The status of the Chattooga River as a “navigable” waterway is a hot topic as Georgia legislators deal with fishing rights. The main issue is defining which rivers and streams in Georgia are considered navigable and thus open to fishing. The Chattooga River is one of 64 waterways under review, with questions about its actual navigability based on an 1863 state law that requires a stream to transport boats with freight for part of the year. Transporting timber in small boats is not enough for a stream to be classified as navigable.

If the Chattooga River is classified as navigable, questions remain about which parts of it are accessible, as some areas may be very shallow. This ambiguity affects the Town of Trion, the City of Summerville and the Town of Lyerly in Chattooga County, which may suffer in terms of eco-tourism if excluded from navigable sections. A group of boating enthusiasts wants the right to float on Georgia’s rivers separated from fishing and hunting rights. This debate stems from a property owner’s attempt to ban fishing on part of the Flint River, which led the legislature to clarify public fishing rights but not the navigability questions.

Legislation introduced by House Majority Whip James Burchett seeks to name 64 rivers as “presumed to be navigable,” but the proposal faces opposition for potentially limiting public access. Critics argue that it doesn’t reflect the true extent of recreational boating in Georgia.