Georgia Councils Newsletter Issue #1
Table of Contents
The First Newsletter is Out!
This is your newsletter. We can’t even spell Trout Unlimited without “U”
This is the Georgia Council’s first-ever newsletter. I hope that all are happy with it. The purpose of this “pilot program” is to: let all the members of Trout Unlimited in the state know what is going on with all the Georgia chapters, to pass on information from the DNR and the USFS that directly or indirectly affects trout and trout streams in Georgia, and to let the members know about the activities of all the TU related groups in Georgia, such as 5 Rivers clubs and much more. It is important that all chapters contribute a report to me for the newsletter. The chapters can learn what each chapter is doing and may be inspired to try a fundraiser, speaker or project that other chapters succeeded at. All the members of TU in the state will receive the newsletter, as well the national office of TU.
If anyone has questions or wants to contribute, please feel free to email me.
Newsletter Editor, Paul Diprima
editor@georgiatu.org
A Message from the Chairman
My name is Rodney Tumlin and I am the Chair for the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited. I have held this position for the past three and a half years. During this time, GATU has defended threats to our cold-water resources and fly-fishing while at the same time, we have worked tirelessly with our partners at Ga. DNR, USFS, USFW, & NPS to improve trout fishing, trout habitat, youth education, conservation, and create opportunities for new membership recruitment that will make our voices louder.
I am excited about our new pilot program which happens to be this one! Long time Trout Unlimited member, Paul Diprima, has been tasked with creating a Newsletter that will go out quarterly to every TU member in our state. Chapter presidents, or someone they selected will write a brief summary of any events, outings, fundraisers, etc... There is contact information for all 13 chapters and many other helpful and interesting items. Thanks for all that you do for Trout & Trout Fishing in Georgia!
Rodney Tumlin, Chairman, GATU
Georgia Trout Unlimited Chapters
Rodney Tumlin Distinguished Service Youth Educator
The Trout Unlimited CX3 meeting for 2026 was held from September 23–27, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Rodney Tumlin received a beautiful brook trout award for his lifelong dedication to educating our youth about the value of nature and the creatures that live here on Earth, especially the trout and salmon of North America. Rodney is the current chairman of the Georgia TU Council and a member of the Cohutta chapter. He currently resides in Cave Spring Ga.
For more than two decades, Rodney Tumlin has inspired young people to discover stewardship, curiosity and caring for the natural world through environmental education and fly fishing. A retired science teacher and longtime TU volunteer from Georgia, Rodney has dedicated much of his life to creating opportunities for young people to connect with cold-water conservation through meaningful, hands-on experiences.
Longtime Georgia TU Leader, Bob Foster, Dies
In August, UCCTU lost a longtime member and former leader of the chapter: Bob Foster. Bob was a Life Member of Trout Unlimited, a past President of UCCTU and a past Chair of the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited. He held other leadership positions at both of those organizations. Bob was an avid fly fisherman and fly tier who helped many become better at both of those crafts. His last position with the Council was heading up the Matching Funds Program. Bob will be missed by many people as there was never a more likable person than this wonderful man.
NC Trout Hatcheries Hit Hard
Many of us enjoy fishing the North Carolina Delayed Harvest streams. That enjoyment is going to be interrupted for this season and possibly several years. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has released more bad news regarding its planned stocking of Delayed Harvest streams this fall. The NCWRC will not stock any DH streams until November and the stockings will involve a further reduction of the number of trout stocked.
Previously, I had shared with you in UCCTU’s September newsletter and at the chapter’s September meeting the NCWRC’s revised stocking schedule for DH streams. That had some streams being stocked in October and that will no longer happen. From a NCWRC press release of September 23, 2026:Impacts from an unusually hot summer, coupled with the ongoing drought conditions and damage from Hurricane Helene, have caused lethally high water temperatures flowing into the state’s mountain trout hatcheries, thus reducing the number of available fish to stock. Since June, the NCWRC has lost around 70% of the fish at Armstrong State Fish Hatchery which were being grown to catchable size for the upcoming Delayed Harvest trout stocking season. Armstrong is the primary NCWRC hatchery producing trout since the late-2025 closure of the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery for renovations.
As a result of the closing of the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery for renovations, NCWRC previously announced that about 35% of the usual number of trout would be available for stocking but that was assuming ideal conditions. Unfortunately, Hurricane Helene in 2024 caused major damage to the Armstrong hatchery. Landslides caused the creeks that supply water to the hatchery to become wider and shallower and destroyed the tree canopies that provided shade. This contributed to increased temperatures in the creeks that supply water to the Armstrong hatchery. In addition, this summer the hatchery experienced a heat wave and a severe drought that continues today.
Eventually, North Carolina’s Delayed Harvest streams will return to normal but it is going to be several years before that is achieved.
You can read all of the details here >
Mark Romzick
Acting President
The Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited
TU Under 40
Kanooka Chapter is excited to pilot TU Under 40 in Georgia. Our goal is to focus on event-driven initiatives to engage young professionals and young families. From there, we hope to connect them with local TU chapters and foster a lifetime of engagement with Trout Unlimited! We have agreed to do reoccurring events with Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville and Finished Goods Brewing in Winder. Dates will be released soon! We would also like to do some demonstration or fishing days to engage families with children. If you would like to donate your time for teaching fly casting or fly tying, please reach out to us. We will be hosting a presentation on TU Under 40 at our next chapter meeting.
Date: Tuesday, October 20th at 7 PM
Location: Frontera
1430 Five Forks Trickum Road,
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Questions? Contact: Adam Webb, under40@georgiatu.org
September Council Meeting Minutes Summary
This is based on a rough draft of the minutes.
September 19, 2026, 9am. Chairman, Rodney Tumlin was absent so 1st Vice Chair, Kevin Daniels presided and called the meeting to order. Enough chapters were represented to have a quorum.
Lilly Knight, Partnerships & Events Planner from TU National was introduced. She offered her expertise in many areas of engaging with large and small corporations and planning events of all sizes to get the most bang for the buck.
Cathy Valancius, Treasurer lets us know the Council is on solid financial footing and distributed Chapter Rebate checks to those attending.
Conservation Chair, Jeff Durniak gave his report. It can be found in the section above.There was a call for volunteers for Chattooga River sampling volunteers which is planned for October 22nd. Contact Jeff at conservation@georgiatu.org.
Steve Westmoreland, Georgia representative, gave his report. The Native Trout Restoration Effort was discussed.TU Under 40 Chair, Adam Webb gave his Report a summary is found in the TU Under 40 section.
Paul Diprima, Newsletter Editor, spoke and gave an overview of the newsletter.
There was a lengthy discussion on fundraising. Now that the Dream Trip, as we have known it, is no longer an option as the McGaritys have reached the point that they can no longer supply their cabin and their time. We greatly appreciate all that they have done for TU over the years.
In the coming years, we need to think about what we are spending on. The biggest priorities are conservation and education.
GATU Conservation Program
Jeff Durniak, Conservation Chair - conservation@georgiatu.org
Quarterly Report
Jeff Durniak - 9/6/26
* Distributed my job description and June quarterly report to Executive Committee and chapter leaders.
* Met several times with Jake Rash (TU-SE) and Chad Landress (USFS) to discuss program needs and develop a co-op project list.
* Worked with those two folks and GADNR reps John Lee Thomson and James Miles to finalize a TU projects list; just distributed to Executive Committee and chapter leaders.
* Toured two AOP sites (one done, one planned) in Rabun County w TU
* SE engineer Anthony to see where GATU can assist.
* Reconned 2 GA speck streams in advance of Daniels meeting.
* Met with incoming GATU chair Kevin Daniels to discuss program ideas during his upcoming tenure.
* Coordinated with Dutch Earle to draft Rodney notices to chapters on 1) proposed changes to BLM and 2) USFS roadless rules, and a call for support letters for the Chattahoochee Forest LWCF (land acquisition) 2026 proposal.
* Provided social media fodder to Daisy.
Additionally:
* Began review of Embrace A Stream 2026 grant applications.
* Discussed TU insurance coverage of non* members during work projects with TU* National’s Quentin Collins.
* Planned a Rabun TU Sarah’s Creek stream project for 9/26.
* Invited nearby chapters and the UGA and GT 5Rivers clubs.
* Local volunteer call for 9/22 Chattooga River sampling volunteers.
Advocacy Report
Dutch Earl, Advocacy Chair - advocacy@georgiatu.org
Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act, “GOSA”, established in 2018, dedicates funding to conserve land and improve outdoor recreation. It is funded through state sales tax at sporting goods stores. 2025 resulted in $33M in funding from 40% of the sales tax collected. It is important to note that this applies to sales tax from dedicated sporting goods stores and not general retailers such as Wal-Mart. Legislation will be proposed in the 2027 legislative session to increase the percentage and extend the program for another ten years, until 2039.
Based on some leadership changes, the Georgia 2027 legislative session is expected to have more of a focus on conservation related initiatives.
All TU Members are encouraged to join the Camo Coalition, https://gwf.org/camocoalition, of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, www.gwf.org. The Camo Coalition provides up to date information on the latest State conservation, advocacy and wildlife related activities and when necessary “call to action” initiatives.
On a national front, three legislative initiatives are pending: Roadless Rule, Selling of Public Lands and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Details on all can be found on the TU website.The National TU website is quite robust and informative. All are encouraged to review it at www.tu.org.
The Trout Unlimited National Leadership Council
National Leadership Council Representative for Georgia Trout Unlimited
Steve Westmoreland - national_leadership@georgiatu.org
The National Leadership Council has been working for months on updating the National Conservation Agenda. The NCA provides a guideline on how Trout Unlimited conducts our affairs. It addresses the links between the paid staff, the trustees and the volunteer members. It outlines our conservation issues and the mitigation of these issues. The changes are being voted on at the CX3 National Meeting taking place on September 23 - 27 in St. Paul Minnesota. The final outcome will take effect in 2027. For more details, please check out tu.org.
The next major items are by-law changes currently being reviewed by the TU Trustees. I do not have any specifics at this time. The trustees had hoped to have the final draft ready for voting at the current national meeting but there were some problems with the language of the changes and are still in process.
Best to you all,
Steve WestmorelandNational
Education Chair Report
Dr. Jay Shelton - education@georgiatu.org
Recent activities have focused on two priorities:
1. Supporting the TU Costa 5 Rivers Program for college students in Georgia. Currently we have active programs at UGA, Georgia Tech, and Emory. We are working to ensure the sustainability of these clubs, and to expand the program to include young people at other schools.
2. Support the TU Trout in the Classroom Program (TIC) at middle and high schools throughout Georgia. In collaboration with the Georgia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, we recently went live with an online TIC resource for teachers and volunteers statewide. Please feel free to take a look at this resource and provide feedback to me at education@georgiatu.org. The resource can be accessed by following the link below (use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate): https://gafisheries.org/georgia-tic/
News and updates from TU National
Jacob Rash
Southern Appalachians Program Director
jacob.rash@tu.org - 540-230-7510
In April of this year, Jake Rash joined Trout Unlimited as its new Southern Appalachians Program Director. He has spent over two decades supporting coldwater conservation through his work at the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and partnerships like the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, where he served as Chair. In his new role at TU, Jake will be working with TU staff and chapters, state and federal agencies, private landowners, and numerous other partners to help the trout resources of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. He is excited about this opportunity to work with everyone in expanding coldwater conservation efforts here in the Southern Appalachians. Please feel free to reach out to Jake and share any updates or questions that you may have. He can be reached at jacob.rash@tu.org.
The TU Southern Appalachians team is expanding. In Georgia, Dr. Jamie Roberts has been hired as TU’s Georgia Project Manager. Currently, Jamie is at Georgia Southern University, where his is one of the Southeast’s leading fisheries scientists. In addition to his years of experience, Jamie brings a life-long passion of trout fishing in the mountains of Georgia. We are excited to have Jamie as part of the TU team.
Staff continue to partner with the U.S. Forest Service, GA Department of Natural Resources, and other partners to advance projects across the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, and one of the projects completed recently was highlighted in this featured story.
Staff have also worked closely with Jeff Durniak to develop a working list of collaborative projects for Georgia TU. We are looking forward to working through this initial list and adding more opportunities as they arise.
Chapter News, Events & Workdays
Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter 696
President: John Jenkins / 850-803-6958 / jfjenkins@gmail.com
Website: bluereidgetu.com.
Here is an update from Blue Ridge Mountain TU –
On the conservation front BRMTU has been active with Save Georgia’s Hemlocks. We have participated in 5 treatment sessions. We also had 4 members participate in a survey with the DNR on upper Noontootla Creek. We also just finished our Rivers Alive event (two days) on the Toccoa River and surrounding areas. We had great turnout from Fannin County High School and then a big turnout from the chapter and community on Saturday. We don’t have the full tally on collections, but we filled our dumpster to the rim.
We continue to stock the Toccoa tailwater each month using a raft to spread the trout throughout the river. The program is a partnership with Toccoa River Outfitters, the DNR, the Federal hatchery on Rock Creek, TVA, and our chapter. We spread 1400-2000 fish across 7 miles of the river. The result has been vastly improved fishing with great feedback from local guides and fishermen. We also had the opportunity to stock the Clinch River in Tennessee by invitation from the Clinch River TU Chapter.
The chapter has also done several projects with the Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery adding a numbering system to the raceways and supporting them with their hatchery activities.
We also continue to have small groups go fishing around the area. They are great opportunities to fish and enjoy our local resources.
We welcome you to come fish with us any time or visit us at our chapter meeting the second Saturday of each month at 9:00am at Faith Presbyterian Church.
Paul Carlson
BRMTU
Chattahoochee Nantahala Chapter 692
President: Steve Banakas | (850) 375-7644 | featherstone1399@gmail.com
Website: www.ngatu692.com
The chapter was involved in several family, veteran, and youth events at the Suches federal hatchery.
The second Saturday of every month the chapter holds a tying session at Mountain Valley Country Store in Hayesville. The weather has been very hot and humid, increasing the water temperatures and making it very dangerous for fish mortality. And there has been very little time on the water this summer because of these conditions. Monthly fishing trips are planned by chapter member Larry Culpepper, two of which were canceled because of the weather. The last event of the quarter was scheduled for late August to a high elevation stream where the water was cool and beautiful. October 7th 9:00 – 3:00 our annual picnic/auction will be held at the pavilion at Horseshoe Bend Park on the Toccoa River. This event is open to all TU members. The event is being catered by Big Nick’s Barbecue located in Murphy, NC.
Cohutta Chapter 242
President: Isham Colesetti |404-307-2622 isham@creative-mischief.com
Website: www.tucohutta.org
Trout in the Classroom September 2026 Update; all of our Trout in the Classroom (TIC) schools are up and running! On Wednesday morning, September 9th, our rainbow trout eggs arrived overnight from Trout Lodge in Sumner, WA, to Kennesaw via FedEx. Our dedicated TIC volunteers delivered over 200 eggs to our 12 participating schools. We are looking forward to our next veterans and first responders fly fishing class on October 15th, 22nd and 29th. Upcoming events: October 15-18 Stream of The Month, Rattler Ford Campout, October 15, 22&29 veterans and first responders Fly Fishing Class. November 7th Stream of the month, Toccoa River Delayed Harvest and Smoker.
Coosa Valley Chapter 519
President: William Mitchell bowhunt54@hotmail.com
Website; https://coosavalleytu.org
Coosa Valley Chapter 519 had it’s 39th Kids’ Fishing Day in Cave Spring, GA, this June. Almost 300 children enjoyed fishing for trout in the pond and a lunch provided by our awesome sponsors and volunteers. We also had popular Veterans’ and Women’s fly fishing events at the pond in July. This Fall, we await the arrival of rainbow trout eggs to begin our first Trout-In-the-Classroom program in the classroom of Environmental Sciences teacher Kristy Birdsong at Coosa HS. We are grateful for her persistence to get this off the ground! Our next Chapter meetings are 10/15 and 11/19 at 6pm at the Rome-Floyd E.C.O Center in Ridge Ferry Park, with a Christmas Party TBD in December.
Georgia Foothills Chapter 629
President: Pat Berzsenyi | 678-779-6692| pberzs@bellsouth.net
Website: https://www.facebook.com/gafoothills/
Foothills Sept. meeting had Elijah Keene, Business Mgr. for the Soque River Watershed Association. Also, we were visited by the Pres. of the Tallulah Falls School Fly Fishing Club. We’ll be fishing Cherokee, NC, on Oct 1 for our monthly fishing trip. Monday Oct 5, we are delivering trout eggs to our four Trout in the Classroom participants.
Gold Rush Chapter 733
President: Doug Hickman
edhickman56@gmail.com
Website: https://goldrushtu.org/
Monthly chapter meetings first Tuesday every month, except December when we have a leadership planning meeting instead. October thru May, meetings are held at Camp Glisson in Dahlonega; June thru September, meetings are held at Big Canoe Lodge at Big Canoe while summer camp season is in session at Glisson. We also offer early fly tying sessions before all of the Camp Glisson meetings and early fly casting practice on the lake behind Canoe Lodge before our Big Canoe meetings. We will assist DNR in stocking Amicalola River DH Nov 2. Bill Nelson is our conservation director. We will soon schedule our riparian restoration project on Amicalola Creek that we received Embrace-A-Stream funding for last year. It will likely take place in November/early December once we confirm a date with DNR.
Kanooka Chapter 470
President: Adam Webb | Email: adamhokewebb@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067749960730
Instagram: @kanookatu
Website: https://www.instagram.com/kanookatu/
Kanooka Chapter is excited to pilot TU Under 40 in Georgia. Our goal is to focus on event-driven initiatives to engage young professionals and young families. From there, we hope to connect them with local TU chapters and foster a lifetime of engagement with Trout Unlimited! We have agreed to do recurring events with Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville and Finished Goods Brewing in Winder. Dates will be released soon! We would also like to do some demonstration or fishing days to engage families with children. If you would like to donate your time for teaching fly casting or fly tying, please reach out to us. We will be hosting a presentation on TU Under 40 at our next chapter meeting on Tuesday, October 20th at 7PM at Frontera, 1430 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30044.
Middle Georgia Chapter 435
President: Bob Jaworski | 478-454-6607 | jawsga00@gmail.com
The Middle Georgia Chapter of Trout Unlimited was originally chartered in June 2013. The chapter grew out of a group known as the Fall Line Fly Anglers, which existed between 2008 and 2012. Approximately half of that group migrated to Trout Unlimited, with the other half forming a shoal bass fishing club. The purpose of the chapter is to promote the conservation, protection and restoration of the cold water fisheries of North Georgia, support the overarching goals of Trout Unlimited, as well as promote and serve the extensive community of trout fishermen located throughout Middle and South Georgia.
In the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November, the chapter meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Pickle Barrel Sports Pub in Milledgeville at 6:00 p.m. In addition to chapter business, these meetings have a focus on fly tying. In the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December, the chapter meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Pickle Barrel Sports Pub in Gray at 6:00 p.m.
Oconee River Chapter 661
President: Michael Day
dayjm1@gmail.com
706-372-3777
The Oconee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited hosted our monthly Fly Tying Table during the months of July, August, and September, teaching 40+ local beginner and seasoned fly tyers at Athentic Brewing Company in Athens. It was great having members of the UGA 5 Rivers chapter on hand at the September event after their summer break. ORCTU also hosted the Fly Fishing Film Tour at Athentic Brewing on September 2nd. This was our third year teaming up with Athentic, Fly Fishing North Georgia, and UGA 5 Rivers for our main Fall fundraiser. Finally, ORCTU was happy to host the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited in Athens for their September meeting, where we heard from Lilly Knight, Partnerships and Events Planner for TU National.
Cheers, Michael
Rabun Chapter 522
President: Jeff Durniak 706-892-6576
conservation@georgiatu.org
http://www.rabuntu.org
Facebook and Instagram https://www.facebook.com/rabuntu
Rabun Tu Prez: Jeff Durniak 706-892-6576 Jeffdurniak@yahoo.com Rabuntu.org The Rabunites had a nice Sarahs Creek trout structure rehab day on 9/26/26, with 16 TUers and 10 GA Tech 5 Rivers clubbers participating. We will have Mindspring Conservation Trust as our October meeting speaker. Fall work project dates are not set yet, but we will be helping the agencies with mulching and seeding at two streamside sites and installing a stocking tube on the Tallulah River wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Mark your calendars for the 40th annual Rabun Rendezvous on Feb 6th in Clayton. Details and banquet price forthcoming. “Catch” all the details in editor Nanette O’Hara’s outstanding monthly newsletter (see website) and on our chapter’s Facebook page.
Savannah River Chapter 592
President: Jimmy Miller | 7064362169 troutfisher1001@gmail.com
Website: www.savannahrivertu.org
One change in officers Secretary, Dona Sanders 706-717-0222. I’m president for good, I think. Just had club Fundraiser for the year August 15th. All went great Funds for the year activities. Next up, Cleanup on the Soque River November 7th. I fished the tag trout tournament in Cherokee Nc August 28-29. Caught a male rainbow 18inches. Had a red tag in its back worth 500 dollars. Getting ready for winter trout fishing. Hope to see everyone at Dec. council meeting.
Tailwater Chapter 532
President: David Laws | 678-772-1604 | davidlaws287@yahoo.com
Website: www.tailwatertu.org
Attendance has been down for the last few months, but hopefully will improve as the weather cools down and vacations are over. We had a cookout and fishing back in the spring and trying to make plans for a fall cookout and fishing trip maybe at Smith Creek again. Chapter Meetings: The Diner at Sugar Hill, 4500 Nelson Brogdon Blvd, Sugar Hill, GA. Usually, the third Tuesday of each month.
Upper Chattahoochee Chapter 436
President: Mark Romzick | president@ucctu.org
404 245 7471
Website: ucctu.org
In July, several members of UCCTU put on a fly fishing clinic hosted by the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. This was the second consecutive year our chapter has done this. Thirty individuals (adults and children) rotated through five stations learning about stream conservation, casting, entomology, flies, knot tying and rod rigging. Thanks to Jim Harvey for leading this event.
In August, 12 members of UCCTU, led by James Serra (board member), held a fishing outing on a stream in the North Georgia mountains. All participants caught wild fish, including some nice brook trout.
UCCTU has two chapter members who have stepped forward to be the chapter’s liaisons with local TU Costa 5 Rivers Clubs:
Emory University – Bruce Payne and Georgia Tech – Sam Locklear
Over the summer, UCCTU collected fly fishing gear at each meeting to be given to these TU Costa 5 Rivers Clubs. This large quantity of items was stored in Valerie Mauney’s garage before being separated and delivered to the clubs. We’ll continue to collect items for these clubs at our meetings.
Project Healing Waters, led by UCCTU board member Denny Desmond, with a number of UCCTU members in roles of volunteers, has been holding regular fishing outings on the Chattahoochee River with successful catch rates by the participants. PHW meets two evenings a month in Atlanta, with UCCTU volunteers helping PHW participants tie flies and build fly rods.
The UCCTU Trout in the Classroom program, led by board member Jim Byrd, has 23 schools participating in the 2026 – 2027 school year. This fall, 13 of those schools will raise trout from eggs to fingerlings. The tanks were set up in late August so the trout can be seasoned over 6 weeks, with eggs delivered in early October. Release events will begin in December and continue into January and February. The remaining schools will raise their trout in the spring of 2027.
The chapter has a couple of upcoming fishing trips:
Oct 8 – 11South Holston River
Oct 31 – Nov 1Fern Valley on the Soque River
Thanks to Peter Dvornek (board member) for putting these events together and leading them.
Congratulations to James Serra, UCCTU board member, who recently received his certification as a Master Casting Instructor. James works at the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, teaching others how to fly cast and become better fly casters.
On October 1st, UCCTU will be a participant in Casting for Recovery’s Free Happy Hour Kick-Off Event at Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta. Casting for Recovery puts on fly fishing retreats for women dealing with breast cancer. Every year, the Georgia Chapter of CFR works with Sweetwater to come up with a new beer recipe that is then brewed by the brewery and sold in its onsite tavern during the month of October with proceeds going to CFR. UCCTU volunteers will be there with an exhibit, sharing Trout Unlimited’s mission.
On October 22nd, UCCTU will be at Orvis – Atlanta in Buckhead to participate in a nationally driven event between Trout Unlimited and Orvis to celebrate cold water conservation. UCCTU volunteers will be manning an exhibit promoting TU and UCCTU. There will be a free showing of International Fly Fishing Film Festival videos, and Orvis will raffle off fly-fishing gear for attendees.
UCCTU has recently had several leadership changes:
Bruce Payne, UCCTU board member, has agreed to take on the role as Communications Chair.
John Riley, a UCCTU member, has agreed to step up as Conservation and Advocacy Chair.
Charlie Kelly, a UCCTU member, has agreed to take on the role of obtaining guest speakers for our chapter meetings.
TU Costa 5 Rivers College Clubs
Georgia Tech 5 Rivers Club
President: Josh Forden
fordenjosuua@gmail.com
Communications: Katelyn Scoggins
Georgia Tech 5 Rivers has had a great start to the school year. We held a Learn to Fly Fish event at Piedmont Park in Atlanta where we fished and taught over 30 students how to cast a fly rod. Many people caught their first fish on the fly! We held a stream cleanup on Peachtree Creek in Atlanta with over 20 students, removing all kinds of trash from the creek, which flows into the Chattahoochee. This weekend (9/25-9/27) is our first club camping trip of the semester. We’re camping at Sarah’s creek and participating in Rabun County’s stream restoration project in addition to fishing.
For the rest of the semester, the club plans to host more camping trips, day fishing trips, and conservation events.
I’d also like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has donated gear to the club. Your donations have made our club events possible and helped us introduce more people to fly fishing and cold water conservation!
Josh Forden: President
The photo at the left is of four of the Georgia Tech 5 Rivers Fly Fishing Club members resting after completing their work. All the rocks in the structure were placed in the double winged deflector structure and other structures by 15 Rabun TU folks and ten 5 Rivers Club members. Lots of hands make the work easier and more structures are completed.
Emory Fishing Club (proud member of TU Costa 5 Rivers)
President: Ben Kessel Ben.kessel@Emory.edu
Communications: Ayden Khan-Bridgers
ayden.khan.bridgers@emory.edu
The Emory Fishing Club kicked off the fall semester on Sunday, September 20th, with a community fishing event at Candler Lake in Lullwater Preserve. We had a fantastic turnout of 22 students, many of whom were picking up a fishing rod for the very first time. Looking ahead over the next three months, our calendar tentatively includes additional on-campus fishing days at Lullwater, a fly fishing trip targeting North Georgia trout, and a local stream clean-up dedicated to cold water conservation and watershed health.
Three of the many anglers who attended an Emory 5 Rivers fishing day and some of their catch. This was just one of several fishing outings put on by the TU Costa 5 Rivers club at Emory University.
University of Georgia
President: Sawyer Maddux
Sawyermaddux930@gmail.com
Communications: Isabelle Morrissette
Morissetteisabelle166@gmail.com
Here is the update for UGA 5 Rivers.
UGA 5 Rivers had its first general meeting on September 9th, hosting a cookout and playing fish trivia. The meeting was very successful, with over 35 people showing up to learn about the club. After this, the club hosted a casting clinic on campus on September 23rd and had almost 30 new fishermen ready to catch their first fish on the fly after just a few hours of casting instruction from other members. The club has multiple trips planned, notably a float trip on the Ocmulgee River and our annual girls camping and fishing trip.
The North Paulding High School Fly Fishing and Cold Water Conservation Club
Teacher Sponsors:
Jason N. Pritchet JPritchett@paulding.k12.ga.us
John Millard jmillard@paulding.k12.ga.us
The mission of the NPHS Fly Fishing and Cold-Water Conservation Club is to teach students the art of fly fishing while at the same time, developing an understanding of cold-water ecosystems and conservation methods to help maintain their aquatic health. In the past three months, we have practiced casting in our Monday meetings. In September, we fished a pond and practiced casting. The Club caught over 12 fish—mostly blue gill and small mouth bass. Recently, we fished Etowah River near Neel’s Landing. We were not exactly pulling fish in, but we had fun. Two fish were caught. The club has an official fishing trip every month beginning in November. The club is financially supported by the Cohutta Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited.
Our Partners'
News and Updates from USFS
Chad M. Landress
chad.m.landress@usda.gov
Forest Fish & Wildlife Biologist
* Mulky Creek culvert replacement (AOP) with TU: Reconnected over 4 miles of headwater trout streams. See Mulky photo vs the Coopers Creek photo after the same flood, two sites are only a mile apart. Really highlights what a properly sized channel spanning structure does!
* Metcalf Creek headwater bog restoration (with TU and multiple other partners): Restored 700’ of ditched stream channel and added ¼ mile of large wood, so far.
* Metcalf Creek AOP with TU: reconnected ½ mile of headwater, cold water storage zones where we will get brook trout back from downstream populations into this area.
* Over 100 miles thus far of road improvements from Hurricane Helene Disaster funding to improve road drainage and surfacing, reducing sediment into nearby trout streams
* Forest has submitted proposals for acquisition of two parcels of land that would help protect wild trout streams (one in headwaters of the Hiwassee, another in the headwaters of Mountaintown Creek)
* Design and final planning moving forward on several more culvert replacements and stream habitat improvements primarily in Chattooga and Coopers Creek watersheds.
News from Georgia DNR
A report from John Lee Thompson
From the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division
A Delayed Harvest Season Update
The summer heat has been stubborn to give up in September but cooler fall weather in October cannot be defeated. As days shorten and stream temperatures fall, this signals it is time to gear for the Delayed Harvest season and get back on the water. With November 1st hitting the calendar on a Sunday this year, WRD and the USFWS will push our opening day stocking efforts to November 2nd. WRD appreciates the support it has received in the past from Trout Unlimited to disperse these opening day trout and Chris French, WRD Trout Stocking Coordinator, will be organizing a similar effort this year.
This DH season WRD and UGA will work together to complete an evaluation of the Morgan Falls Delayed Harvest section. This reach receives approximately 83% of the trout stocked for the DH program with mixed results. As trout production expenses are on the rise, WRD wants to ensure the most efficient use of the state’s resources.
The evaluation is a two-part study that will include the tagging of 50% of the trout stocked in the Morgan Falls DH coupled with boat electrofishing and a creel survey of anglers throughout the DH reach and season. This two-prong approach will allow WRD to make the most informed decision about the future management of this area.
WRD is using an elastomer tag that leaves a small mark around eye of the trout can easily be detected with the aid of a blacklight. The color and orientation of this mark will allow UGA to determine the stocking location and time of the recaptured trout. One noteworthy detail is to support the study and eliminate one source of variability, the bucket brigades at Whitewater Park will not be scheduled this year. This study is being funded with TU tag license plate revenue and WRD appreciates the program support shown by the purchase of these TU tags. Get your gear ready because better fishing days are coming soon.
Update: DNR acquires Pine Log
After a review of the map, I am confident that some trout stocking will resume on Stamp Creek but it may not look exactly the same as in the past. We will need to do a site visit to confirm property lines and access. As for winter stockings of streams. We are finally seeing some relief from the heat at the hatcheries, but the grading and inventory of all trout stocks can be established. We will likely not be doing any stockings outside of the DH program this winter.
Read the GA DNR's full story here: Georgia DNR, Partners Announce Deal to Restore Beloved Pine Log WMA
Spot Light
Rodney Tumlin
Outdoorsman, Leader and Educator
There are members that have never had the opportunity to know the current chair of the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited, Rodney Tumlin. Now, just a little about Rodney from an earlier Talking Trout Column.
I have gone to Trout Unlimited National meetings, Southeastern Rallies and many Georgia Council meetings where I got to meet and know as friends many of the officers and directors of TU on the national level as well as the state and regional leaders from around the country. All of these folks are enthusiastic about their work and passionate about achieving the goals of TU. Some of these members were instrumental in bringing down dams and restoring salmon migrations. Others have helped other populations of salmonids. I am lucky to have met a TU member twenty or more years ago at a Georgia TU Council meeting. We in Georgia are lucky to have him. That person is the current Georgia Council Chair of Trout Unlimited, Rodney Tumlin.
I have grown to know Rodney as a friend, a very dedicated TU member, a great outdoorsman with rod and gun, and a teacher that is always willing to give his time to anyone willing to learn.
Rodney was recently notified that he is receiving the Distinguished Service Award in Education and will receive the award at the upcoming national 67th Trout Unlimited Annual Meeting called CX3. Rodney was chosen from the nearly half million TU members across the nation.
Below are just some of his many accomplishments both in TU work and as an educator.
Second school in the state of Ga. to have a Trout in the Classroom program. Had TIC in his classroom from 2008-until his retirement in 2022.
TIC Director for Cohutta Chapter for several years where he exponentially increased the number of TIC programs supported by the Cohutta ChapterGATU Cochair for Education for several years (overseeing statewide TIC & 5 Rivers programs)
Georgia Trout Camp Director for 11 years. Oversaw all Day-to-Day operations, discipline, transportation, scheduling, etc…
Georgia Trout Camp Volunteer for 13 years
Created and ran the first 5 Rivers program in Georgia.
He founded and ran the “North Paulding High School Fly Fishing and Cold-Water Conservation Club” from 2012 until his retirement in 2022 and still serves as a volunteer for the club. His “North Paulding High School Fly Fishing and Cold-Water Conservation Club” was the model TU used for their “Student Clubs” program
He hosted the SE 5 Rivers Rendezvous when it was held at Rattler Ford in North Carolina.
Has hosted UGA & Ga Tech 5 Rivers Clubs campouts/fishing trips at his farm in North Georgia
In addition to TU related education programs, he also:
Started the first Middle School “Environmental Club” in the Paulding County School System,
For seventeen years, (1997-2013) he took students and parents from Paulding County to swim with manatees in Crystal River Florida and helped develop the Manatee Education Program for American Pro Divers in Crystal Rv.
For thirteen years, (2000-2013) he took students and parents from Paulding County to the Ga. Coast where they explored Cumberland Island, St. Simons Island, and the Okefenokee Swamp.
High School AP Environmental Science teacher for 10 years and “Teacher of the Year at NPHS”.
Rodney has accomplished a lot in his career in education and also with Trout Unlimited. Rodney loves the out of doors and well before his involvement with TU he spent much of his free time in the woods, streams and rivers. His involvement with TU allows him to work with streams and rivers making sure that they stay healthy and hopefully will remain so for our children’s, children’s children. It is very important to Rodney that his passion for protecting our natural resources, especially the fragile waters that are home to wild trout, be passed on to others especially young people. The youth of America are the future of TU. Trout Unlimited is proud that Rodney Tumlin is part of the organization. People like Rodney are few and far between. If you would like to meet Rodney, he is almost always at the Cohutta meeting and at the Council meetings.
