Catch and Report a Tagged Bass; Win a Cap

Albany, GA

A two-year bass tagging project on the Flint River conducted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) and Auburn University is currently underway.

Through this project, biologists are tagging shoal and largemouth bass that are 12 inches or longer in the Flint River between Warwick Dam and Lake Seminole. 

“Data from this study will help biologists assess the current state of the fishery and determine if any measures need to be taken to increase the potential of this portion of the river,” said Rob Weller, WRD Fisheries Management Section Region Supervisor. “But we need anglers help in reporting the tags to make this study successful – so call in those tags!”

How do you know if you caught a tagged bass? There will be a pink “spaghetti” tag affixed to the fish. This tag has a unique number and a contact phone number. 

How do you report a tagged bass catch? Whether or not you keep the fish, remove the tag. The tags can be easily removed by cutting close to the skin with a pair of fingernail clippers or with any utensil an angler might use to cut their fishing line. Once you have the tag, call the phone number to report the catch and provide the tag number. 

Anglers that call in the tag information or return the tag will receive a custom ball cap with an image of a shoal bass, some native black bass stickers, and will be entered into a drawing that will be conducted at the end of each year. Winners of the drawing will receive a framed numbered print of a Shoal Bass drawn by renown fish artist Joe Tomelleri (https://www.americanfishes.com/en/).  

For fishing tips and information about the Flint River, be sure to check out the Fishing Forecasts page at https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing-forecasts. For more information on the bass tagging study, call the Southwest Georgia WRD Fisheries Management Office at 229-430-4256.

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