Georgia outdoors [June 1962]

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OUTDOORS

BY FULTON LOVELL
Director
.
Georgia's motorboat safety law is only a few years old but its provisions have been practiced by boaters for some time.
For example, having a life preserver around for emergencies is one precaution wise boaters have taken.
Actually, the provisions in our law do not infringe upon the enjoyment of boating. They simply provide for the safety
of boaters who may not be wise enough
to take the necessary precautions. The law has few requirements that a
boater who wants to be safe would not ordinarily do anyway.
One of the most frequently violated provisions is the one that requires a Coast Guard approved life preserver for each passenger aboard.
This may be a life jacket, boat cush-
ion or any other device that bears the stamp of approval of the U. S. Coast Guard.
It does not include ski belts although these are required for all water skiers
who are participating in this fast-grow-
ing sport.
Wildlife rangers issued many warning
tickets to violators of the preserved provision during 1961. The rangers have
made many cases for this violation this
year.
In fact, persons failing to have a Coast Guard approved life preserved have been
the biggest single violation of the law.
Other provisions in the Georgia law require boaters to follow a prescribed set of "rules of the road," have running lights for night boating and all boats with motors in excess of 10 horsepower must be registered with the Commission.
Information on Georgia's motorboat
registration and safety laws may be ob-
tained from the Commission's Public Relations Division, 401- State Capitol Building, Atlanta, Georgia.

Ten Million Walleye Eggs Are Loaded In Game-Fish Plane For Trip To Georgia

Walleye odds increase,-
71 lakes get new fish

The odds 61 catching a walleye in Georgia will soon increase by 10 million.
That's the number of walleye eggs the
State Game and Fish Commission imported from New York for subsequent
hatching and release into suitable north Georgia lakes.
This is the fourth year in a ten year program of mass releases in the lakes. Last year, almost ten million fingerlings were planted in suitable waters.
Of these, Lakes Lanier and Allatoona received two million each.
The recently imported eggs will be hatched at the Commission's Lake Burton facility, where special equipment has been set up to handle the eggs.
Since walleyes are coldwater fish, and spawn in cold, swift water, hatchery conditions must simulate natural conditions before the eggs will hatch.
"As soon as the eggs hatch, we will release fingerlirtg walleyes in Lakes Bur-
ton, Blue Ridge, Hartwell, Nottley, Clark Hill, Lanier and Allatoona," said fishery
biologist Howard Zeller. "Our stocking program has showed en-

couraging results in all these lakes. Lake Hartwell perhaps has been the best according to the reports we have kept showing the number of walleyes caught and their growth rate." Zeller said.
Earlier this year, an 11% pound walleye was taken from Lake Burton by Atlanta angler Jack Hogg. This is the largest walleye ever reported in Georgia
Zeller said the Lake Blue Ridge has a natural spawning wallaye population and that Lake Hartwell, one of the state's newer impoundments, gives indications
of establishing one.
The walleye appears in moderately deep, ccol water near rocky shorelines
or gravel bottoms.
They spawn when the water approaches 45 degrees Fahrenheit in shallow water over rocks, gravel or sand bars.
Walleyes do not build nests and are
-- known as random spawners scattering
their eggg haphazardly and leaving them
to their fate.
Female walleyes release from 25,000 to 300,000 eggs, depending upon the size (Please Turn to Page 3)

:

Always Keep Arms Straight; Hold Onto The Rope

Remember To Flex Your Knees

Rules may be old stuff,

but they protect boaters

With more boats of all kinds and sizes on Georgia lakes and rivers than ever
before, the Georgia Game and Fish Com-
mission has come up with a complete

list of "rules of the road." Commission Director Fulton Lovell
said the rules for boating may seem old stuff to many but "it's amazing to observe the great majority of boaters who
fail to practice them." The department is the agency charged

with registering boats on Georgia's lakes and rivers and enforcing the rules of

safety.

"In boating, just as in driving, it is
essential that all skippers know the right thing to do in heavy traffic," said Lovell. "Every boater, regardless of whether

he's a weekender or an eberydayer, should know these basic rules of boat-

ing."

The Commission's "rules of the road"

1. Always bear to the right when meet-
A ing another boat to avoid collision.

boat should always give way to another

in its "danger zone" by altering its

course. The danger zone is that area

from dead ahead to two points abaft the

-- starboard beam

in other words, a

boat approaching from the right.

2. When overtaking or passing another

boat, always steer clear of it. If your

craft is larger or has a deep draft, it is

good manners for the skipper of the

smaller boat to pull over and let the

larger craft pass. 3. Sailboats have the right-of-way over
power beats. In the unlikely possibility, however, of a power boat being overtaken by a sail, the power boat has the

right-of-way.

4. In passing near a sailboat, do so slowly and on the leeward side, or the side on which the sail is carrying the main bcorn.
5. Courtesy always requires that racing boats (sails) be given a wide berth.
6. Fishing boats, with nets, lines or trawls out, whether anchored or underway, should be passed with caution.
7. Fishermen should never anchor in a
channel.
8. Boats going downstream or down current in moving water have the right-
of-way over boats going upstream.
9. Power boats have the right-of-way over tugs and barges but it is wise to yield to them because of their poor maneuverability and lack of speed.
10. Always investigate any hint of trouble in case of accident or mishap. Serious accidents demand immediate ac-
tion.
11. Use common sense afloat. It's the
safest and best policy.
Lovell summed it all up this way: ''use of common sense afloat is the basis of
every safety tip and feature that can be
offered."
*
Skiing popular with all ages
The Georgia Game an<L Fash Commis-
sion won't estimate the number of wafer
skiers in Georgia, but it readily admits that the sport is growing in popularity every day.
"Water skiing is catching on with people of all ages," says Commission Director Fulton Lovell. "and people are find-

Learning Skiiers Find It Hard Alone;
Often Need Instructor
ing it as easy to learn as riding a bicycle."
The Commission, in addition to its duties of registering and enforcing the state's water safety law, has a few tips
to pass on to beginning skiers. There are four basic fundamentals of
skiing on water, the Commission says: (1) Flex the knees; (2) keep arms
straight; (3) hang on and <4i let the boat do the work.
If a skier remembers to keep his arms straight, a slight loss of balance may usually be compensated by pulling the tow bar toward the waist or chest.
The Commission offers one further word of advice. When making a water ski landing be sure you don't ride into water that is too shallow.

--

Commission Director Fulton Lovell and Howard Zeller Inspect Walleye Eggs

Sauger move around, Biologist study reveals

By TONY MIDDLETON
If you are a fisherman, you probably
know that sauger are very active game fish and tend to stray from their home
grounds. Only recently sauger,, stocked original-
ly at Lake Hartwell last year, were taken from the Savannah River below Augusta.
Sauger stocked at Lake Sinclair have been recovered at Doctor Town on the Altamaha River, and those stocked in Lake Oliver, near Columbus, have been found as far downstream as the Jim
Woodruff dam in Florida. A streamlined fish native to the Ten-
nessee River drainage in the TVA sys-
tem, sauger were released in the tailwaters of Lakes Hartwell, Sinclair, Oliver, Bartletts Ferry and Oliver in January of 1961.
Fisheries Biologist Howard Zeller said regular checks were being made in areas where sauger had been released, and that
studies would be conducted of the fish's spawning and reproduction habits.
Zeller said that studies were made by
biologists on the water into which sauger were stocked, and that results showed there were enough "food fish" to support
another game fish. The sauger bears a marked resem-
blance to the walleye, another relatively
new fish to Georgia's waters, but the
walleye likes clear, cold water which can be found in Lakes Burton and Blue Ridge. Sauger, on the other hand, pre-
fer the fast currents found behind dams of warmwater lakes.
November through March is the best period in which to catch sauger, for at

this time of the year, they move upstream to congregate in the trailraces below the dams. Commission biologists
feel the sauger will add to winter fishing
in the state.
More than 700 spawning sized fish weighing between one and three pounds
were stocked. A five-pound sauger would
be a lunker, and the world record for the fish is eight pounds, three ounces.
Biologist Zeller said that if favorable results are derived from the testing pro-
gram on sauger this year, plans will be made to undergo a similar stocking pro-
***** gram of the fish this winter.

WALLEYES HATCH
(Continued From Page 1) of the fish. An 80 per cent hatch is con-
sidered successful.
Adult walleyes feed en shad, minnows, crayfish, salamanders and insects.
Fishery biologists expect walleyes to help bring the yeilow perch population in several lakes back into balance. Since both yellow perch and walleyes prefer deep water, biologists feel the perch will supply food for walleyes and that the walleyes, in turn, will help reduce overpopulation of perch.
Standard bass-catching tackle is generally used by sport fishermen to catch walleyes. Nearly any active underwater plug, particularly one that will run deeper than average will take a walleye.
Since walleyes run in schools, it is possible to take several in one spot wiiile
***** trolling slowly and deep. -- Warm weather tnat time when the
hours of daylight become progressively
-- longer than the hours of darkness
brings anglers out into the open "when nothing else will.
And, a controversial question that often
arises among fishermen is whether or not fish can distinguish between colors. Can
they actually tell the difference in colors
of bait, and if so what influence does it have on their striking?
Biologists agree that both sides of the issue have correct answers. It seems that fish are color blind on a bright day
when their eyes are in the sun and they are looking into the sunlight. During the shadow hours of the day, however, they seem to be able to distinguish the bright-
er colors.

Trout schedule for management areas
Trout fishing on Georgia's game management areas got underway May 1st.
The open dates during May are as fol-
lows:
Dukes Creek, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Smith Creek and McClure Creek, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Dicks and Waters Creeks, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27; Boggs Creek and Chestatee River, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Moccasin Creek, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13, 19-20,
26-27.
Wildcat Creek, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13, 19-26, 26-27; Dicks Creek, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17,
23-24.
Tuckaluge and Finny Creeks, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Walnut Fork and Hood Creeks, Saturdays and Sundays, 5-6, 12-13; Sarahs Creek, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27; Rock Creek (except Mill Creek), Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13,
19-20, 26-27.
Noontootley Creek, Wednesdays,
Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Nimblewill Creek, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 1213, 19-20, 26-27; Jones Creek, Saturdays, Sundays, 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27; Montgomery Creek, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24; Chattahoochee and Spoil Cane Creeks, Saturdays, Sundays,
5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27.
A special permit is required of each
person, regardless of age, who fishes in the management areas. All fishermen lfi-years-old or older must also have a regular Georgia fishing license in addi-
tion to the special permit.
For a copy of the 1962 trout fishing regulations and schedule on the manage-
ment areas write to the Georgia Game
and Fish Commission, 401 State Capitol, Atlanta 3, Georgia.

LAMPREY FAMILY
PelromyionlifUt

The lampreys are not true fishes, but as they axe more nearly related to fishes than to other animals, they are usually included in this fauna. They are primitive eel-shaped, staleless creatures with cartilaginous skeleton. The head and trunk are nearly cylindrical, the tail region flattened from side to side. They have an imperfect skull, a suctorial mouth without functional jaws, no shoulder girdle, no pelvic elements, and no ribs. They have no paired fins but possess

Cross Section Of Chestnut Lamprey's Mouth

Chestnut Lamprey Illegal As Fish Bait

Commission outlaws Lampreys after Coosa River outbreak

The use of lamprey as fish bait has
been outlawed by the Georgia Game and
Fish Commission. Commission Director Fulton Lovell
said the pesky parasite, which likes to feed on fish, has been outlawed because of an unexpected increase in the lamprey
population.
Lovell said the lamprey has become a threat to commercial and sport fishing in
-- two north Georgia lakes Allatoona and
Lanier. "This Georgia parasite, which belongs
to the eel family and ranges in length from six to 15 inches, has the same general characteristics of the sea lampreys that invaded the Great Lakes and virtually destroyed the prized trout in fish-
eries there," Lovell said.
He said the type generally found in
Georgia is the "chestnut" lamprey which is equipped with a suction-type mouth. It has small sharp teeth with which it can destroy a fish.
Hotbed of the Georgia lamprey at present is the Coosa River drainage area in northwest Georgia. Lovell pointed out
that unless infestation is arrested there

is danger of it spreading into such valuable north Georgia lakes as Allatoona and Lanier.
A small number of lamprey has been
found in Lake Allatoona and none, so far, in Lake Lanier. "But, we are afraid they might spread into other lakes,"
Lovell said.
He said lamprey make excellent bait, but pointed out those that work loose from a hook or get dumped overboard at
the end of a fishing trip soon infest other streams or lakes.
FACTS ABOUT FISH
There are at least five types of catfish in Georgia's fresh waters. There are speckled catfish, channel catfish, white catfish, yellow catfish and flathead cat-
fish.
The Georgia sunfish called "shellcracker" probably got its name from its habit of cracking the shells of freshwater snails and other crustacea before eating them.

SFC. 34.66. P. L. R.
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
ATLANTA. GA PERMIT NO. 155

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