New SC Delayed Harvest waters fishing opportunities from South Carolina DNR

New DELAYED-HARVEST WATERS

Written by Greg Lucas
Edited by Bill Byrd.

NEWS RELEASE #02 - 156
July 8, 2002
SC DNR News
(803) 734-3950

Delayed-harvest trout management, a program that has flourished in North Carolina and Georgia, is making its debut in two streams in South Carolina, and state natural resources officials believe it will create a more rewarding fishing experience for anglers. "The delayed-harvest streams create a fish-for-fun area," said Dan Rankin, district fisheries biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) based in Clemson. "Delayed harvest fishing is very popular in North Carolina and Georgia. North Carolina has 14 streams, and Georgia has quite a few too. You're almost guaranteeing that any time you go into that section of stream, you're going to catch a lot of fish." In other states, delayed harvest success rates (trout caught per hour) are typically twice to three times that found in general harvest streams. The "recycling" of trout through catch and release affords a more stable stocked population and consistently good fishing during the delayed harvest period.

Delayed-harvest streams in South Carolina include two miles of the Chattooga River from the SC 28 bridge to the confluence of Reed Creek and a one-mile section of Cheohee Creek within the boundaries of the Piedmont Forestry Center.

Both are in Oconee County. Delayed-harvest streams are strictly catch and release between Nov. 1 and May 14. During that period, only artificial lures with a single hook can be used.

Another body of water that will offer quality trout fishing is the Middle Saluda River in Greenville County from Hugh Smith Road up to the footbridge at Jones Gap State Park. The DNR is leasing this section of river from private landowners; Rankin said some large trout live in that section of the Middle Saluda. Fishing on this section will be catch and release year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays by permit only, beginning Nov. 1. Permits will be available at Jones Gap State Park. Only artificial lures and single-hook lures can be used or possessed.

Fishing on the Cheohee is also on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, also by permit, and the permits will be available at the S.C. Forestry Commission's Piedmont Forestry Center. The delayed-harvest section of the Chattooga will be available for fishing all week beginning Nov. 1. "Delayed-harvest management emphasizes the quality of the experience, catching fish and having fun, rather than keeping 10 fish and going home," Rankin said. "Some folks like fly fishermen want to go and have a quality experience, so we're just trying to offer some diversity for people who want to go and have that catch-a-lot-of fish type experience."

For more information on delayed-harvest trout management, call Rankin in DNR's district freshwater office at (864) 654-6346, extension 12, in Clemson.

South Carolina's trout fishery generates more than $9 million annually for the state's economy in direct retail sales, with a total economic output of more than $18 million, according to a study on the economic benefits of freshwater fishing in South Carolina. The effects of trout fishing can be felt in many segments of Upstate and Midlands communities, from motels and restaurants to gas stations and sporting goods stores.

The South Carolina DNR stocks more than 400,000 trout into public waters in the state's upcountry each year. The trout are stocked in more than 50 cold-water rivers and streams in Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties, in Lake Jocassee, and in the cool tailwaters below the Lake Hartwell and Lake Murray dams.

The national Sport Fish Restoration program and state fishing license revenue helps fund trout stocking in South Carolina. The Sport Fish Restoration program is a major funding source for South Carolina's freshwater fisheries' program, and it represents the return of excise taxes collected from the sale of fishing tackle. Funds are allocated to states based on their relative size and the number of licensed anglers.