Helicopter used to stock trout in Chattooga River

CLAYTON - State officials say anglers should have much better luck fishing for trout in the Chattooga River in northeast Georgia next spring thanks to a recent joint state-federal stocking effort.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division, the U.S. Forest Service and the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited stocked more than 20,000 rainbow trout utilizing a helicopter in remote parts of the Chattooga River.

Lee Keefer, a state fisheries biologist, says the project is a great example of how a public/private partnership should work.

Officials say the fish should grow through the winter, providing catchable size trout for anglers next spring.