "Ogeechee Spectacular," Page 8, tells all about this fine sport.
ON THE BACK COVER: Outdoor enthusiasts are always looking for exciting new spots to visit. Lake Tobesofkee, near Macon, is C?ne. of the newest, most promising places for fishermen, c_ampers, PICnickers, swimmers and even hunters to try. Read about 1t on Page 1.
(Photo by Ted Borg)

Good sized white bass like this one inhabit the lake, in addition to largemouth bass, bream and crappie . The State Game and Fish Commission is cooperating with the Tobesofkee Authority in doing everything possible to make the lake a good fishing spot. (Photo by Ted Borg)
2

owned by Bibb County, and operated by the Bibb County Commissioners, through the Lake Tobesofkee Authority. Much of the lakeshore, however, is privately owned.
Three recreation areas or parks have been established on the lake, and others are planned. Parks include boat ramps, picnic tables, charcoal grills, established camp grounds, swimming beaches and similar facilities.
Tobesofkee is not merely a playground for campers and picnickers, however. It promises to be an excellent fishing area, and also has a special area set aside for duck hunting.
Still a very new lake, Tobesofkee was officially opened to fishermen last June. The lake was stocked by the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, with largemouth bass, white bass, bream and crappie. Fishing for these species was very good during the first summer and fall that the lake was open, and fishing should improve and be excellent for the next several years . Fishing in new lakes is nearly always extra good during the first 10 years of its existence, and about the 1Oth year, a leveling-off occurs.
On the extreme upper end of the lake, the Tobesofkee Authority has established a 400-acre duck hunting area. In this portion of the lake, the water is shallow and swampy, with a great deal of brush , trees and weeds in the water, producing ideal conditions for ducks.
At present, there are no established blinds, but blinds will probably be built before next season. Duck hunting was allowed this past season on Saturday mornings.
To reach the duck hunting area, take the Interstate 475, Macon bypass to Georgia Highway 74. Turn west (turn right if southbound on 475, left if northbound) , and follow Ga. 74 about six miles. A few yards after crossing a creek, you'll find Bonner and Gilbert Road. Turn left on this road and you'll find the checking station on your left in a quarter of a mile.
Hunters may enter the area between 5: 30 and 6:30 a.m. and hunts last until noon. No rental boats are available, hunters must supply all their own equipment, boats, motors, and decoys. Though blinds were not built this year hunters could use thick brush and willows to hide boats.
While results were not great, quite a few ducks were taken. The outlook for

future seasons, however, is likely to be much better when improvements are added. The Lake Tobesofkee Authority plans to plant foods to attract more waterfowl.
The duck area is limited to 20 parties of up to three hunters each, per day. A charge of one dollar per person is made for the hunts.
Larry Wilson, manager of the Tobesofkee Authority, said that when blinds are completed, draw.ings for blinds will probably be held.
To help defray costs of operating the lake and recreation areas, picnic grounds, campgrounds and swimming beaches, modest fees are charged for admission to the lake. Each person is charged 25 cents, plus an additional 25 cents for each car, and 50 cents for each boat brought in. These fees include the use of all facilities , including picnic tables and boat launching. Camping .is $2 per night. All hookups are available. The camping fee includes admission to the park, however, campers must pay the 50 cent fee if they bring a boat.
At the time of this writing, some 100 campsites are already available and by this time, another 72 should be ready. Wilson said the Author.ity is working toward putting in 200 campsites in one recreation area, and 400 in another.
Good cover on the several miles of shoreline provides good fishing waters. In some areas, quite a lot of brush .in the water is an attraction to fish. All types of freshwater tackle can be used to furnish good sport on your favorite species.
There are no restr.ictions on the size of motor which may be used on a fishing boat. For duck hunting, only 10 horsepower or smaller motors may be used.
Under present plans a district office of the State Game and Fish Commission w.ill soon be erected on the shores of the lake. The Commission will cooperate in management of the lake, to the best of its ability.
Tobesofkee's location fills a gap for sportsmen, and already popular, it's going to be a spot that will make many an outdoorsman and outdoor family a good place to go to enjoy their favorite pastimes.
Lake Tobesofkee is just the kind of place for today's sportsmen, to offer them today's kind of sport and recreation! -.

Although there were no permanent blinds built on Tobesofkee's duck hunting area last season, hunters had little trouble finding a way to hide from the ducks . With their decoys in front of them, this group snuggled the boat into high weeds and brush, then used camouflage netting to make a blind. Permanent blinds will probably be added in the near future .
(Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth) Duck hunters, too, have a stake in Tobesofkee. These waterfowl lovers are loading decoys and gear into their boat in the dim pre-dawn light in preparation for their hunt. (Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth)
Below: This young man and his companion have found a good day's sport. Open to the public, Tobesofkee boasts several recreation areas which furnish picnic tables, swimming areas, campsites and boat ramps. A small use fee is charged for these, to help maintain the parks. (Photo by Ted Borg)
3

Top: This sign greets visitors on Ga. 194 on the northwest shore of Lake Burton. The hatchery is open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
(Photo by Ted Borg)

Bottom: Most of the trout stocked in Georgia's mountain streams come from the concrete raceways at the Lake Burton Hatchery. Approximately 1,000,000 trout are stocked here each year.

4

A hatchery is not a home

Hatchery superintendent W. L. "Dub" Lovell feeds trout in one of the

raceways. These fish consume 65 tons of a specially prepared formula

each year. Moccasin Creek State Park and the stream of the same

name are shown in the background.

(Photo by Marvin Tye)

Nestled in the North Georgia mountains along the shore of Lake Burton is the hatchery that supplies most of the state's cold-water streams with trout. The hatchery has 20 concrete raceways in which the fish are raised from fingerling size to a length of 10 to 12 inches when they are stocked.
Each of the 12 raceways to the left of the hatchery building will hold 9,000 trout. The eight raceways on the right will hold 22,000 each. Fingerling trout, two to three inches in length , are placed in the raceways, beginning in June and held until the following March when

stocking of these fish begins and is completed the following September, 15 months after arrival at the Lake Burton Hatchery.
During that period, the trout are fed approximately 65 tons of feed. This is a prepared formula which comes in different size pellets, to fit the individual fish. The fish are fed twice each day and the raceways are cleaned daily.
The hatchery's only water supply .is gravity flow from Moccasin Creek. The temperature of this water ranges from 58 to 68 degrees during the spring and

summer months and from 34 to 58 degrees during fall and winter.
The present carrying capacity of the hatchery is 270,000 trout. The brook, brown and rainbow trout placed in the hatchery are obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Although trout are not hatched at this facility, some 4,000,000 walleye eggs are obtained each year and hatched at Lake Burton Hatchery. The resulting fry are stocked in lakes in the northern part of the state.
In addition to the raceways used for growing trout to stocking size, there are

By Marvin Tye

5

6

six earth ponds used for rearing stations for bass and walleye during the summer months and for trout during the winter. A circular raceway contains what Hatchery Supervisor W. L. "Dub" Lovell calls show fish. These are trophy-size specimens up to eight or ten pounds that any angler would enjoy catching.
The hatchery is open to the public from 8 am to 5 pm each day throughout the year. Lovell or Assistant Supervisor Will Patterson are usually on hand to inform visitors of various aspects of the hatchery operation.
Approximately 1,000,000 trout are stocked in Georgia's lakes and streams each year. These are supplied by the Lake Burton Hatchery, The Game and Fish Commission Hatchery at Summerville, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Georgia has more than 700 miles of cold-water mountain streams that are now being stocked with trout. In addition, the fish are placed in Lakes Hartwell, Lanier, Clark Hill, and others and in the tailwaters below the dams at many of these impoundments.
The stocking of Georgia's mountain streams is largely a put and take proposition, with most of the stocked trout being caught by anglers during the season in which the fish are released. Operation of the Lake Burton Hatchery is a big factor in assuring that the popular sport of trout fishing will be with us for a long time to come. . -
Left: Trophy-size trout such as this are placed in a circular raceway at the hatchery for the benefit of visitors.
(Photo by Marvin Tye)
Right: The trout are placed in tanks on the stocking trucks, top photo, then hauled to mountain streams, bottom photo, where they are released. Stocking is necessary, as the growing number of trout fishermen place heavy demands on the streams. (Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth)
7

When nature designed the world and its cre,atures, ever mindful of the Georgia fisherman, she knew it would take something rare indeed to shake him awake from his long winter sleep and get him in fighting trim
By John Culler

When a shad jumps, the wise angler Jowers his rod tip to prevent the fish from throwing the hook.

have never discovered this fantastic fish , shad are great fighters on light tackle. They are caught on smaiJ spoons and shad "darts" which can be trolled or cast. Why shad strike these lures is somewhat of a mystery, because they are members of the herring family and are primarily plankton feeders. Little or no food is found in shad stomachs while making their spawning run. Some say they strike as a defense mechanism during spawning season.
Whatever the reason, once hooked, shad really know how to turn it on. It's not uncommon for a four-pound fish to jump seven or eight times with long powerful runs between each jump. And when they get close to the boat you better watch out, because it seems like they get their second wind.
The prime shad fishing waters in Georgia and perhaps in the U. S. would have to be the Ogeechee River near Savannah. The Ogeechee has always bad a good shad run and it is one Georgia river that is virtually unpolluted . The Savannah River also has a good shad run, and up near Augusta a lot of shad are caught. Unfortun ately, the Savannah is heavily polluted, especially in its lower reaches, and the fi sh are inedible.
While our largest river, the Altamaha, has a good shad run each spring, the water is too turbid, and few shad are caught on hook and line.
As a commercial variety, shad caught

in the Ogeechee River enjoy a worldwide reputation , and commercial fishermen who fish set and drift nets in the ri ver say shad caught in the Ogeechee bring a premium price.
The maximum weight of shad caught on the Atlantic Coast is about 12 pounds, and a five-pounder is a good fi sh. Most of the fish caught in Georgia waters average from three to five pounds, but occasionaiJy a six or seven pounder will be landed. In fact , a Savannah bait salesman said he saw two fish from the Ogeechee caught last March that weighed over eight pounds. On the Pacific Coast, shad average about a pound heavier, attaining a maximum weight of approximately 14 pounds.
Most of the fish caught in the Ogeechee River are landed between Richmond Hill and Blichton, a 30-mile stretch of river about 20 miles below Savannah. Along this stretch the river is crossed by four highways, including Interstate 16. At the other crossings, U . S. Highways 17 and 80 and Georgia 204, there are boat launching facilities.
If you've never caught a shad, you will think you've got hold of a baby tarpon. In fact, shad are closely related to the tarpon famil y, and closely resemble their more famou s cousins in appearance. The same forked tail, large scales, streamlined body and fighting spirit are characteristic. Even when landed, shad

10

never appear to give up, and will con-
tinue to flop in the bottom of the boat long after most fish have given up the ship.
The St. John's River in Florida is a famous shad river, and the shad run there begins in December and lasts until about the end of February. In Georgia, some shad appear in the coastal rivers in January, but the best month is March, and if we have a late spring, on into April.
In order to publicize the shad fishing in the Ogeechee, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a shad fishing rodeo on the river scheduled during March. As of this writing the dates are not def.inite, but some great prizes will be given to the largest fish caught, probably over a period of two weekends. Since Georgia doesn't have a state record on the books, the record will probably be established during the rodeo.
Like many other species of game fish that migrate up North American rivers each year, shad have been hard hit by pollution, dams and other water control structures in many sections of the Eastern Coast, particularly in the northern states. This makes rivers like the Ogeechee ever more valuable, and as more is learned about this fish it .is believed better management techniques will make the shad runs even better in the future -if we can protect our coastal rivers.
While many shad are caught above the U. S. 80 bridge at Blitchton, and some below the U. S. 17 bridge at Richmond Hill, the greatest majority of fish are caught between these two points. There aren't any places on the river that offer overnight lodging, but there are plenty of motels along both highways, only a 10 minute drive away. There are several fishing camps along this stretch of the river that rent boats and have everything a shad fisherman would need including the small spoons that take most of the fish.
Fishermen with campers would really be in business, because there are parking areas complete with restrooms and electricity on the river near each of the three launching sites.
If you've never fished Georgia's coastal rivers during the shad season, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. It's truly one of nature's spectaculars. )Q.
Top Shad fishermen in Georg1a may take
fish weighing as much as 12 pounds.
These women exhibit a string of averagesize shad plus a striped bass Both fish are anadromous. which means they live
most of their lives in salt water then enter
fresh water rivers to spawn.
Bottom: A net IS necessary for the angler who wishes to land a large number of the shad he hooks. You cannot pull one aboard by the leader because the hook would tear out of the shad's tender mouth.
11

Meet Your Commissioner
By Marvin Tye
12

Dr. Robert A. Collins Jr. of Amer-icus, the new Third District Representative to the Game and Fish Commission is described by his hunting and fishing companion Neon E . Bass as a man who is all business in the office and 100 percent sportsman when afield.
A prominent surgeon, Dr. Collins graduated from Unadilla High School, received his pre-medical training at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. and obtained his medical degree from the University of Georgia in 1948. He then joined the U .S. Army and served his internship in a general hospital. Dr. Collins was engaged in general practice from 1949 until 1953 when he received a Fellowship in Surgery from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He obtained his Master's Degree in surgery from the University of Minnesota in 1957 and entered private practice in Americus the same year. He became a Fellow of American College of Surgeons in 1959 and a Diplomate of the American of Surgery in 1958.
Dr. Collins has served as secretary of the Third District Medical Society for nine years and is a past president of that organization. He has served as Chiefof-Staff of the Americus and Sumter County Hospital and as president of Sumter County Medical Society.
Active in many medical , civic and community affairs, Dr. Collins is a member of the First United Methodist Church and served on its administrative board for a number of years and is a past president of the couples class of the Sunday school.
Fishing for bass, crappie, bluegills, and other gamesters on Lake Blackshear is one of his favorite sports. He enjoys being on the water with his wife and five children. A real stickler for safety, he wears a life preserver whenever he is on a boat, and insists that each member of his family do the same.
On the wall of Neon Bass's lakeside cabin is a painting that was drawn by Dr. Collins' daughter, Virginia Jo, better known as Ginny, when she was 14. Now 20, Ginny is a student at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus and plans to go into medical illustration after graduating. Robert III, now 19, is described by his father as an all-around sportsman who enjoys all types of outdoor activity. Rodney, 15, Richard, 13, and Glennis, 17, also enjoy boating and other outdoor activities.
Dr. Collins' favorite hunting activity is pursuit of the whitetail deer. He and Neon Bass hunt with A. N. "Boots" Waters on Pineland Plantation each fall. Bass says that the commissioner is a deadly shot with a deer rifle and has taken his share of nice bucks. Dr. Collins also hunts doves and quail, but is not as enthusiastic about these species as he is about deer hunting. ~

Dr. Collins, left, and Neon E. Bass examine a painting of Bass's boathouse. The painting was done by Dr. Collins' daughter, Virginia Jo, six years ago when she was only 14.
Dr. Collins, left, spends much of his spare time fisping on Lake Blackshear with his friend, Neon E. Bass, postmaster at nearby Leslie, Ga. He is also an enthusiastic deer hunter and hunts doves and quail each fall. Photos by Ted Borg

Nothing like a fishing rodeo to stir up excitement tor the youngsters! A nice big catfish and a few bream (upper left) made a hefty stringer for this boy. It takes patience and careful study to entice a finny adversary (upper right) to take the bait. A veritable jungle of cane poles (lower left) is the order of the day as competition for the fish's attention is keen. After the catch is made, it's time to weigh in the catch (lower right).
Photos by John Culler

Enthusiasm Plus
By John Culler

Have you ever seen 3,000 corks floating shoulder to shoulder? You would have, had you been at the 15th Annual Fishing Rodeo at the Robbins Packing Company's lake in Statesboro last April.
Sponsored jointly by Robbins and the Statesboro Recreation Department, the rodeo is open to boys and girls in the first seven grades of school. The kids are encouraged by free hot dogs and cokes, a combination that is fatal to the fish population in the 15-acre lake.
Last year it was estimated the young anglers caught between four to six thousand bream, bass and catfish during the one-hour contest.
First, second and third place prizes were given to persons catching the largest bream, bass and catfish, as well as miscellaneous prizes to contestants traveling the farthest distance to enter the rodeo, the first fish caught, to anyone catching one of the I00 tagged fish re-

leased in the lake, and to the youngest angler.
Prizes were also given to the oldest man and oldest woman present.
The field was broken into two divisions, those in grades one through four and those in grades five through seven. All anglers fished from the bank with cane poles, using crickets, worms and minnows.
There was no entry fee, and free fishing poles were even given to the kids by some of the stores in Statesboro.
Enthusiasm ran high, and there were few who didn't catch a string of fish, in-
cluding those who went for another hot
dog every five minutes. Despite tangled lines, hooked fingers
and extreme concentration on the task at hand, everyone had a great time, in-
cluding the parents who came along to watch their charges in action, and to keep them from falling in the lake. >0

13

Instant Predator Call By Dean Wohlgemuth

Caught in the woods with no game to be found, the day can be salvaged by making an instant predator call. Select a twig of about six inches long and about % inch in diameter. The twig should be smooth and straight, preferably of dogwood, gum, maple or similar woods. E. A. Wallace uses his pocket knife to cut the ends of the twig as squarely as he can.
-Photos by Wohlgemuth

The twig is flattened on one end by whittling on opposite sides of the same end, cutting slightly deeper than the bark. The cut should be at least three inches long.

It was late in February and there were only a couple more days of quail season left. The party of four hunters were beating the cover, figuring to get in one last crack at bird hunting but the birds, apparently breaking into pairs, escaped them almost completely.
Weary from the walking and the lack of success, the senior member of the party, E. A. Wallace decided to sit one out while the rest of them made another swing.
The other three came back to the car an hour later without having fired one shot, and found the old gentleman smiling smugly. "I've seen four hawks and a stray cat. What did you see?" he jabbed.
There had to be a reason behind his comment, so they bit. "What do you mean you saw four hawks and a cat?"
Wallace produced a small twig, and sticking one end in his mouth, he made a low, pathetic squeal. "I called 'em up," he grinned.
He showed them the twig. It was just a short piece of dogwood, perhaps five inches long and about three eighths of an inch in diameter. He'd shaved the bark off two sides of the end that had been

The flattened end of the twig is split nearly as far down the stick as the initial flattening cut was made. It may be necessary to make a second split as close as possible to the original, trimming the excess wood between the splits, to allow the reed space in which to vibrate.

A dry leaf is inserted into the split, then trimmed close to the wood. If the leaf has a heavy center stem, use only half of the leaf, to avoid using the stem.
14

Putting the side of the reed end of the completed call into his mouth, with the leaf reed horizontal, Wallace blows softly. This makes a plaintive squeal which is an excellent imitation of a rabbit in mortal tear.

in his mouth, and there was a split on that end, about two inches deep.
His was a trick that was intriguing, because it was simple to do, a bit of woods-wisdom worth knowing, especially for the outdoorsman who prefers not to have to buy every little piece of equipment he uses.
Not only that, if a man finds regular game hard to come by and he decides
he'd try for some varmint shooting if only he'd brought a predator call along, he can make himself a fine call in a matter of only a couple of minutes.
The old gentleman consented to demonstrate the art of making the call.

He first selected a straight, smooth piece of dogwood (other woods, such as gum, birch, maple, and elm will do) and cut off the ends as squarely as he could with a pocket knife. He sliced off the bark, into the wood a little on opposite sides on one end, flattening the stick somewhat. Then he split that end of the stick between the peeled areas and parallel to them.
He selected a dry leaf, wide enough that a half of the leaf was slightly wider than the twig, without using the center stem of the leaf. Inserting half of the leaf into the split, he carefully cut the leaf close to the stick so that it filled the

split, making a reed. That's all there is to it! He put the
end of the call into his mouth and blew a plaintive note, which sounded for all the world like the cry of a rabbit in dis-
tress. He could vary the pitch of the cry by
lip pressure, and also by blowing slightly harder. It took only a couple minutes to practice to learn to make a natural-sounding call.
It may be more effective than some "store-bought" calls, because it is not so loud, more like the real thing.
You can bet it really works. Give it a try yourself! ~

the
outdoor world
Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it. No, it's not the weather. This time they're talking about the environment.
President Nixon, in his State of the Union message, pledged the most expensive campaign in our history to clean up the nation's fouled air and water. How bad is the situation? Everyone has his own opinion, but the National Wildlife Federation has the facts, and they are not pretty!
The Federation has compiled the first Index of Environmental Quality, "EQ" for short, to let us know just what we are doing to our air, water, forests, wildlife, minerals, and soil. They will repeat the study every year and give us a report on our progress or lack of it. The scale goes like this: very bad, bad, poor, fair, good , very good, excellent. Unfortunately, our report card for this year shows failing marks.
America's air draws a V ery Bad rating because of the smog and killing gases over even the small cities. The largest source of this pollution is the average man's automobile, with industry in second place. Americans spend more than five times as much money on tobacco products as on air quality improvement.
Water is only a step better, having a Bad rating. We are still losing here, with industrial waste and city sewage pouring into our streams every day. In the next five years it will cost us $26.3 billion dollars for clean water.
Soil looks better, with a grade of Fair. Even here, however, we are slowly losing to shopping centers, highways, and suburban sprawl, the green , open spaces we need for parks, recreation, and wildlife habitat.
The condition of our forests is also

only Fair, and current demand for lumber at any price makes the future of our forests doubtful. Many private landowners use the cheapest methods to get their lumber to market, scarring the land and sacrificing fish and wildlife habitat. There is increasing pressure on our National Forests for more intensive cutting and conversion from hardwood to fastgrowing conifers. These changes threaten the balanced use of the forests for wildlife management as well as timber.
With the pollution of the soil by unwise use of pesticides and decreasing amounts of standing timber, wildlife can only be losing too. The rating is Fair, with the list of endangered species rising. In 1967 there were 78 species in danger of extinction; today there are 89.
The only hopeful scene .is .in mineral resources. Here the rating is Good. One word of caution-of all our resources, minerals alone are not renewable: therefore we must be especially careful not to waste what we have. We must also guard against further damaging soil, water, and wildlife by careless surface mining practices.
Over-all the Environmental Quality Index reads POOR. Air and water are dangerously polluted and soil, forest, and wildlife resources are in a precarious state at a time when more and more Americans need and demand clean places to live, work, and play.
Only our minerals are in good shape.
We have only ourselves to blame! We
created this mess, and only we can clean
it up. As Georgia's most famous comic
strip character, Pogo the Okefenokee
Swamp 'possum says, "WE HAVE
MET THE ENEMY, AND THEY
ARE US!"

Georgia Lakes Receive Trout
Georgia fishermen who want to catch a trout in a major reservoir will have an excellent chance this coming summer. The State Game and Fish Commission stocked 178,600 trout in 10 lakes during December.
Anglers were reminded that a 14-inch minimum size limit is in effect on lakes where trout are stocked. Also, tributaries to these lakes are closed to trout fishing until the opening of the regular trout season in April. Standing water of the reservoir is open to fishing, but running water in streams flowing into these lakes are closed.
Leon Kirkland , chief of fisheries for the Commission, added that stream trout fishermen should have an exceptionally good year this coming trout season. He pointed out that the trout going into the lakes no way affects stream stocking. Furthermore, he said, Georgia will have an additional 75,000 trout for stream stocking. "Trout to be stocked in our streams will be larger, as well as there being more of them," he said, "so we expect stream fishing to be unu-
sually good." Lakes which received trout are: Blue
Ridge, 2,000; Nottely, 1,000; Chatuge, 1,000; Burton, 6,000; Seed, 1,200; Rabun, 1,200; Tallulah Falls, 1,200; Lanier, 85,000; Clark Hill, 30,000; and Hartwell, 50,000. The number of fish per lake was based primarily on the size and use of each lake.
Kirkland said that anglers have caught some nice trout out of Hartwell. He added that improved stocking techniques were used at Clark Hill, in hopes of greater catches of trout by anglers.
Those stocked in Lanier, he said, were put in below the Highway 53 bridge, and the majority were put in below Brown's Bridge. Thus, the trout should stay in the lower end of the lake.
"Due to the exceptional size and large number of trout put into Lanier this winter, this should be an excellent year for trout fishing in that lake," he said.
-Dean Wohlgemuth
15

More Lakes Get Stripers
The Georgia Game and Fish Commission has stocked 42,000 striped bass from the Walton Fish Hatchery into two Georgia lakes, Director George T. Bagby has announced. He said that an additional 92,000 stripers had been placed in two other Georgia lakes as part of a state-federal program to determine when and at what size fish should be stocked to get the best returns to the fisherman.
The striped bass is a saltwater fish that spawns in rivers which flow into the ocean. Landlocked stripers have been reproducing in rivers flowing into the Santee-Cooper Lakes in South Carolina for the past twenty years. The Georgia Game and Fish Commission has been experimenting with the striped bass for the past three years in an effort to establish a population of this game fish in several lakes.
Fisheries Chief Leon Kirkland said that 1969 has been the best year yet for hatchery production of stripers. The Walton Hatchery has produced 390 pounds of fish per acre. These fish have been fed artificially produced food.
Lake Nottely received 11,000 of these fish and Lake Blackshear 32,000. The fish ranged in size from 3 to 91;2 inches. This was the first striped bass

stocking for Lake Nottely. The fish had been placed in Blackshear and Seminole in previous stockings.
Lake Sinclair received 72,000 stripers in June, 1969. Although these were 11;2 inch fingerlings at that time, stripers weighing 1/2 to 3,4 pound have been caught by anglers there only six months later. Another amazing example of the rapid growth rate of the striper is a 6 lb. 9 oz. specimen landed by Vic Wood at Lake Burton in Oct., 1969. This fish came from an accidental release of some two to three hundred fingerlings in 1966-all of them less than four inches long.
Lake Jackson received 20,000 stripers, ranging in size from three to nine inches, in December, 1969. All of these stockings will be evaluated to determine the best size fish to stock and the best time of year to stock these fish in order to obtain maximum survival and return to the fisherman.
-Marvin Tye
National Wildlife Week
Seen any wildlife lately? A simple question, but a crucial one. Perhaps you have been lucky enough to see, or bag, a nice buck. or to have a Junker on your line. Maybe you're looking forward to pulling a few trout out of an icy moun-

tain stream. If so, you are one of the

lucky few. To millions of Americans,

adults and children, wildlife means a

ragged pigeon on a dirty street or a rat scurrying across a vacant lot.

America was once a land of unlimited wildlife, where deep forests shel-

tered deer, raccoons, squirrels, and bob-

cats; where miles of grassy plains rumbled to herds of buffalo and mustangs;

where glass-clear streams were full of fish and lakes echoed to the call of mi-

grating birds. Their numbers have steadily declined. Some species are extinct and many others are in danger.

Look around you. If there are fewer deer, geese, squirrels, and fish it's a sure

sign that the quality of our life has deteriorated. Wildlife cannot tolerate the dirty air, poisoned water, and noise that

accompanies the change from natural

area to concrete suburb. Wildlife cannot find shelter on the modern "clean" farm, homes in the drained swamp, or food in the commercial pine forest. Our wildlife is not only a source of beauty

and recreation; it is a sensitive indicator of the state of our world. The decline of wildlife is a warning of the decline of our own standard of living. Ask yourself during National Wildlife Week,

March 15-21, "Seen any wildlife

lately?"

-Margaret Tucker

ALABAMA SHAD
In an issue of Georgia Game and Fish, reference was made to a "novelty fish," the "Alabama shad," in the W. F. George Reservoir and behind the Eagle and Phenix Dam above.
These things seem to "school" in September and other times with small bass and white bass and will hit small lures. I have heard people swear they were "tarpon" and "roe shad" and various others. Most seem small, but I have seen one about 14" long.
Are they the same thing as the "skip jack" or "herring shad" that fishermen use behind Wilson Dam at Florence, Alabama as bait for smallmouth?
Please tell me all about who he is. I will greatly appreciate it.
John T. Miller, O.D. Columbus, Georgia
The Alabama shad you are speaking of is a salt water fish which comes up-river to spawn. It is not the same fish that is used as bait behind Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River, as that would be a fresh water fish. Nor could it be called tarpon, but perhaps the term "roe shad" is applicable to the female as the Alabama shad would be in the rivers when full of roe and ready to spawn.
LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE
I would like to know the rights of a Georgia Fisherman that fishes in Lake Walter F. George at Fort Gaines, Georgia and Eufaula, Alabama. If we have a Georgia valid

fishing license, is it honored by the Alabama authorities? Do we have the right to fish on the Alabama side with a Georgia fishing license?
There have been rumors of people from Douglas, Georgia being fined for fishing on the Alabama side with a Georgia license. I know that last year the Alabama Safety Patrol stopped me and I was told that I had to register a 9.8 Mercury motor on a personal boat. Under the Georgia law this does not have to be registered. I did register and received a number which I placed on the boat, however, I think this was an expense that I should not have had to endure.
Please advise me as soon as possible on this matter as there are a great many fishermen in our area who enjoy fishing at this lake. I enjoy your magazine very much.
Ronnie J. McClelland
Georgia has a reciprocal agreement with Alabama on waters where the Chattahoochee River borders the two states, from Columbus southward. Yes, you may fish in the reservoir, on the Alabama side, with a current Georgia license. You may not enter tributaries, however.
You are also correct in that you must have registration on your boat, regardless of horsepower, when operating on the Alabama side. This applies from the center of the lake toward Alabama. However, if your boat has a motor of 10 horsepower or less, you may, at this writing, obtain a free registration sticker from the Game and Fish Commission's Atlanta office.
It must be pointed out, however, that it is possible that a bill may soon be entered into the Georgia legislature, which would require registration of all boats, powered or not, and regardless of horsepower.

Editorial continued
listened to them too long!
Many cities, including our greatest, are pouring daily increasing amounts of raw sewage into streams and rivers. There was an oil slick one hundred miles long, from a broken railroad pipe line, down the Chattahoochee River January 17. Few fish were affected, but few can live in that 50 miles of open sewer below Atlanta.
Developers are still drawing up plans for commercial ventures on Cumberland, the large, wild islari'd proposed as a Nationa! Seashore in legislation to be sponsored by Georgia Congressman William Stuckey. The race is on for Cumberland! Place your bets, gentlemen -a public park or private subdivision?
Local profiteers have been busy buying tracts of marshes in Glynn County and filling them, bit by bit, while we waited for the slow processes of government to provide a law to protect these areas. Will we awake tomorrow to discover that we have, at last, a strong law, but the marshes are already gone? This happened in Connecticut; it must not happen in Georgia.
Georgians do not have to stand by helplessly and watch their birthright sold. They can join the efforts of sportsmen, conservationists, legislators, and their fellow citizens to protect our natural resources and keep the Georgia envi-

16

ronment uniquely clean and beautiful. Such support is crucial now. There are important bills before the U .S. Congress designed to protect our rivers, coastal islands, and the Okefeenokee Swamp, introduced by Georgia Congressmen Ben Blackburn and William Stuckey. In the Georgia Lesiglature action is being completed on the marshlands protection bill introduced last year by Representative Reid Harris, and other legislation .is pending to determine the fate of Georgia's coastal islands.
In addition to supporting wise conservation legislation, you can make a personal contribution to your state by joining a planning and conservation organization called S.A.V.E. (Save America's Vital Environment). If you belong to a sportsmen's club, urge your fellow members to strengthen their influence by joining with other clubs in the Georgia Sportsmens' Federation, the state-wide organization affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation. Perhaps you could organize your own chapter of the Isaac Walton League of America, a strong conservation group with chapters in Atlanta, Gainesville, and Newnan.
-Margaret Tucker

Sportsman's

tahoochee, Columbia, Houston, Lincoln, Marion, McDuffie, Muscogee, Talbot, Twiggs, Upson, Warren, Wilkes, Taliaferro, and Wilkinson counties. Bag limit one (I) turkey gobbler.
SEASONS OPENING

Calendar

NEXT MONTH TURKEY

Season-April 27-May 1, 1970 on Blue Ridge, Chattahoochee, Johns Mountain, Chestatee, and Wildlife Management Areas only. Bag Limit-One ( 1) turkey gobbler.

SEASONS OPENING
THIS MONTH
TURKEY Season-March 23, 1970 through March 28, 1970 on the Bullard Creek Wildlife Management Area only. Bag Limit-One (1) turkey gobbler.
Turkey: March 14-April 11, 1970 in Ben Hill, Brantley, Camden, Coffee, Charlton, Dodge, Pierce, Stuart, Telfair, Wilcox and Decatur counties. Only that portion of Clinch and Echols counties lying East of U.S. 441 and South of Ga. 94. Bag limit one (I) turkey gobbler.
Turkey: March 28-April 25, 1970 in Chat-

Season-April 18-May 2, 1970 in Banks, Chattooga, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield Counties. Bag Limit-One ( 1) turkey gobbler.
Season-April 20-25, 1970 on Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge only. Bag Limit-One ( 1) turkey gobbler.
Season-April 13-18, 1970 on Clark Hill Wildlife Management Area only. Bag Limit-One ( 1) turkey gobbler
TROUT Season and bag limit to be announced later.

MARCH, 1870

TIDE TABLE
MAR.-APR. 1970

APRIL, 1970

HUllfWATER

LOW WATER

DaJ

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

GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS HOW TO USE THESE TABLES

HIQH WATER

LOW WATER

oar

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

1. Sun. 1:18 6.5 1:36 5.6 8:06 8:12

2. Mon. 2:30 6.5 2:48 5.6 9:18 9:24

3. Tues. 3:48 6.7 4:06 5.9 10:18 10:30

4. Wed. 5:00 7.0 5:18 6.5 11 :18 11:36

5. Thurs. 6:00 7.5 6:18 7.\ . .. . 12:18

6. Fri. 6:54 7.9 7:12 7.7 12:30 1:06

7. Sat. 7:42 8.0 8:00 8.1 1:30 1:54

8. Sun. 8:30 8.0 8:48 8.2 2:18 2:42

9. Mon. 9:12 7.7 9:30 8.1 3:06 3:30

10. Tues. 10:00 7.3 10:18 7.8 3:54 4:12

11. Wed. 10:42 6.8 11:06 7.4 4:42 4:54

12. Thurs. 11 :30 6.2 11:54 7.0 5:30 5:42
13. Fri. . . . . . . 12:18 5.7 6:18 6:30

14. Sat. 12:48 6.5 1:12 5.3 7:18 7:30

15. Sun. 1:42 6.2 2:12 5.1 8:18 8:36

16. Mon. 2:48 6.0 3:24 5.0 9:24 9:36

17. Tues. 3:48 5.9 4:30 5.2 10:18 10:30

18. Wed. 4:48 6.1 5:24 5.6 11:06 11:24
19. Thurs. 5:42 6.3 6:12 6.0 11:54 ....

20. Fri . 6:18 6.5 6:48 6.4 12:06 12:30

21. Sat. 7:00 6.7 7:18 6.7 12:54 1:12

22. Sun. 7:30 6.8 7:48 7.0 1:36 1:48

23. Mon . 8:00 6.8 8:24 7.1 2:12 2:18

24. Tues. 8:36 6.7 8:54 7.2 2:48 2:54

25. Wed. 9:06 6.6 9:30 7.3 3:30 3:30

26. Thur~. 9:48 6.4 10:12 7.2 4:06 4:06

27. Fri. 10:30 6.2 11 :00 7.0 4:48 4:48

28. Sat. 11:18 5.9 ....

5:36 5:36

29. Sun. 12:00 6.8 12:18 5.8 6:36 6:42

30. Mon. 1:00 6.7 1:24 5.8 7:48 7:54

31. Tues. 2:18 6.6 2:42 5.9 9:00 9:12

The calculations are for the outer bar. Find the readinll for the desired t ide . In the table below find the number of minutes to add to correct for the place you are 110ing to fish or swim. The outer bar calculation, plus this cor rection, 11ives the correct reading for the point desired.

Adjust For Oayli6ht Sa ving 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

Hilton 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

St. Simon Pier . . . .

0 25

Frederica Bridie . . . . . . .

0 50

McKay Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0 50

Brunswick East River . . . . . . . .

0 50

Turtle River Bridge

0 55

Turtle River, Crispen Is . . . . . . .

1 10

Humpback Bridge . . . . .

1 00

Jekyll Point . . . . . . .

0 30

Jointer Island

.

.

.

55

Hampton River Village Creek Ent.

0 20

Village Fishing Camp . .

0 45

Taylor Fishin~~: Camp

.

1 00

Altamaha Fishin11 Park, Everett, Ga . 4 00

Two-Way Fishinll Camp, S. Alhmaha . 2 00

Lllst New First Full Quarter Moon Quarter Moon

1. Wed. 3:30 6.7 3:54 6.4 10:00 10:24

2. Thurs. 4:42 7.0 5:06 7.0 11 :00 11:24

3. Fri. 5:42 7.4 6:00 7.7 11:54 . . . .

4. Sat. 6:36 7.7 6:54 8.2 12 :18 12:42

5. Sun. 7:24 7.8 7:42 8.5 1:12 1:30

6. Mon . 8:06 7.4 8:24 8.5 2:00 2:18

7. Tues. 8:48 7.4 9:06 8.3 2:48 3:00

8. Wed . 9:30 7.0 9:48 8.0 3:30 3:42

9. Thurs. 10:12 6.5 10:36 7.5 4:18 4:24

10. Fri . 11 :00 6.0 11:18 7.0 5:00 5:12

11.Sat. 11:48 5.6

5:48 6:00

12. Sun. 12:12 6.6 12:42 5.3 6.42 6:54

13. Mon. 1:00 6.2 1:42 5.2 7:42 8:00

14. Tues. 2:00 6.0 2:42 5.3 8:42 9:00

15. Wed. 3:00 5.9 3:48 5.5 9:36 10:00

16. Thurs. 4:00 6.0 4:42 5.9 10:24 10:48

17. Fri. 4:54 6.2 5:30 6.4 11 :12 11 :36
18. Sat. 5:36 6.4 6:12 6.8 11 :48 ... .

19. Sun. 6:18 6.6 6:42 7.2 12:18 12:30

20. Mon . 6:54 6.7 7:18 7.5 1:00 1:06

21. Tues. 7:30 6.7 7:54 7.7 1:42 1:48

22. Wed. 8:06 6.7 8:30 7.8 2:24 2:42

23. Thurs. 8:42 6.5 9:12 7.7 3:06 3:00

24. Fri. 9:24 6.4 9:54 7.6 3:54 3:48

25. Sat. 10:12 6.2 10:48 7.3 4:36 4:30

26. Sun. 11:12 6.1 11 :48 7.1 5:30 5:30

27. Mon. .. .. .. 12:12 6.0 6:24 6:30

28. Tue. 12:54 6.8 12:24 6.1 7:36 7:48

29. Wed. 2:06 6.7 2:36 6.4 8:42 9:00

30. Thurs . 3:12 6.7 3:42 6.8 9:42 10:06

MARCH 7 14 23 1-30

APRIL

1

7 14 23

T6 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.