The Toccoa River below and above Lake Blue Ridge

The Toccoa River flows through Lake Blue Ridge (TVA’s Blue Ridge Reservoir) in Fannin County, Georgia, so there are two rivers to know, plus the lake between them. Below Blue Ridge Dam is the tailwater, a stocked trout stream that runs to McCaysville. Upstream of the lake is the Delayed Harvest section, which is not below the dam.

Safety first below the dam

When the dam releases water to generate power, the Toccoa below it becomes a Class I-II float (TVA), and the water can rise fast. In March 2022 TVA placed dam-warning sirens in Tammen Park, in Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road and in McCaysville, and it tests them once a year (TVA).

TVA's instruction for anyone near the river who hears the sirens, feels a severe earthquake or sees rapidly rising water is to get off the river to high ground immediately. (TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026)

Know the way out of the river before you wade in, and keep an eye on the water level while you fish.

Two waters, one dam, and a third upstream

Our article Toccoa River tailwater vs. Delayed Harvest compares the two river fisheries side by side.

Below the dam: the tailwater

Georgia DNR calls the Toccoa below Blue Ridge Dam a high-catch-rate trout stream. It stocks rainbow and brown trout there every year, and most fish run 8 to 12 inches (GA DNR). DNR adds that there is a chance at a fish over 20 inches. Anglers 16 and older need both a Georgia fishing license and a trout license, sold at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com (GA DNR).

Paddlers can put in at TVA’s canoe and kayak launch below the dam, which gives nonmotorized boats access to the river (TVA). TVA also lists a scenic overlook above the dam and a picnic area near the powerhouse. Our Blue Ridge Dam page covers the dam, the overlook and the safety study.

On to McCaysville and Tennessee

Below the dam the Toccoa flows northwest into Tennessee, where it is called the Ocoee River (TVA). The name changes at the state line between McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, which share a downtown. TVA names McCaysville, Mineral Bluff, Copperhill and Pleasant Hill among the communities downstream of the dam (TVA). The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway runs a 26-mile round trip along the Toccoa from downtown Blue Ridge to McCaysville and Copperhill (Blue Ridge Scenic Railway). See our McCaysville guide.

Above the lake: the upstream Toccoa

South of the lake, the Toccoa runs through Forest Service land and holds Georgia DNR’s Delayed Harvest water.

• Delayed Harvest section. DNR’s map puts it upstream of the lake, between Shallowford Bridge on Aska Road and the Sandy Bottoms Canoe Access. It is not below the dam (GA DNR). Georgia’s Delayed Harvest season begins Nov. 1, and the Toccoa is one of the Delayed Harvest streams (GA DNR). Check DNR for the season’s end date and special rules.
• Sandy Bottoms. The Forest Service’s Toccoa River – Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area is the take-out for the 13.8-mile Toccoa River Canoe Trail (USFS / Recreation.gov). It has a rustic campground at $8 a night.
• Deep Hole. A small Forest Service campground on a big bend of the upper Toccoa, at $15 a night by reservation (USFS). Both campgrounds are in our camping guide.
• The Swinging Bridge. The Benton MacKaye Trail crosses the Toccoa on a suspension bridge reached from Georgia 60. The Forest Service’s text gives its length as about 260 feet (USFS / Recreation.gov).

TVA notes that the Toccoa above the dam is stocked with trout every other week during trout season, from late March to October (TVA). That is TVA’s description. DNR’s stocking report is the authority for what went where.

• Dam

  Blue Ridge Dam (TVA)

  TVA earthen dam built 1925-1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company and bought by TVA in 1939; 175 ft high and 1,553 ft long, with one 16-MW generating unit. TVA says the dam is safe for normal operations; a safety study is scheduled to finish in 2026 and TVA reports no active plans to change seasonal lake levels (as of its July 2026 page).

  • Toccoa River near Mineral Bluff, about two miles northeast of the city of Blue Ridge (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Tennessee Valley Authority, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Boat ramp Not yet confirmed

  Toccoa River canoe and kayak launch below Blue Ridge Dam (TVA)

  TVA's launch below the dam gives nonmotorized boaters access to the Toccoa River, which becomes a Class I-II float when the dam is generating. The dam has a siren warning system: if you hear sirens or see rapidly rising water, get off the river to high ground.

  • Toccoa River below Blue Ridge Dam (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Tennessee Valley Authority, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Campground

  Toccoa River – Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area (USFS)

  A small rustic Forest Service campground on the Toccoa River upstream of the lake, south of Blue Ridge off Aska Road. It is the take-out for the 13.8-mile Toccoa River Canoe Trail and sits at the lower end of the Toccoa Delayed Harvest trout section. There is one vault toilet and no running water or hookups.

  • $8 per night per site (Recreation.gov)
  • 7406 Old Dial Road, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Recreation.gov (USDA Forest Service), checked Oct 18, 2026

• Fishing

  Toccoa River Delayed Harvest trout section (GA DNR)

  Georgia DNR's Delayed Harvest stretch of the Toccoa, upstream of Lake Blue Ridge (not below the dam). The DH season begins Nov. 1. Anglers 16 and older need a Georgia fishing license and a trout license.

  • Delayed Harvest season begins Nov. 1
  • Georgia fishing + trout license
  • Toccoa River between Shallowford Bridge (Aska Road) and Sandy Bottoms Canoe Access (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Fishing

  Toccoa River tailwater below Blue Ridge Dam (trout)

  Georgia DNR stocks rainbow and brown trout in the Toccoa below the dam every year and calls it an excellent destination because of high catch rates. Most fish are 8-12 inches, with a chance at a fish over 20 inches. Water levels change fast when TVA generates, so heed the dam's siren warning system.

  • Georgia fishing + trout license (16+)
  • Toccoa River downstream of Blue Ridge Dam toward McCaysville (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Trail Not yet confirmed

  Toccoa River Swinging Bridge (Benton MacKaye Trail, USFS)

  The Benton MacKaye Trail crosses the Toccoa River on a suspension bridge reached from Georgia 60, upstream of the lake. The Forest Service's recreation.gov text gives its length as 260 feet; other sources say 270, so avoid quoting a single number without attribution.

  • Benton MacKaye Trail over the Toccoa River, reached from Georgia 60 (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Recreation.gov (USDA Forest Service), checked Oct 18, 2026

• Campground

  Deep Hole Recreation Area (USFS)

  A small Forest Service campground on a big bend of the upper Toccoa River, upstream of the lake, offering camping, canoeing and fishing. Camping is $15 a night by reservation on Recreation.gov, and day use is $5 per vehicle. A Georgia fishing license and trout license are required.

  • Year round
  • Camping $15/site/night; day use $5/vehicle
  • Forest Service Road 654 off Georgia 60, north of Suches (Fannin County, Georgia per OSM)

  Source: USDA Forest Service, checked Oct 18, 2026

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