TIGHT LINES September 2006 Newsletter of the

Rabun Chapter (522) of Trout Unlimited

Visit the Rabun TU website: http://www.rabuntu.com/

"Caution is a most valuable asset in fishing, especially if you are the fish." Unknown

THE CHAPTER MEETING PLACE

Clayton Presbyterian Church (Located behind the Post Office) - Clayton, GA

3^rd Tuesday of the Month 6:30 pm – Social & Yarn Spinning 7:00 pm – Program & Meeting

(You don’t have to believe the yarns - - if you don’t want to)

At every regular chapter meeting there will be a raffle for fishing or camping items to help pay the cost of mailing the newsletter to members without E-mail.

Bring an item to donate and a dollar or two for raffle tickets - you might win something.

"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm half way through my FISH burger and I realize,

Oh my God . . . I could be eating a slow learner."

Either by Lynda Montgomery (comedian) or Lyndon B. Johnson (36th President of the United States)

“FORWARD CASTING” Important Dates - See you there!

Sept 9 (Sat) GA TU Council Meeting 9 am at Atlanta Fly Fishing School

Sept 13-16 (Wed-Sat) TU National Annual Meeting – Minneapolis, MN

Sept 16 (Sat) Waters Creek Work Day (USFS / GA WRD / NGTO / TU)

Sept 19 (Tues) Chapter Meeting, 6:30 pm, Clayton Presbyterian Church Program – Sheila & Dave Humphrey: Youth Environmental Education Program & How to Catch Those Dukes Creek Trout

Plus - Rod Raffle Drawing & Election of Officers for F/Y 2007

And Ordering of Rod Building Kits for November Building Sessions

Sept 23 (Sat) Outdoor Adventure Day at Unicoi S.P./Smith Creek

Sept. 26 (Tues) Board of Directors meeting, 6:30 pm at the Church

Sept 27-Oct 1 (Wed – Sun) Fishing & Camping West Fork, Holcomb & Overflow Creeks with Camping at the Blackwell Place

Oct 14 (Sat) Chili Cook-off Coosa Valley TU, Rome, GA

Oct 17 (Tues) Chapter Meeting, 6:30 pm, Clayton Presbyterian Church Program – Anthony Rabern: How to catch those BIG Lake Burton brown trout.

Oct 24 (Tues) Board of Directors meeting, 6:30 pm at the Church

Rabun Rendezvous: Saturday - January 20, 2007

Program Presenter – Jeff Durniak

FLY OF THE MONTH

by Terry Rivers

THE RENEGADE

As far as what this pattern looks like? Some think it suggests two mating midges. Whatever. It has peacock herl, a material with trout catching ability that should never be underestimated. When and where should it be used? During midge hatches (size 14-18) or anytime you feel like casting a dry fly and there is no hatch in progress. Also in calm water, but use a long leader with at least 7X tippet with a great presentation and it should get results.

HOOK: TMC 100, SIZES 10-18

THREAD: BLACK 8/0

RIB: FINE GOLD WIRE

TAG: GOLD MYLAR TINSEL

REAR HACKLE: BROWN

BODY: PEACOCK HERL

FRONT HACKLE: WHITE/ CREAM/ OR GRIZZLY

"The great advantage one will have in creating his own patterns is in being able to match more closely the size and form and hues and colors of the insects trout feed on in one's favorite water."

Sylvester Nemes

SEPTEMBER HATCHES

The Bugs Time of Month Time of Day Suggested

Small Dun Caddis All Month Mid AM to Late PM 18 Brown Elk or Deer Hair Caddis 18 Grey Caddis Pupa

Speckled Grey-Brown Caddis Late Late PM 14–16 Dark Elk Hair Caddis w/Yellow-Brown 14–16 Dun & Yellow Caddis Pupa

Large October Caddis Late Early AM and Late PM 8-10 Ginger Elk Hair

8-10 Ginger Caddis Pupa

Trico Mayfly Early AM 20 Parachute Trico Trico Spinner Fall PM 20–22 Poly Wing Black Spinner

Midges All Month All Day 18-22 Griffith's Gnat 18-22 Midge Pupa

Terrestrials – Ants, Beatles, Crickets, Inch-Worms, Hoppers, Various Times & Sizes

Yellow Jackets, Etc

TU Chapter ‘Website-of-the-Month’: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5696/

Check Their Main Project: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5696/class.htm

The Seventh of a Series:

Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns

Yallarhammer Dry Yallarhammer Dry (Variation #1) Yallarhammer Dry (Variation #2)

A set of 3 Different Yallarhammer Dry Flies

“There use to be a lot more water in THE RIVER and the trout were a lot bigger - - back when they burned the woods”

A Kellyism

Would you like to have the original recipe for any of these Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Flies?

Do you have a favorite Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns you would like to see featured here?

Just send an E-mail request to: edadams1@alltel.net

Rabunite Clay Hudgins has spent about 10 years researching, information collecting, and compiling a wealth of pictures and data on the Traditional Southern Appalachian Trout Fly Patterns.

Clay has given us permission to share the results of his hobby with the readers of TIGHT LINES.

The Chattooga Conservancy is working to clean-up Stekoa Creek

" A standard saying among fly fishermen is that trout spend anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of their time feeding below the water's surface on the immature forms of aquatic insects." Ed Engle

By Golly - - So That’s What The Trout Are Really Feeding On!

Editor’s note: The above are copies of Identification Cards used by the Ohio DNR Scenic Rivers Program.

Visitor Use Capacity Analysis, Upper Chattooga River

Expert Panel Criteria and Nomination Form Nominations Due September 1, 2006

For details, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/panel.shtml

If you are familiar with the Upper Chattooga backcountry, if you are an experienced high water wader, if you can fly and spin fish, if you are available on short notice then please consider submitting your nomination.

The selection of the expert panelists will include about 16 members per panel, with the target of 6 to 8 panel members participating in the site reconnaissance trips, depending on the availability of the individual panel members. Selection of panelists will be based on the following qualifications: years of experience, skill level, previous experience participating in flow studies, level of availability, and knowledge of the area and/or river. Safety will be a key consideration. Members of the boater panel must have Class V whitewater boating experience. Members of the angler panel should have experience in a full range of angling techniques (fly fishing, spin fishing, etc.). Due to the nature of the flow variability, panel members must be able to participate on short notice. Ideally, all members will have experience in similar collaborative flow studies, have both angling and whitewater boating experience, and have utilized the Chattooga River for a variety of recreational activities.

Members of the public may nominate themselves or other qualified individuals through September 1, 2006.

Applications can be obtained on the Forest Service website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/epform1.pdf

The applications should be sent to Email: lyaukey@louisberger.com

The Forest Service will select the panelists by October 1, 2006. The selected panelists will be notified by the Forest Service and the list of selected panelists will be posted on the Sumter N.F. website. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/

Letters to the Editor - - From Boaters

Editor’s note: Some boaters are routinely reading TIGHT LINES on the Rabun TU website. And a number of them send us E-mails. A few have given us permission to reprint their E-mails here, but many have not. We have extracted some excerpts with common themes and share them here with our readers along with Editorial responses.

AW is seeking immediate and unregulated access

A boater wrote, “Also, boating in the Headwaters will only occur when the Chattooga is at high flow, so it will be when fishing and swimming will be out of the question due to swift, high, brown water.”

Another boater wrote, “I fish, hunt, hike, ect. And I also like to boat on whitewater. These activities do not all coincide with each other. Mother Nature does not see fit to give us enough rain anymore to do much boating during the better of the three seasons.”

Editor’s note: AW is seeking immediate and unregulated access (any number of boats, anytime, any water level) for rafting, canoeing, and kayaking on the last few miles of the Upper Chattooga. While fishing I’ve encounter boaters "poaching-a-run" several times in the last 30 years. I have wade fished there in water levels up to 3.0 and I have encountered boaters there at levels down below 2.0 on the US76 gauge.

# # # #

There are important conservation issues to be addressed

A boater wrote, “Kayakers and fishermen must work together to address the real threats to the Chattooga head waters. The threats are 1) Overuse by all groups 2) Poor Forest Service management and 3) Encroaching development. Fighting over use rights while the river dies is pointless.”

Another boater wrote, “Other growing threats are encroaching development and weak and poorly enforces erosion control regulations on nearby private lands. There are these and other real threats to the headwaters area that already exist.”

And a 3rd boater wrote, “We should agree to disagree in non-personal ways and carry our issues in a professional manner to maintain working relationships that foster joint efforts to protect the resources threatened everyday.”

And a 4th boater wrote, “The power of two groups working together have more political power than splitting the groups into one that ‘has what they want’ and another that ‘wants want the other has.’ “

And a 5th boater wrote, “We should refocus the direction of protecting the Chattooga by investigating the building and development of the surrounding areas to determine the impact of those things on the river rather than spending so much of our resources on resolving a solution between user groups.”

And a 6th boater wrote, "I continue to be amazed that everywhere in the country, except Rabun and Oconee county, TU and AW works together cooperatively." “I have no doubt that TU and AW could work together successfully on the Stekoa creek project. “

And a 7th boater wrote, “Thought you would like to see AW's level of support and partnership in other regions of the country.”

And a 8th boater wrote, "I would hate to see the resources of TU or AW continue to be wasted for years to come on this debate- there are more important conservation issues (such as the extremely polluted Stekoa Creek) that need to be addressed by both organizations."

Editor’s note: We agree completely with these boaters. Since 1986, members of the local TU Chapters have volunteered on over 50 workdays in the Chattooga watershed under the direct supervision of Forest Service professionals. We just volunteered on 2 more workdays in July. In 20 years we have seen only two boaters on these volunteer crews, Eric Esche (a private boater, rafting guide, and TU member) and Claude Terry (owner of Southeastern Expeditions). Presently the GA TU Council and 3 TU Chapters (Upper Chattahoochee, GA Foothills & Rabun) are providing financial support and volunteer labor to address the Stekoa Creek problem. For details, visit http://www.chattoogariver.org/index.php?req=stekoa As you can see, the Chattooga Guided Outfitters are also donating. We invite the private boaters, their clubs and organizations to join us in the restoration of Stekoa Creek.

# # # #

Zoning of conflicting uses is good stewardship

A boater wrote, "It is discriminatory for one group (i.e. Boaters) to be excluded from the use of a natural resource and public site while other groups are allowed free reign."

Another boater wrote, “Why do fishermen think they can own the river?”

And a 3rd boater wrote, “We all pay taxes too. Why is your use to be given preference over other uses?”

Editor’s note: The Chattooga is zoned with approximately two-thirds available for floating and one-third for “foot travel only.” Zoning of conflicting uses is good stewardship, not discrimination. Stewardship encompasses far more than picking up litter; it includes the protection of the aesthetic values of natural resources such as remoteness and wildness, the proper regard for the rights of others to solitude, and the responsibility of preserving those values intact for future generations.

Whitewater boaters try end-run around Upper Chattooga analysis By Joe Gatins (Excerpts from GA ForestWatch Summer 2006 newsletter article reprinted here with permission of the writer) American Whitewater and several other whitewater enthusiasts have filed suit in U.S. District court in Gainesville to try to force immediate opening of the upper 21 miles of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River to so-called “primitive floaters.” Butch Clay, of Mountain Rest, S.C., an advisor to the Georgia ForestWatch board, and real “poet of the Chattooga,” perhaps best defined what is at stake here: “… the headwater reach has remained to a large extent unsung, surviving as an improbably intact and almost unbelievably wild vestige of primitive America, a last resort of peace and quiet for humans, and a small but blessedly untrammeled haven for flora and fauna widely (and increasingly) supplanted in this region by the sprawling expanse of un-abating urban growth.” The question for the Forest Service and all Americans is whether it is better to maintain this virtually unique treasure, or open it up to increasing pressures, including the commercial rafting and kayaking companies that inevitably would seek access to the Upper Chattooga if the whitewater industry managed to crack the headwaters’ door open. To read the complete article, visit http://www.gafw.org/06SummerNewsletter.pdf

Q & A (“Q” from the public & “A” from the USFS)

Q. Will all user groups be treated equally in this study?

A. Yes, all user groups will be treated equally.

(From Frequently Asked Questions – Take 2, Formulated following October 13, 2005, Public Meeting

As posted on the Sumter NF website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/faq.shtml )

Editor’s note: However, some stakeholders feel they are not being treated equally. The idea of selecting panels of expert boaters and anglers to serve as focus groups didn’t sit well with most people attending the USFS public meeting in Highlands (NC) on 7/27. (The following are excerpts from the 8/2/06 Smoky Mountain News (SMN) article about the meeting, to read the complete article, visit http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/08_06/08_02_06/out_my_chattooga.html )

“There’s hikers, photographers, birders, swimmers. There should be a panel of those kind of people, too,” said Doug Odell who lives on Lake Glenville near Cashiers.

Following the presentation, a crowd gathered around Doug Whitaker, a consultant hired by the forest service to oversee the data collection, to complain about the study format.

“You guys are framing this as boaters against anglers,” said Buzz Williams, director of the Chattooga Conservancy. “All these other user groups are legitimate uses, but they’re being treated like red-headed stepchildren.”

“You’re acting like there’s no interest other than from anglers and boaters,” said Patrick Sanders, a second-home owners in Highlands who likes to hike.

“By not having a panel you aren’t going to have the same caliber of information from others users as you do boaters and anglers,” said Bill Rethorst, a resident of Highlands and avid hiker with the Over the Hill Gang.

Amy Chase, who lives in Cashiers, said input should be sought from more than just the avid outdoorsmen, but should also include those in the local area who may never even venture to the river. “It is a community resource in Cashiers and a community issue,” Chase said, suggesting mailing surveys to homeowners.

“When I want a wilderness experience, the only place left is the upper portion of the river,” Rethorst said.

“Every other river in the entire National Forest Service Wild and Scenic River system is open to boating,” Colburn said. (Kevin Colburn with American Whitewater)

“That’s exactly the point,” said Pam Simion of Highlands. “Do you have to use every resource?’

A fisherman told Colburn that boating infringes on the ability to fish. “When a boat goes through, the fish are down for an hour,” said John Benbow, president of the N.C. Wildlife Federation.

“That’s an inherent situation on any river,” Colburn said.

“We need a place of solitude in the wilderness,” said Mary Kay Moore, a wilderness photographer who lives in Highlands.

To view the Atlanta WSB-TV coverage of the meeting, click here: http://www.wsbtv.com/video/9594902/index.html

To read a letter to SMN about the meeting, visit: http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/08_06/08_09_06/op_edlet_forest.html

Editor’s notes: Other quotes I heard after the Highlands meeting: “What a crock that was.” “It appears fishing is the only issue on USFS radar.” “… this was your standard Forest Service ‘divide and conquer’ style meeting.” “The meeting was a complete farce.” ”The USFS have ignored our pleas to include all users as they were ordered to do in the appeal decision.” “… the meeting last Thursday…the smoke and mirrors…”

Headwaters (above Bull Pen Road – 3 miles on FS land with an access trail setback from the river) – ‘Wild trout/natural bait‘ management.

Upper Ellicott Rock Wilderness (NC portion from Bull Pen Road to Ellicott Rock - 2 miles without an access trail along side) ‘Wild trout/natural bait‘ management.

For both above areas, NC WRC stopped all stocking about 15 years ago. May be fished with artificial lures or natural bait, except live fish. Lures and natural baits are restricted to one single hook. The minimum length limit is 7 inches, and the daily creel limit is 4 trout. NC fishing license with trout permit required. The solitude is excellent. The wild brown trout fishery is in very good condition and stable. (see article that follows this Q&A)

Lower Ellicott Rock Wilderness (below the NC line – 3 miles, easy access trails alongside the river, overused by casual visitors) - ‘Wild Trout’ management. Any bait or lure. Open 24-h / 365-d. Creel limit 8 trout. No size restriction. Floating is not allowed. SC license or GA license with trout permit required. The wild brown trout fishery is in good condition and improving. The solitude has been compromised by the high visitation rate attracted by the Wilderness label and easy trails. The catch rate is lower due to the elimination of the annual helicopter stocking and increased fishing pressure facilitated by easy access trails. The signage encouraging "catch & release" helps. It informs the casual anglers that the area does not have the ‘easy’ stock trout. It applies peer pressure to release the wild trout.

Burrell’s Ford Area (3/4 mile) – ‘Put and Take’ management w/truck stocking paid for by fishing license fees. Overused and abused area. Any bait or lure. Open 24-h / 365-d. Creel limit 8 trout. No size restriction. Floating is not allowed. SC license or GA license with trout permit required. The ‘put and take’ fishery has improved since SC took over the Wahalla hatchery. The stocking rate is higher, more frequent, and has a higher percentage of larger than average rainbow and brown trout.

Backcountry (Burrell’s Ford Area to Reed Creek Confluence – 9 miles, good trail access with 2 long reaches where trail is away from the river) – ‘Put and Grow’ management w/helicopter stocking of sub-adult trout every fall. Fishing license and trout stamp fees pay for the trout and GA & Rabun TU contribute $1500 annually towards the helicopter costs. Any bait or lure. Open 24-h / 365-d. Creel limit 8 trout. No size restriction. Floating is not allowed. SC license or GA license with trout permit required. The results are Excellent! The “Put & Grow” trout provides an excellent catch rate. The fall stocking provides the opportunity for the trout to disperse, grow, and become stream-wise by springtime. The backcountry solitude is outstanding, far better than in the Lower Wilderness area. The trail access is excellent for those that backpack in to camp, or for those that walk in or out in the dark with a flashlight. The Chattooga Coalition is responsible for the restoration of this backcountry fishery to better quality than it was 35 years ago.

Nicholson Fields Area (Reed Creek to Highway 28 Bridge – 2 ½ miles, easy trail access both sides of the river) – ‘Delayed Harvest’ management (with 6 ½ months of ‘Catch & Release’ w/artificial only, single hook & 5 1/2 months open for harvest w/any bait or lure, creel limit 8 trout, no size restriction) w/helicopter and truck stocking of trout paid for by fishing license fees. Open 24-h / 365-d. Floating is not allowed. SC license or GA license with trout permit required. The results are outstanding! This beautiful section of river now has a fishery that far exceeds anything it ever had in the past: high catch rate, larger than average trout, and the opportunity to catch trophy size rainbow, brown & brook.

Long Bottom (below Highway 28 Bridge – 2 ½ miles, easy access) - ‘Put and Take’ management w/truck stocking paid for by fishing license fees. Any bait or lure. Open 24-h / 365-d. Creel limit 8 trout. No size restriction. Floating is allowed year around. SC license or GA license with trout permit required. The fishery is better for the same reason described under the Burrell’s Ford Area.

Wild Trout & Natural Bait In North Carolina This special regulation provides unique opportunities for Tar Heel trout fishermen on some of the most intriguing streams in the western part of the state. By Jeff Samsel

(Excerpts reprinted here from the NC Game&Fish Magazine website, visit

http://www.ncgameandfish.com/fishing/trout-fishing/NC_0505_02/index.html )

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Reaching among the submerged branches of a tree that stretches across a remote mountain stream, an angler breaks off the deepest branch he can reach and lifts it for examination. To his delight, the branch contains a gold-mine of "stickbait" -- all he'll need for at least a couple of hours. So he pulls a small container from his fishing vest and begins carefully collecting treasures.

Stickbait, in traditional Southern Appalachian lingo, refers to caddis fly nymphs, complete with the little stick-like cases they build and inhabit. Old-time flyfishermen often tipped nymphs with stickbait or fished the same baits alone on tiny hooks, but still with the use of a fly rod to deliver the offering.

Not many mountain anglers drift stickbait anymore, and regulations probably have played some part in that change. Most tumbling high-country creeks, where stickbait fishing once was popular, are now managed under wild trout regulations, which do not allow the use of natural offerings. Several western North Carolina streams, however -- 19 to be exact -- fall under a special designation of "wild trout/natural bait," allowing anglers to probe wild trout waters with natural offerings.

The streams were given this designation about a decade ago, as part of a broad-based reclassification of trout streams by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The NCWRC did not want to completely upend the way anglers were accustomed to fishing on

many streams, according to Scott Loftis, the fisheries biologist over District 9, where all 19 streams under this designation are located.

The designation blends wild trout regulations, which include a four-fish limit, a 7-inch minimum size and an allowance of only a single hook, with hatchery-supported regulations that permit the use of natural bait. It allows anglers who favor bait, to fish backcountry streams for wild trout.

Wild trout/natural bait waters tend to get overlooked by anglers, but they include several outstanding streams. Brown, rainbow and brook trout are all part of the mix in the streams, which are spread over eight western North Carolina counties. The streams also vary dramatically in size and character.

Following the special designation of these streams and other changes in the 1990s, the NCWRC conducted electrofishing and creel surveys in several watersheds for five years to measure impact. They found that angler pressure and harvest had virtually no effect on stream populations in remote wild trout streams, even with the use of live bait, Loftis said.

Because the wild trout/natural bait streams vary so much in character and in the makeup of trout populations, the best stream depends largely on an angler's specific preferences. Loftis pointed toward the Chattooga River, the North Fork of the French Broad River, Big Creek, Kimsey Creek and Buck Creek as some of the streams that offer the best opportunities for fishermen.

The Chattooga River, a National Wild & Scenic River beginning in the lower end of its North Carolina run, is best known for its world-class whitewater offerings along the Georgia/ South Carolina border and to a lesser extent for its trout fishing farther up the same border. Through North Carolina, an outstanding population of wild brown trout, including some large fish, gets minimal attention from anglers because of the stream's remoteness and ruggedness.

Shocking surveys on the Chattooga, conducted from 1992 to 1996, consistently showed high numbers of first-year fish, which indicated that good conditions for natural reproduction exist here. The surveys also turned up plenty of adult fish in the stream. Most adult fish were in the 6- to 12-inch range, but stream surveyors would sometimes bring up fish up to 16 inches.

Bull Pen Bridge crosses the Chattooga a couple miles upstream of the North Carolina/South Carolina/ Georgia border. Upstream or downstream, all access is by wading (sometimes difficult wading) or by hiking one of a couple of trails, each three miles or more in length that lead to the river near the border.

The most effective way to fish the Chattooga is to backpack into the Ellicott Rock Wilderness by one of the trails and spend a couple of days fishing, ideally with a Georgia or South Carolina license in addition to a North Carolina license. Live crawfish dropped to the bottoms of big boulder-strewn pools on gray days offer the best prospects for enticing hefty brown trout.

Loftis noted that two of the Chattooga's main tributaries, Scotsman and Fowler creeks, also support good wild brown trout populations. These are much smaller and tighter but lower in gradient overall and easier to access. They also get even less fishing pressure than the main river.

Overflow Creek in Macon County is also in the Chattooga River watershed; however, its flow feeds the West Fork of the Chattooga River in Georgia, which joins the main river more than 10 miles south of the North Carolina border. Small and fairly remote, the North Carolina section of the Overflow supports mostly brown trout, but has brook trout in its upper end. The topography the stream flows through is unusual and a cause for caution by anglers: The stream will be strangely flat for a long stretch and then plummet over a major waterfall.

BEFORE YOU GO: For complete regulations regarding wild trout/natural bait waters and a complete list of stream sections under this designation, visit the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Web site at www.ncwildlife.org. The site also offers downloadable maps of trout waters. http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg02_Regs/pg2b3.pdf

USFS - Washington Office Officials Uphold Forest Plans for Five Southern Appalachian National Forest (7/31/06) Columbia, SC - The Forest Service’s Washington Office on July 24 issued its decisions on several appeals of revised Land and Resource Management Plans in the Southern Region. The decisions affirmed the Regional Forester’s approval of management direction for the Chattahoochee-Oconee in Georgia, Cherokee in Tennessee, Daniel Boone in Kentucky, Sumter in South Carolina, and Jefferson in Virginia, as well as the National Forests in Alabama. “We are pleased the plans were affirmed, and we are excited about implementing the natural resource management direction these documents provide,” said Regional Forester Chuck Myers. Appellants raised similar issues in each set of appeals, covering issues such as forest management, terrestrial wildlife and aquatic species, wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, oil and gas development and mineral leasing, roads, and social and economic considerations, as well as procedural and planning requirements. A separate appeal of the Sumter National Forest plan, regarding the potential of opening the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River above Highway 28 to floating, is