Sunrise at Cordele Hatchery. Catfish were spawned in the pens eight months ago and grown in the ponds until harvested.

Sunrise at Cordele Hatchery. Catfish were spawned in the pens eight months ago and grown in the ponds until harvested.

By: Anthony Rabern, GA DNR Fisheries Section, Biologist (Region I)

Kids Fishing Events are very popular in north Georgia, but their success takes advanced preparation.  While many of the Kids Fishing Events don’t take place until June, fisheries staff has already been hard at work in their early preparation for the events.

Staff from the Lake Burton office awoke in the early pre-dawn hours last week to pick up channel catfish from south Georgia’s Cordele Fish Hatchery. They then delivered the fish to their new homes, stocking 18 ponds across several north Georgia counties.

With some tender loving care by the pond owners and some warm weather in early spring, these fish will be ready to take a hook when the Kids Fishing Event season rolls around in June.  Be sure to keep following the Wildlife Resources Division, as we’ll begin announcing the locations for these 2013 Kids Fishing Events in the spring.