North Georgia & Atlanta · Nov. 1 – May 14
Georgia’s Delayed Harvest trout streams
Five stocked streams where trout fishing is catch-and-release, with single-hook artificial lures, from November through mid-May.
- Season
- Nov. 1 – May 14
- Rules
- Catch-and-release, single-hook artificials
- Streams
- 5 in Georgia
- License
- Fishing + trout license
About the water
Delayed Harvest streams are stocked regularly through the cool months, and every trout must be released. That keeps fish in the water all season, which makes these streams great places to learn.
Georgia’s five Delayed Harvest streams are the Chattahoochee (Sope Creek to US 41), the Toccoa (national forest land above Lake Blue Ridge), Amicalola Creek (Dawson Forest WMA, Steele Bridge Road to GA 53), Smith Creek (below Unicoi Lake near Helen) and the Chattooga (GA 28 upstream to Reed Creek).
What’s biting, season by season
The season opens Nov. 1 with fresh stockings.
Fish slow and deep on cold days; midday is often best.
Hatches and warming water make spring the peak.
The season closes and general trout rules return.
Tips from the guides
- Single-hook flies and lures only. Small nymphs, woolly buggers and soft hackles all work.
- Pinch your barbs to release fish quickly.
- Weekends get busy; go midweek for elbow room.
- The Chattahoochee section is in Atlanta, a short drive from most of the metro.
Access & rules
Chattahoochee access: Cochran Shoals, Whitewater Creek and Paces Mill (National Park Service; parking is $5 a day or $40 a year).
You’ll need a Georgia fishing license and a trout license.
Ask Chris
Headed to Georgia's Delayed Harvest streams? Ask Chris.
Chris Scalley has fished just about every water in Georgia and the Southeast, and he has guided since 1994. Ask him where to go, what’s biting, or who to fish with. He reads every question himself.
- Where and when to fish Georgia's Delayed Harvest streams
- Which local guide or charter is worth booking
- A trout trip on the Hooch with River Through Atlanta
From the guides at River Through Atlanta
Delayed Harvest is a great way to start. Want to see the whole river? Float the Hooch with a guide.
Below Buford Dam, cold water from the bottom of Lake Lanier keeps 48 miles of the Chattahoochee cool enough for trout all year. It’s western-style fly fishing from a drift boat, for rainbows and wild browns, right through Atlanta. Our Orvis-endorsed guides have fished it since 1994, and beginners are welcome.
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