New Fishing Agreement Between Georgia and South Carolina

From Ellicott Rock, where the Chattooga River exits North Carolina, to the mouth of the Savannah River, where the big river meets the Atlantic Ocean, water forms the entire border between Georgia and South Carolina. Whether as a tumbling trout stream, Piedmont impoundment, twisting river or marsh-bound tidal flow, the water along the border provides plentiful fishing opportunities that are shared by anglers in both states.

Realizing the mutual benefit of this shared resource, Georgia and South Carolina have long operated under a reciprocal fishing agreement, which allows anglers properly licensed by either state to fish anywhere on the border waters, whether by boat or from the bank. Recent changes in South Carolina's fishing laws called for a re-working of the agreement, with some changes in Georgia's sport fishing limits. The new agreement goes into effect July 1 (this Sunday).

"Anglers as well as state officials on both sides wanted to continue the fishing license agreement and keep fishing regulations as similar as possible on border waters," said John Biagi, Chief of Fisheries Management for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. "To minimize confusion, Georgia sport fishing regulations will largely mirror South Carolina laws on border waters."

New limits for water on either side of the border include a combined 10-fish limit for stripers and hybrids in lakes Hartwell and Clarks Hill (Thurmond), a five-fish trout limit and a 10-fish white bass limit. It's worth noting that limits for crappie and bream are not unified, with larger harvests permitted in Georgia waters.

For details, visit the regulations page at gofishgeorgia.com.