Effective Jan. 1, the cost of fishing from a boat in the Bear Creek Reservoir in Southwest Jackson County is going up 20 to 40 percent for most people who use the lake.
The Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority, which owns and manages the regional drinking water reservoir, voted last Wednesday to increase the cost of a $5 daily pass one dollar to $6, and the cost of annual permits from the current level of $25 to $35.
The daily cost for children, senior citizens and veterans will remain at $3.
The move came after Jackson County recreation director Ricky Sanders reported that the boat ramp/ fishing operation run for the authority by the county recreation department will run a deficit of $1,500 to $2,500 for 2010. That’s in addition to a $1,200 deficit carried over from 2009.
“The only way for us to break even is to increase the fees or cut the hours,” Sanders told the authority.
“If it’s our intent to make it self-supporting, that’s the direction we need to take,” advised Chris Thomas, who chairs the authority’s Recreation Committee.
According to Sanders, during 2010 the authority sold 217 annual passes (at $25 apiece), 2009 daily passes ($5 apiece), 695 daily passes ($3 apiece) for veterans, senior citizens or children, and 15 annual passes ($25) for abutting property owners ($25).
Currently, the lake is made available to the public for boat fishing from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays. From April 1 through October, the reservoir is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Sanders reported that the ramp facility is “heavily used,” averaging 14 to 15 boats a day with a high of 30 on weekends.
As part of the same motion, the authority also voted to spend up to $23,174 to add an 8 by 16 floating dock, a gangway and a path/walkway to make it easier for solo fishermen to launch their boats.
