Georgia Fishing Regulations
Not legal advice. Compiled from official government summaries. Regulations change each year — always check the official source before relying.
General Rules (barbless hooks are the #1 cause of fines)
- ⚠ It is unlawful to possess more than 50 total game fish (except channel/flathead catfish); once the daily limit of a species is taken, fishing for it must stop.
- ⚠ No closed season for freshwater fishing except: Flint/Chattahoochee/Spring Creeks closed to striped bass and spear fishing May 1 - Oct 31; Lake Seminole fish refuges closed May 1 - Oct 31.
- ⚠ Noodling/grabbling season: March 1 - July 15 statewide.
- ⚠ Sturgeon may not be taken in fresh or saltwater in Georgia.
- ⚠ Game fish may only be taken by pole and line (except shad, channel/blue/flathead catfish by other legal methods); snagging is illegal.
- ⚠ Trout in designated trout waters: 1 pole only. Public Fishing Areas: 2 poles, bass min 14 in unless posted.
- ⚠ Live blueback herring bait: legal only in listed lakes (Allatoona, Lanier, West Point, etc.) - illegal elsewhere.
- ⚠ Sport trotlines: less than 51 hooks, marked, submerged 3+ ft, no trotlines within 1/2 mile below locks/dams, not allowed on Lake Tobesofkee/State Park lakes/PFAs.
Species Limits
| Species | Limit | Size / Season |
|---|---|---|
| Black bass (all Micropterus) | 10 total (only 5 may be Altamaha, Bartram's, Chattahoochee, Coosa, Shoal, Smallmouth, Suwannee, Tallapoosa) | Min 12 in (largemouth); per-lake exceptions |
| Shoal bass | 10 (with black bass limit) | Min 15 in |
| Spotted bass | 10 (with black bass limit) | Lake Lanier: min 14 in |
| Channel & flathead catfish | No limit | |
| Crappie (black & white) | 30 | |
| Pickerel (chain, grass, redfin) | 15 | |
| Shad (American & hickory) | 8 | |
| Striped bass, white bass & hybrids | 15 combined (only 2 over 22 in) | River exceptions: 2-fish limits (see waterbody_rules) |
| Sunfish/bream (bluegill, flier, redbreast, redear, rock bass, spotted sunfish, warmouth, shadow bass) | 50 | |
| Trout (brook, rainbow, brown) | 8 combined | Special waters differ (delayed harvest, C&R) |
| Walleye | 8 | Special limits on Public Fishing Areas |
| Sturgeon | May not be taken in fresh or saltwater |
Waterbody-Specific Rules
Lake Blackshear
- Largemouth bass min 14 in; shoal bass 15-20 in slot below Warwick Dam (Flint River).
Lake Blue Ridge
- Largemouth bass: no minimum length.
Lake Burton
- Largemouth bass: no minimum length.
Lake Juliette
- Largemouth bass: no minimum length; no motor over 25 hp.
Lake Lanier
- Largemouth bass min 14 in; spotted bass min 14 in.
Lake Oconee
- Largemouth bass min 14 in.
Lake Lindsay Grace
- Bass 15-22 in must be released; only 1 bass over 22 in.
Lake Walter F. George (Eufaula)
- Largemouth bass min 14 in.
West Point Reservoir
- Largemouth bass min 14 in.
Flint River (below Warwick Dam)
- Shoal bass 15-20 in must be released; closed to striped bass fishing May 1 - Oct 31.
Chattahoochee River
- Special trout regulations apply - check the current trout regs for the section you fish.
Amicalola Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Chattooga River
- Special trout regulations apply.
Smith Creek (Unicoi State Park)
- Delayed harvest trout stream (Unicoi Dam to park boundary).
Toccoa River
- Special trout regulations; Delayed Harvest section below Blue Ridge Reservoir.
Coleman River
- Special trout regulations apply.
Conasauga River
- Special trout regulations apply.
Hoods Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
North Newport River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Medway River (incl. Mount Hope Creek)
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Little Ogeechee River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Ogeechee River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer; no motor over 9.9 hp upstream of Hwy 119.
Altamaha River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
St. Marys River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Satilla River
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Savannah River (below J. Strom Thurmond Dam)
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 27 in or longer.
Lake Richard B. Russell
- Striped bass: 2/day, only 1 over 34 in.
Lake Seminole
- All fishing prohibited in marked fish refuge areas May 1 - Oct 31.
Hartwell Lake & Clarks Hill Lake (border waters)
- Striped bass: 10/day, only 3 over 26 in (GA-SC agreement).
Oconee River (below GA 22, Milledgeville)
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Ocmulgee River (below GA 96)
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
North Newport R., Medway R., Little Ogeechee R., Ogeechee R., Oconee R. below GA 22, Ocmulgee R. below GA 96, Altamaha R., St. Mary's R., Satilla R. + tributaries
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 22 in or longer.
Savannah River below J. Strom Thurmond Dam
- Striped bass: 2-fish limit, both 27 in or longer.
Lake Richard B. Russell (Russell Dam to Hartwell Dam)
- Striped bass: 2/day, only 1 over 34 in.
Amicalola Creek, Chattahoochee R., Chattooga R., Smithgall Woods, Smith Creek, Toccoa R., Waters Creek
- Special trout limits apply.
Jones Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Moccasin Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Mountaintown Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Noontootla Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Dukes Creek (Smithgall Woods)
- Catch and release trout fishing, artificial lures only.
Smith Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Stanley Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Walnut Fork Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Waters Creek
- Special trout regulations apply.
Chattahoochee River (Cobb Co. upstream of Peachtree Cr.)
- Trout waters open year-round with special regs.
Smith Creek (Unicoi Co.)
- Delayed harvest trout section - artificial lures only, catch and release.
Seasons
No closed season for freshwater except striped bass closures (May 1 - Oct 31 on Flint/Chattahoochee/Spring Creeks), Lake Seminole refuges (May 1 - Oct 31), and Coosa River lake sturgeon closure. Noodling Mar 1 - Jul 15.
Licence Fees
Georgia fishing license required (resident/non-resident); fees per GA DNR.
Edition: 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting & Fishing Regulations (GA DNR) · Effective: 2026-27 season · Source: GA Dept. of Natural Resources (georgiawildlife.com) - official 2026-27 guide
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