Chattahoochee ForestNational Fish Hatchery4730 Rock Creek RoadSuches, Georgia 30572706/838 4723http://southeast.fws.govHatchery hours: 8:00 am - 3:00 pmMonday - Friday(Exceptions such as emergencies, federal holidays orearly dismissals may apply. Please call ahead.)

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 800/344 WILD

February 2007

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

ChattahoocheeForestNationalFish Hatchery

Chattahoochee ForestNational Fish Hatcheryis located off GeorgiaHwy 60 in the beautifulBlue Ridge Mountainsof North Georgia justoutside the small, ruraltown of Suches. Thehatchery isadministered by the U.S.Fish and WildlifeService along with otherNational FishHatcheries across theSoutheast.

Welcome and Enjoy Your Visit!Over a century ago, it wasrecognized that conservationmeasures were necessary tomaintain good fishing in our publicwaters. Fishing has probably alwaysbeen one of America’s leading formsof outdoor recreation. The primaryresponsibility of ChattahoocheeForest National Fish Hatchery is toraise rainbow trout which will helppreserve this tradition for present aswell as future generations ofAmericans.

What We DoConstructed in 1937 by the U.S.Forest Service, the ChattahoocheeForest Hatchery remained undertheir authority for 23 years. On April13, 1960, a cooperative agreementwas signed which transferredownership to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service.

Station facilities are currently usedto produce one million trout eachyear. These fish are stocked intotailwaters, streams and lakes ofNorthern Georgia in cooperationwith the Georgia Department ofNatural Resources, Corps ofEngineers, Tennessee ValleyAuthority, and the U.S. ForestService.

Chattahoochee Forest National FishHatcheryTurn on Rock Creek Road off Hwy60 and go five miles to hatchery.

What can you do?Visitors are welcome to tour thehatchery’s outdoor attractions, tofish in Rock Creek which runsthrough hatchery grounds, or topicnic in areas provided for thepublic. The hatchery does not sell orprovide fishing gear, bait, licenses orpicnic supplies. There are nogarbage receptacles on Rock Creekor hatchery grounds. Visitors musttake responsibility for properdisposal of their own garbage.

Restrooms, fishing and parkingareas are provided for public use.During your visit, please feel free toask questions you may haveconcerning the hatchery.

Group ToursSpecial tour groups can be pre-arranged with the HatcheryManager. Call the hatchery office at706-838-4723 to make anappointment. You are invited toreturn often.

Chattahoochee ForestNational Fish Hatchery

Turn on Rock Creek Roadoff Hwy. 60 and go fivemiles to hatchery.

Fishing and CampingFishing is allowed in Rock Creek,which runs through hatcherygrounds. Individuals must bringtheir own fishing gear, bait, licenseand trout stamp, all of which can bepurchased at local stores. RockCreek Lake, located two miles northof the hatchery, also provides goodfishing opportunities. Stockingseason is from March throughSeptember each year. All GeorgiaSport Fishing Regulations apply.

Cooper Creek, 15 miles northwest ofSuches, via Georgia highway 60 andForest Service 236, is an angler’sparadise for trout fishing. Twenty-two miles northeast of Dahlonega onGeorgia highway 180, Lake WinfieldScott offers magnificent scenery aswell as swimming, fishing, boating,and other outdoor activities.

Morganton Point, 6 miles east ofBlue Ridge, on U.S. 76 and ForestService Road 615 introduces thevisitory to 3,290 acre Lake BlueRidge which produces fine bass,bluegill and crappie fishing.

CampingCamping is availablein surrounding areas.Although thehatchery does notmaintain anycamping facilities,the near-by FrankGross Campground,maintained by theU.S. Forest Service,offers excellentfacilities for bothcamping andpicnicking. The DeepHole RecreationArea, located just offhighway 60, offerscamping, picnicking,swimming andfishing.

Life-Cycle of R

Undeveloped Egg Hatching Fry

Eyed Egg

Natural LifeTrout eggs are deposited inprepared redds, or nests in thegravel of stream beds and hatch in weeks or more. A young fish or frylives to 3 to 4 weeks on foodabsorbed from the yolk sac.

Eyed Eggs

Sac F

Fingerling Trout

About the time the yolk is completelyabsorbed, the fingerling emerges from thegravel and feeds on microscopic aquaticorganisms.

From the many eggs deposited in thegravel, only a very few are produced andsurvive to adulthood. Most of the eggs andyoung fish die from natural causes such asfloods, silt, drought and predators. Undernatural conditions, relatively few troutreach catchable size to be taken byfishermen.

Rainbow Trout

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Sac Fry

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Fry

Fingerling

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6

4

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2To Frank Gross

Campground

ROCK CREEK

5 miles to Route 60

5

5

Chattahoochee ForestNational Fish Hatchery

1. Visitor Parking

2. Sheltered ExhibitAt the kiosk, read informationpertaining to the National FishHatchery System, theChattahoochee Forest National FishHatchery and the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service. Informational signshelp you understand the hatcheryand its operation.

3. RestroomsRestrooms are provided for yourconvenience.

3a. Incubator and Juvenile FishRearing Area(Restricted to Personnel Only)This is the incubator and juvenilefish rearing area. When the stationreceives eggs (generally twice ayear: October and February), theyare placed in hatching jars andstored in protected areas.

Spawning operations are notconducted at this particularhatchery. However, some FederalHatcheries hold adult trout(broodstock) which are spawnedartificially when the fish become“ripe.” Eggs are taken from thefemales and fertilized with milt fromthe males. The fertilized eggs arethen shipped here and incubatedunder controlled conditions.

We obtain eggs from locations allover the country. Some hatcheriesare solely involved in producing anddeveloping the various strains ofeggs needed for the production ofhealthy fish.

As the young hatch, usually within 3to 4 weeks, the young fry aretransferred to rearing troughs.During this period, the fish arenourished by their yolk sacs. As thissource of food is depleted, the youngtrout swim up from the bottom ofthe troughs and are fed speciallyformulated dry feeds hourly. Inapproximately 3-4 months, the fishreach the size of fingerlings, about 2-3 inches. They are then transferredto the raceways outside for rearingto stocking size.

4. OfficeA staff member is available if youhave questions concerning thehatchery.

5. Raceway AreaFish are fed and cared for until theyreach the desired stocking size. Ittakes approximately 14-16 months toraise a 9 inch fish from the larval(fry) stage.

Feeding activities range from twice aday for the larger fish to 5-6 timesdaily for the smaller sizes. As thefish gain weight, they are split intoempty raceways to give them roomto grow.

Throughout the year fish areharvested from the raceways anddistributed by truck for stocking instreams, lakes and reservoirs in theChattahoochee National Forest andvarious locations in North Georgia,maybe providing source material foranother “big fish” story.

6. Service and Maintenance BuildingsThere are maintenance, garage,paint and oil house, and storagebuildings where work activityinvolves the mechanical aspects ofthe hatchery’s maintenance andoperation. For safety reasons, thisarea is not open to the public.

7. Private Residences for HatcheryPersonnel - Hatchery personnel only.

8. Environmental Education CenterThe Center is designed for use byschool groups. It contains a wet and

dry lab, and a video viewing room. Itis designed to educate studentsabout the Southern AppalachianEcosystem. The center is open togroups by appointment only, notopen to the general public.

We enjoyed having you visit thehatchery and invite you to returnoften. Your awareness of ourresource and its needs is the basicfoundation for support of healthyfish and wildlife populations.photos: USFWS