Georgia has 14 major river basins and 52 smaller watersheds. The Upper Chattahoochee River basin is home to a wide range of native species, and is one of the main areas of trout stocking in Georgia. The rains have been hammering the creeks which have been raising water levels and increasing turbidity this summer. A positive of mountain streams is that they can flush out pretty quickly, but the heavy rains have been raising the water levels too high to sample. Some of the creeks we were in, like the Chickamauga and Little Mud Creek, had a very strong flow which made them very difficult to maneuver.
Mountain streams are home to species of fish that typically prefer cooler water and higher levels of dissolved oxygen. The riffles and shoals in mountain streams are constantly aerating the water, making them hospitable for more sensitive species of fish such as sculpins and darters. Most of the species found here are very sensitive to sedimentation too because the sediment settles around the rocks and gravel leaving them no viable habitat for reproduction.
Below are some of my favorite pictures captured from the Upper Chattahoochee sampling trips:
Don’t forget to get out, get wet, and explore Georgia’s streams!
Peach State Fish 
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